IT

Question 1

We use IT at the beginning of a sentence:
- to put a long subject at the end (the usual place for it).
- to put important information at the end (the usual place in English).

Answer 1

It’s illegal to drive without a license.
It’s a miracle that she wasn’t hurt.

It is clear why Diego wants to leave Spain.
It is useless asking Sophie to help.

Question 2

1) IT+VERB+TO INFINITIVE: help, not do, hurt, pay.

2) IT+VERB+OBJECT+TO INFINITIVE: take, shock, mean, amaze, annoy, astonish, concern, cost, frighten, hurt, scare, surprise, upset, worry.

Answer 2

1) It helps to lie down. If you want someone to help you, it doesn’t do to annoy them just before you ask.
2) It shocked him to see her look so ill.
It means a lot to get a place at university.
It takes a lot of effort to play the flute.

Question 3

1) IT+VERB+THAT CLAUSE: seem, emerge, appear, come about, follow, happen, transpire.
2) IT+VERB+OBJECT+THAT CLAUSE: hit, dawn on, not bother, strike, tun out.

Answer 3

1) It seems that she has lost her memory.
It emerged that he already had a criminal record.
2) It suddenly hit me that Sara wanted to borrow money.

Question 4

We can use IT:
1) followed by THAT, IF, WHEN, after: can’t bear, hate, like, love, resent, can’t stand.
2) followed by IF, WHEN, after: dislike, enjoy, prefer, understand.

Answer 4

I hate it that you can swim and I can’t.

We always enjoy it when they stay with us.

Question 5

Some verbs can be followed by a that clause, without the IT: accept, admit, deny, guarantee, mention.

Answer 5

You’ve just accept (it) that Emir’s gone and is not coming back.

Question 6

Many other verbs are not followed by IT:
remember, argue, discover, emphasize, notice, predict.

Answer 6

I can’t remember when I last saw her.

Question 7

With some verbs, IT can be followed by a noun/adjective and then by THAT/IF/WHEN: believe, consider, find, think.

Answer 7

Officials said they believed it unlikely that any lasting damage to the environment has been done.

Question 8

With some verbs we use IT+TO pronoun+TO INFINITIVE: leave, owe.

Answer 8

Don’t bother to arrange anything, just leave it to me to sort out.
She owed to her parents to do well at college.

Question 9

Some verbs, we use IT+AS+NOUN/ADJECTIVE+clause:accept, regard, see, take, view.

Answer 9

We see it as an insult to have received no reply to our letter.
I take it as encouraging when students attend all my lectures.

Question 10

IT IS/WAS:
no secret, no surprise, no use, no good, no coincidence, no longer.

Question 11

THERE IS/WAS:
no denying, no alternative, no choice, no hope, no need, no point, no question, no reason, no chance.