it
- 01 A1 Beginner
pron.you use this to talk about an object, an animal, or an idea that you have already mentioned.
pron.the third-person singular neuter pronoun used to refer to an inanimate object, abstract entity, or non-human organism.
Simple“I found a great book and I can't stop reading it.”
In context“The committee reviewed the proposal thoroughly before deciding to reject it on the grounds of insufficient funding.”
UsageFunctions as either a subject or an object pronoun.
- 02 A1 Beginner
pron.you use this as a 'dummy' subject when talking about the weather, time, or distance.
pron.an impersonal or 'dummy' pronoun used as a syntactic filler for the subject position in statements about environmental conditions or temporal states.
Simple“It is raining outside, so you should take an umbrella.”
In context“It is nearly ten miles to the nearest service station, so we should check the fuel levels now.”
UsageKnown as the 'dummy it' because it has no real semantic referent in the sentence.
- 03 A1 Beginner
pron.you use this to identify who someone is, especially when you cannot see them or on the phone.
pron.used to identify a person whose identity is being established or revealed in the discourse.
Simple“There is someone at the door. I think it is the postman.”
In context“When the phone rang at midnight, she answered tentatively, only to find it was her brother calling from abroad.”
UsageCommonly used with the verb 'to be' for identification.
- 04 B1 Intermediate
pron.you use this at the start of a sentence to introduce a longer idea that comes later.
pron.an anticipatory pronoun acting as a placeholder for a delayed subject, such as an infinitive phrase or a noun clause.
Simple“It is important to sleep well before a big exam.”
In context“It remains to be seen whether the new policy will actually improve the economic situation in the long term.”
UsageOften used in the pattern 'It is [adjective] to [verb]'.
- 05 C1 Advanced
adj.used to describe something or someone that is currently the most popular or fashionable.
adj.denoting a person or thing that is currently highly fashionable or trendy.
Simple“She is the new 'it' girl of the fashion world this year.”
In context“That specific shade of green has become the it colour for interior designers this season.”
Teacher's tipOften used in the phrase 'it girl' or 'it bag' to denote peak popularity.
SynonymsAntonymsunfashionabledated