It doesn’t matter. It’s my fault.
9.33 It is also used to introduce a comment on an action, activity, or experience. The subject it refers forward.
It costs so much to get there.
It was amazing that audiences came to the theatre at all.
This structure with it allows you to avoid having a long subject, and to put what you are talking about in a more prominent position at the end of the sentence.
Describing a place or situation
9.34 If you want to describe the experience of being in a particular place, you can use it followed by a linking verb such as be, an adjective, and an adverbial of place.
It was very hard in Germany after the war.
It was terribly cold in the trucks.
It’s nice down there.
For more information about how to talk about place, see the section beginning at paragraph 6.53.
Similarly, you can indicate your opinion of a situation using it, be, an adjective, and a clause beginning with when or if.
It’s so nice when it’s hot, isn’t it?
Won’t it seem odd if I have no luggage?
using it as an object
9.35 You can also use it as the object of verbs such as like and hate to describe your feelings about a place or situation.
I like it here.
He knew that he would hate it if they said no.
Here is a list of common verbs that are used in this way:
adore
dislike
enjoy
hate
like
loathe
love
prefer
Talking about the weather and the time
describing the weather: It’s raining, It’s sunny
9.36 You can describe the weather by using it as the subject of a verb.
It’s still raining.
It was pouring with rain.
It snowed steadily throughout the night.
The following verbs are used after it to talk about the weather:
drizzle
hail
pour
rain
sleet
snow
thunder
You can also describe the weather by using it followed by be and an adjective by itself, or an adjective followed by a noun referring to a period of time.
‘Can I go swimming?’ – ‘No, it’s too cold.’
It was very windy.
It was a warm, sunny evening.
It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?
Here is a list of common adjectives that are used to describe the weather:
bitter
blowy
blustery
boiling
breezy
chilly
cloudy
cold
cool
damp
dark
dry
fine
foggy
freezing
frosty
hot
humid
icy
light
lovely
misty
muggy
nasty
rainy
showery
stormy
sunny
thundery
warm
wet
windy
Note that you can describe a change in the weather or light by using it followed by get and an adjective.
It’s getting cold. Shall we go inside?
It’s getting dark.
giving times and dates
9.37 You can say what the time, day, or date is by using it followed by be and an adjective or noun phrase referring to time.
It’s eight o’clock.
It’s Saturday afternoon and all my friends are out.
It was July, but freezing cold.
emphasizing time
9.38 You can form many useful time expressions using a structure with It is … or It was … and an adjective or noun phrase referring to time. The use of this structure puts emphasis on the time of the event.
You can say when something happened using when.
It was 11 o’clock at night when 16 armed men came to my house.
It was nearly midnight when Kunta finally slept.
You can say how long ago something happened using since.
It’s two weeks now since I wrote to you.
It was forty years since the war.
You can say how long the period was between one event and another using before.
It was ninety days before the search was over.
It was four minutes before half-time.
You can say how soon something will happen using to.
It was only two days to the wedding.
Commenting on an action, activity, or experience
using linking verbs
9.39 A common way of commenting on what you are doing or experiencing is to use it followed by a linking verb and an adjective or noun phrase. This is followed by an -ing participle or a to-infinitive.
It’s fun working for him.
It was difficult trying to talk to her.
It’s nice to see you with your books for a change.
It will be a stimulating experience to see Mrs Oliver.
If you want to mention the person who performs the action or has the experience, you use a prepositional phrase beginning with for and a to-infinitive.
It becomes hard for a child to develop a sense of identity.
You can also use the structure with a to-infinitive when you are recommending a course of action or saying that something is necessary.
Its important to know your own limitations.
It’s a good idea to have a little notebook handy.
It is necessary to examine this claim before we proceed any further.
using other verbs
9.40 Similar structures can be used with verbs other than linking verbs.
If you want to say what effect an experience has on someone, you can use it with a verb such as please, surprise, or shock, followed by a noun phrase and a to-infinitive. For a list of these verbs, see paragraph 9.44.