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TeacherJapan Posted 7 years ago
Grammar

Is “it” necessary?

I could’ve done (it) better.

If it’s understood by the context, is it possible to omit it?

  

Top answer

teacherJapan I could’ve done (it) better. If it’s understood by the context, is it possible to omit it? I would say yes.

— Anonymous

  • teacherJapan I could’ve done (it) better.
  • If it’s understood by the context, is it possible to omit it?
  • I would say yes.
  • A-John ran the 14-mile race in two hours.
  • B- I could have done better if I wasn't down with a cold.
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3 Answers
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teacherJapan

I could’ve done (it) better.

If it’s understood by the context, is it possible to omit it?

I would say yes. A-John ran the 14-mile race in two hours. B- I could have done better if I wasn't down with a cold.

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teacherJapan

I could’ve done (it) better.

If it’s understood by the context, is it possible to omit it?

I'd say they are two different expressions. With "it", you are addressing the result of a particular effort of yours: Andy: "That's a nice paint job." You: "I could have done it better. There is paint on the windows."

"Without "it", you

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You are absolutely on the money! In the house painting example, "it" refers to his friend's help. So the "it" cannot be omitted as it is part of the semantic context. In the "race" dialog, with or without the "it", the context is still idiomatic and grammatical.

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