preparatory "it"

Question

Hi,There has been mentioned three situations in which one can use preparatory 'it":1- When the subject of a clause is an infinitive expression E.g: It was really lovely to see Philip again.2- When the subject of a clause is another clauseE.g: It is unlikely that he'll arrive on time.3- When we want to emphasize what comes first in the sentenceE.g: It was sally who introduced me to Kaye.My problem is that I can't figure out what subject means in the first two situations. Does it the doer or what?I appreciate your help in advance,Iman

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Hi Imam;

#3 is what we call a cleft sentence. The "dummy it" is the subject, replacing one of the sentence elements which is in a dependent clause. This structure is used for emphasis.

Sally introduced me to Kaye.
It was Sally, (emphasis on Sally) who introduced me to Kaye.

imantaghaviMy problem is that I can't figure out what subject means in the first two situations. Does it the doer or what?

There is no notional (semantic) subject. English grammar requires a grammatical subject, so we use what is called a "dummy" it as a placeholder.

The simplest to understand are weather-related sentences:
It is raining.
It is sunny.

There is no actor or "doer" here, but we need a grammatical subject. The same is true for your sentences #1 and #2.

CalifJim · Answer

imantaghaviMy problem is that I can't figure out what subject means in the first two situations. ~~Does~~ Is it the doer or what?

No. The subject is whatever you are talking about. The subject is underlined below.

To see Philip again was really lovely. (You're talking about the fact that you saw Philip again.)
That he'll arrive on time is unlikely. (You're talking about the possibility that he will arrive on time.)

In both cases the subject is moved to the end of the sentence, and "it" replaces the subject at the beginning.

CJ

Imantaghavi · Answer

Thank you Alpheccastars and CJ.

I cannot be satisfied with your contemplative responses anymore. They were both of great use.

Cheers,

Iman

CalifJim · Answer

imantaghaviI cannot be satisfied with your contemplative responses anymore.

Did you mean "without"?

CJ

Imantaghavi · Answer

Hi CJ,

I meant to say this :
I cannot be satisfied more!
How about that? Is that right?

Regards,

Iman

AlpheccaStars · Answer

imantaghaviHi CJ,I meant to say this :I cannot be satisfied more!How about that? Is that right?Regards,Iman

Iman,
You said just the opposite of what you meant:

I cannot be satisfied with your responses anymore. (Your responses are NOT satisfactory. They used to be, but not now.)

I cannot be satisfied without your contemplative responses anymore. (Your responses are so satisfactory, that I cannot survive without them.)

Imantaghavi · Answer

Hi AlpheccaStars,
Thank you for the clarification. Yes, you're right and I noticed my mistake.

Thanks a lot,

Iman

preparatory "it"

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