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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
Re: It
Sorry that this isn't about slang. I've registered and am waiting for a password so I can start a new thread - but no response so far.
I have a question:
We say things like "It was only Dave and Bill who passed the exam" or "It's only new cars which are fitted with the safety device".
Why do we use the singular "it" to talk about a plural subject? We don't say "They are only Dave and Bill..." or "They are only new cars..."
Any ideas?
I have a question:
We say things like "It was only Dave and Bill who passed the exam" or "It's only new cars which are fitted with the safety device".
Why do we use the singular "it" to talk about a plural subject? We don't say "They are only Dave and Bill..." or "They are only new cars..."
Any ideas?
Top answer
It is not a pronoun referring to any noun. It is called a preparatory or anticipatory or existential it , which marks the subject spot in the sentence, so that the real subject (here, Dave and Bill or new cars ) can be located later in the sentence, where greater focus resides.
- It is not a pronoun referring to any noun.
- It is called a preparatory or anticipatory or existential it , which marks the subject spot in the sentence, so that the real subject (here, Dave and Bill or new cars ) can be located later in the sentence, where greater focus resides.
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1 Answers
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It is not a pronoun referring to any noun. It is called a preparatory or anticipatory or existential it, which marks the subject spot in the sentence, so that the real subject (here, Dave and Bill or new cars) can be located later in the sentence, where greater focus resides.
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