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Tenacious Learner Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

The impersonal 'it'

Hi teachers,
Both questions are correct, aren't they?
What does the impersonal it express in the question and the answer?
Being the subject of the question, does the impersonal it express a personal opinion?

What was it like under the trees? / How was it under the trees?
It was dark and quiet under the trees.

Thanks in advance.
  

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3 Answers
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Hi teachers,
Sorry, I should have said, 'Being the subject of the sentence, does the impersonal it ask for or express a personal opinion?'

TS
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Yes, both questions are correct.

Dummy "it" is typically used with predicatives describing such things as the weather, time, place and conditions. It is the last of those uses, 'conditions', that applies in your examples. The questions ask about the conditions under the trees, to which the answer was, in effect, that the conditions were dark and quiet. It is more about facts than opinions
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Hi BillJ,
Thank you so much for your help. It's crystal clear now!

TS
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