“It” is sometimes called a “dummy subject”, or “dummy pronoun,” because it is often used in place of a “real” subject. In particular, “it” is used to introduce:
Day / Date:
What day is it? —It’s Monday.
What date is it? —It’s May 3rd.
It will be our wedding anniversary next Tuesday.
Distance:
How far is it to the post office? —It’s about three blocks.
It’s about 1200 miles from Chicago to Miami.
If I had known it was going to be that far from the train station to the office, I would have taken the bus instead of walking.
It won’t be long now – we are just three miles from our destination.
Time:
What time is it? —It’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon. / —It’s noon.
It’s 3 o’clock in the morning? Why on earth are you calling me?
It’s about time he got a job. He’s been living with his parents since he graduated college.
We’d better be going home now. It’s getting late.
Rise and shine! It’s time to get up!
It took an hour for the accident to be cleaned up so the traffic could move again.
Weather:
It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring. (First line from a children’s rhyme)
You don’t have to take your umbrella – according to the weatherman, it’s not supposed to rain today.
It’s awfully humid out. Let’s go for a swim later, okay?
It’s a beautiful day for a picnic.
When it rains, it pours.
Other uses of “it” as a dummy subject:
It’s nice to…
It’s a good thing…
It’s a shame…
It’s difficult…
etc.
It’s nice to take a vacation when you’ve been working hard.
It’s a good thing I packed some extra clothes.
It’s a shame Tom didn’t get to finish university. I know he wanted to study engineering.
It’s difficult to imagine all the hardships the Pilgrims faced when they first came from England.
Exercise. Complete the sentences with either it’s/it is or is it.
Example:
________ only five degrees outside. ==> It’s only five degrees outside.
1. ________ so quiet in the classroom that you could hear a pin drop.
2. ________ time to leave for the airport yet?
3. ________ rare to get this much snow in November.
4. ________ safe to enter the room now?
5. ________ easy to bake cookies?
6. The sign says ________ 93 miles to the next gas station.
7. I don’t know why ________ so difficult for Jack to understand algebra.
8. ________ fair that you get three cookies, and I get none?
9. ________ a two-hour hike up the mountain to the temple.
10. ________ Friday already? This week sure went by fast.
Exercise. Make questions with the given information, using How far…?
Example:
the hotel / the airport ==> How far is it from the hotel to the airport?
1. Boston / New York
2. here / library
3. the hostel / the market
4. the train station / the bus station
5. your house / the river
Exercise. Complete the sentences, choosing an appropriate word or phrase from the lists.
Example:
It’s (easy / stupid / silly) to (get up early / eat your vegetables / wash your clothes) when you’ve had enough sleep. ==> It’s easy to get up early when you’ve had enough sleep.
It’s:
crazy
dangerous
difficult
good
impossible
interesting
nice
rare
sad
stupid
to:
come home
drive
look at
make four goals
make us
pump gas
see
spot
stay
tell them apart
1. It’s ________ to ________ in a row.
2. I don’t like these new rules. It’s ________ to ________ fill out fifteen forms just to import paper clips.
3. Bill and Bob are twins. It’s ________ to ________ if they wear the same clothes.
4. It’s ________ to ________ at a decent hotel for a change.
5. It’s ________ to ________ an opossum in broad daylight.
6. Leave your cigarette in the car. It’s ________ to ________ while smoking.
7. It’s ________ to ________ all the different people you find in an airport.
8. What was the travel agent thinking? It’s ________ to ________ from Berlin to Rome in one day.
9. It’s ________ to ________ so much poverty and suffering in the world.
10. It’s ________ to ________ after a long trip, isn’t it?