Extra Material Samples: It (Language Bank): Uses of It: It is used as an introductory subject before a that clause: Ex: It is obvious

that he isnt telling the truth. Ex: Its probable that well be a little late. Ex: It was a great achievement that a month later a global agreement was reached. Ex: It would get the economy going and give us the boost that we need. It can also be used as an introductory subject (combined with a verb, adjective or noun) before: -ing clauses: Ex: Its fun just lying here. Ex: Its crazy her going off like that. Ex: Its worth going to Wales if you have the time. Ex: Its no use trying to explain Im not interested. Ex: It was nice seeing you. Ex: It will be so great watching the sun come up. Ex: It surprised me your not remembering my name. infinitive clauses: Ex: Its great to see you. Ex: It was quite an achievement to keep smiling when his heart must have been aching. Ex: It would be nice to be able to afford to retire earlier. Ex: It will need other chips to reconvert the digital code back into normal TV signals. Ex: Its nice to talk to you. Ex: Its important to book in advance. Ex: Its my ambition to run a three-hour marathon. Ex: It upsets me to hear people arguing all the time. Ex: It was good of you to phone. It can also be used as a preparatory subject for the for + infinitive structure: Ex: It will suit me best for you to arrive at about ten oclock. Ex: Its essential for the papers to be ready before Thursday. noun clauses: Ex: It doesnt matter what you say. Ex: It doesnt interest me what you think. Ex: Its surprising how many unhappy marriages there are. Ex: Its exciting when a baby starts talking.

verb + clause: Ex: It seems that hes left. Ex: It seems that you are letting things get you down. Ex: It didnt matter that Ingrid had outdistanced them as a movie star. Ex: It will come out that she has covertly donated considerable sums to the IRA. passive verb + clause: passive clauses which report a situation or event. Ex: Its not known at what speed the train was travelling. Ex: It is said that his company is in trouble. Ex: It was thought that she was a spy. Ex: It was felt that he was the right man for the job. Ex: It has been said that stress causes cancer. Ex: Yesterday it was reported that a number of people had been arrested in the capital. Ex: It was noted that within a year the incidence of illness had increased quite significantly.

It is used to talk about time, weather, light, temperature and distance: Ex: Its ten oclock. Ex: It's three o'clock in the morning. Ex: Its raining. Ex: It was a Monday, so she was at home. Ex: It's December 1989, in Las Vegas. Ex: It's getting dark. Let's go inside. Ex: It was very wet and windy the day I drove over the hill to Milland. Ex: It was warm in the kitchen. Ex: Its far from here. Ex: Its ten miles to the nearest petrol station. It is used to refer to a child or baby whose sex you do not know or whose sex is not relevant to what you are saying: Ex: She could, if she wanted, compel him, through a court of law, to support the child after it was born. Ex: He threw the baby high in the air and it stopped crying. It can also be used to refer in a general way to a situation that you have just described: Ex: He was through with sports, not because he had to be but because he wanted it that way. Ex: Antonia will not be jealous, or if she is, she will not show it. It is also used before certain nouns, adjectives, and verbs to introduce your feelings or point of view about a situation: Ex: It was nice to see Steve again. Ex: It's a pity you never got married, Sarah. Ex: It's funny how you remember things. Ex: It's good of him to spare the time to visit at all. Ex: Is it possible he'll phone you?. Ex: He found it hard to work with a microphone pointing at him. Ex: I know it's a good idea to use dental floss.

Ex: It's up to us to change things we don't like.

It is used with some verbs that need a subject or object, although there is no noun that it refers to: Ex: Of course, as it turned out, three-fourths of the people in the group were psychiatrists. I like it here. Ex: We live in a world in which only the strongest can make it to the top. It is also used when you are telling someone who you are, or asking them who they are, especially at the beginning of a phone call. You also use it in statements and questions about the identity of other people: Ex: `Who is it?' he called.n`It's your neighbor.'. Ex: Hello Freddy, it's only me, Maxine. It is also used in expressions such as it's not that or it's not simply that when you are giving a reason for something and are suggesting that there are several other reasons: Ex: It's not that I didn't want to be with my family. Ex: It's not just that a gulf exists in living standards there's a psychological ravine. When you are emphasizing or drawing attention to something, you can put that thing immediately after it and a form of the verb `be': (Cleft Sentences) Ex: It's really the poor countries that don't have an economic base that have the worst environmental records. Ex: It was the country's Communist rulers who devised this system. Ex: It was I who found him there. Ex: It's my father they're accusing. It can be used with Take when talking about the time necessary for things to happen: Ex: It took me months to get to know her. Ex: How does it take to get to London from here? It is used to introduce some clauses with If, As if, and as though: Ex: It looks as if were going to have trouble with Ann again. Ex: Its not as if this was the first time shes been difficult. Ex: It will be a pity if we have to ask her to leave. Ex: But it looks as though we may have to. It is used with the word Time: Ex: Its time to buy a new car. Ex: Its time for her to go to bed. Ex: Its time she went to bed. Ex: Its time we washed those trousers.

It is used as preparatory object. This happens when the object of a verb is an infinitive expression or a clause with an adjective or noun complement: Subject + Verb + IT + Complement + Infinitive / Clause Ex: I find it difficult to talk to you. Ex: My blister made it a problem to walk. Ex: I thought it strange that she hadnt written. Ex: George made it clear what he wanted. Special structures: I like it when I love it when I hate it when Ex: I love it when you sing. More special structures: owe it to somebody to and leave it to somebody to Ex: We owe it to society to make our country a better place. Ex: Ill leave it to you to decide. Idiom with It: I take it that (= I assume that ) Ex: I take it that you wont be working tomorrow. It if-clauses: After would appreciate Ex: I would appreciate it if you would keep me informed. It ing form object + complement: Ex: I find it interesting talking to you.

Extra Material Samples: Uses of There: There is used to say something exists: Ex: There is a burglar in the house. Ex: There are five bedrooms, a large attic above, and wine cellars below. Ex: There was great excitement in the air. Ex: There were three albino deer in his yard. Ex: There will be more work to do, not less. Ex: There has been a series of car bombings. Ex: There have been substantial increases in hospital admissions of children. Ex: Local residents it was as if there had been a nuclear explosion. There is used to say something doesnt exist: Ex: There isnt time to dig deeply and put in manure compost. Ex: There arent many gardeners like him left. Ex: There wasnt even a convenient place for students to assemble between classes. Ex: There werent anywhere near enough empty boxes. Ex: There wont be any fear any more. Ex: There has been no official announcement of the arrests. Ex: There had been no violence. There is used: with verbs like seem, appear, happen, tend to describe states before to be: Ex: There seems to be something wrong. Ex: There doesnt seem to be a storyline any more, just a lot of disjointed episodes, that dont keep your interest. Ex: There appears to be another outbreak of sickness among seals in the North Sea. Ex: There may appear to be discontinuities between broadcasts. Ex: There happens to be a particular urgency in this case, and it would help if you could bend the rules. Ex: There tend to be overlapping networks of Mums who have each others children round to play. Ex: There tends to be jealousy when a new little brother or sister comes along. Ex: There seemed to be no hope of winning. Ex: There didnt seem to be anyone worth voting for. Ex: There appeared to be no making up with Mario Zagalo. Ex: There happened to be a policeman on the corner, so I asked him the way. with words like some, any, no: Ex: I think theres something peculiar about the results of your test. Ex: If theres anything I could do for him, I would. Ex: Theres nothing I can say. Ex: Theres some nut out there with a gun. Ex: I wonder if theres any fizz left in the lemonade.

Ex: Theres no place like home.

with modals and sure, certain etc: Must: Ex: There must be something wrong. Ex: There must have been a computer malfunction. Shall / Should: Ex: After ten oclock at night there shall be quietness on the upper corridor. Ex: He is anxious that there should be no delay. Ex: The ship ran aground where there should have been a depth of 35 ft. Ex: There shouldnt be any loose seams in a pair of jeans. Can / Could: Ex: There can be little doubt that he will offend again. Ex: Surely, there cant be any real foundation for those charges? Ex: There could soon be a big increase in unemployment. Ex: If the police hadnt closed the road there could have been a bad accident. Ex: With interest rates on the climb there couldnt be a better time to open up childrens accounts. May / Might: Ex: There may be a price to pay for such relentless activity, perhaps ill health or even divorce. Ex: There may have been little use for a trophy. Ex: But, the officer said, there may not be another time. Ex: There might be scrapings under his fingernails. Ex: There might have been an infringement of the rules. Ex: Its just that there might not be a need for it these days. Would: Ex: They realized there would be difficulties in discrediting the evidence. Ex: There would have been a breach of security by this officer and it is therefore not recommended that he continue in the service. Ex: There wouldnt be a shortage of offers for that kind of money. Ex: He promised there would be no backtracking on policies. Sure / Certain: Ex: Theres sure to be something wrong. (There is sure to be) Ex: Theres certain thing I dont know. (There is certain to be)

with a noun + present participle, infinitive or that clause: Ex: Theres a woman watching TV. Ex: Theres more to eating than just bodily needs. Ex: Theres a lot of fine-tuning to be done yet. Ex: Theres so much to do. Ex: Theres a lot of evidence that oily fish has a beneficial effect.

with to be / being in some structures: Ex: I dont want there to be any music playing when she walks in that door. Ex: Theres no chance of there being an election this year. with some (formal / literary) inversions: Ex: Suddenly there came into the room a tall man and Ex: In a small town in Germany there once lived a poor shoemaker. There used with adverbs in Complex Structures: Will: Ex: There will actually be by-elections to replace any of the president remnant of heredity peers. Ex: There will always be the good ones and the bad ones. Ex: There will also be a special surprise gig on November 27. Ex: There will certainly be an economic crisis. Ex: There will likely be another iteration of TIMSS. Ex: There will probably be some minor problems, somewhere along the way. Ex: There will still be emotional fallout. Ex: There will definitely not be a crash tomorrow. Ex: There will rarely be any warning. Ex: There will someday soon be a gay and lesbian caucus. Ex: There will never be a better time to get hitched. Ex: There wont ever be anyone to break the record. Has been / Have been: Ex: There has always been enough of the colonial tradition to make it easy to evoke these responses. Ex: There has already been a definite improvement. Ex: There has also been a suggestion that the forces in Lebanon should disarm. Ex: There has just not been the money to do that. Ex: There has never been a better time to get on the first rung of the property ladder. Ex: There has obviously been a breakdown in communication somewhere. Ex: There has recently been a substantial increase in the student intake for manufacturing systems. Ex: There has since been a war of letters between my friend Joel and Mrs. Julian , about who will carry out an urgent list of repairs. Ex: There has only been one other woman PPS at war. Ex: There have always been slight oscillations in world temperature. Ex: There have also been claims of continued phone-tapping and bugging. Ex: if there have ever been serious problems of discipline or disagreement. Can have been / Could have been: Ex: There can scarcely be a place like this in all Britain. Ex: There could hardly have been an individual who did not share in the stock and

sense of loss.

May / May have been: Ex: There may even be some write of nylon biting into the flesh. Ex: with more severe tics there may also be a grunting or clicking sound in the throat as well. Ex: There may only be a limited number of seats available for Group Travel. Ex: There may not always be planes and trains available. Ex: There may yet be hope. Ex: And there may well still be gaps. Ex: There may well have been a piquant novelty about her books when they came out. Would / Would have been: Ex: There would also be a special dessert. Ex: There would certainly be watchers there. Ex: I knew that there would then be immediate interest. Ex: situations where there would more clearly be conflicts of interests with large economic enterprises. Ex: There would never be room enough for everything. Ex: There would only have been one winner. ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** Ex: There has got to be a degree of flexibility. (Extra) Ex: There will come a time when the crisis will occur. (Extra) Ex: There will continue to be an advisory structure. (Extra) Ex: There would come a point where the customer would be particularly these hairdressing managers on the counter. (Extra) Ex: There would need to be circumstances warranting the interference with a third party. (Extra) Ex: There would have to be somebody at each level whose main job is to make sure that the accommodations are being done. (Extra) Ex: There seems no reason why Vivian should not trespass the area. (Extra) Ex: There appeared no imminent danger. (Extra)

Exercises IT (Language Bank): 1 2 3 4 Some uses of IT: The cats hungry because it hasnt been fed. It is used as _________________ I dont know why its thought to be such a good movie. It is used as _________________ Dont you find it funny? It is not used as ______________ It would be interesting to see him do it by himself. It is used as _______________________________

Re-express these sentences using an introductory it construction. Make any grammatical changes necessary: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 That he feels depressed is not surprising. It ___________________________________________. People fear the pound will fall shortly. It ___________________________________________. Working from home is much more fun. It ___________________________________________. Theyve decided to impose a smoking ban. It___________________________________________. Giving a good performance must be very exhilarating. It ___________________________________________. What you say isnt important but what you do is important. It ___________________________________________. At the time he was thought to have had too much to drink. At the time it __________________________________. Cancelling the concert would be disastrous. It ___________________________________________.

Exercises IT (Language Bank): Choose from these nouns, adjectives and verbs to make some sentences with the introductory it that are true for yourself. Think of things like work, education, family, where/how you live, interests and hobbies. Adjectives: unlikely I think ____________________ well ever move house. inevitable _____ an __________ thing _______ everybody will die some day. terribly said I think ___________________. more entertaining _________________________ go to the zoo than to go to the movies. really unfair ________________________ poverty has to face. easy for me ________________________ say only positive aspects. Nouns: a pity _____ such ___________ see animals struggling for food. a shame ______________________ I did. not much use _______________________ they gave us. my ambition _______________________ find a job that pays me a lot of money. No use _____________________ see pornographic movies. my idea _____________________ brought me here. Verbs: doesnt matter _____________________ I say so they wont listen anyways. seem _____________________ he lost his wallet. decide _____________________ they wont give a raise. suit _____________________ quite perfectly. feel _______________ good _________ I sleep until ten oclock in the morning. occur to _______________ me _______ she must be the one.

Exercises IT / THERE (Language Bank): Put It or There at the beginning of these sentences: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ________s been a terrible accident. (Existence) ________s very thoughtful of you. ________ wont matter what you think. ________ must have been a fire here. (Existence) ________ doesnt seem to be any reason for the disaster. (Existence) ________s a long way to town. Get a taxi. ________s a wonderful day. Lets go for a ride. ________s not much petrol in the car. (Existence) ________ seems that Tims already left. ________s likely to be a big row when he finds out. (Existence)

Exercises IT (Answers-Language Bank): 1 2 3 4 Some uses of IT: The cats hungry because it hasnt been fed. It is used as a subject (not a person) I dont know why its thought to be such a good movie. It is used as an introductory subject Dont you find it funny? It is not used as a subject It would be interesting to see him do it by himself. It is used as an introductory subject.

Re-express these sentences using an introductory it construction. Make any grammatical changes necessary: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 That he feels depressed is not surprising. It is not surprising that he feels depressed. People fear the pound will fall shortly. It is feared that the pound will fall shortly. Working from home is much more fun. It is much more fun working from home. Theyve decided to impose a smoking ban. Its been decided to impose a smoking ban. Giving a good performance must be very exhilarating. It must be very exhilarating to give a good performance. What you say isnt important but what you do is important. It isnt what you say thats important its what you do. At the time he was thought to have had too much to drink. At the time it was thought hed had too much to drink. Cancelling the concert would be disastrous. It would be disastrous to cancel the concert.

Exercises IT (Answers-Language Bank): Choose from these nouns, adjectives and verbs to make some sentences with the introductory it that are true for yourself. Think of things like work, education, family, where/how you live, interests and hobbies. Adjectives: unlikely I think its unlikely that well ever move house. inevitable Its an inevitable thing that everybody will die some day. terribly said I think it was terribly said. more entertaining Its more entertaining to go to the zoo than to go to the movies. really unfair Its really unfair what poverty has to face. easy for me Its easy for me to say only positive aspects. Nouns: a pity Its such a pity to see animals struggling for food. a shame Its a shame what I did. not much use It was not much use what they gave us. my ambition Its my ambition to find a job that pays me a lot of money. No use Its no use to see pornographic movies. my idea It was my idea that brought me here. Verbs: doesnt matter It doesnt matter what I say so they wont listen anyways. seem It seems that he lost his wallet. decide It was decided that they wont give a raise. suit It suits me quite perfectly. feel It feels good when I sleep until ten oclock in the morning. occur to It occurred to me that she must be the one.

Exercises IT / THERE (Answers-Language Bank): Put It or There at the beginning of these sentences: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Theres been a terrible accident. (Existence) Its very thoughtful of you. It wont matter what you think. There must have been a fire here. (Existence) There doesnt seem to be any reason for the disaster. (Existence) Its a long way to town. Get a taxi. Its a wonderful day. Lets go for a ride. Theres not much petrol in the car. (Existence) It seems that Tims already left. Theres likely to be a big row when he finds out. (Existence)