it
part of speech
pronoun (it; its; itself; short forms it's, 'tis — old)
meaning for a pupil
1) It points to a thing, an animal or an idea already named: I have a ball; it is red. tree →
2) It is used for weather, time and distance: It is raining. It is 3 o'clock. It is far. tree →
3) It can stand for a whole sentence or idea: I know it. tree →
4) It can point forward to an idea coming later: It is fun to swim. tree →
5) (casual) «That's it» means that's all, or that's right; «this is it» means this is the moment; «you're it» is said in the game of tag; «go for it» means try it. tree →
6) (rough) «Cut it out!», «stop it!», «pack it in!» (UK) mean stop doing that now; «you'll get it» means you'll be punished. tree →
7) (formal) The exam voice uses «it» in stiff openings: «It is given that …», «It may be assumed that …», «It follows that …». tree →
sense in the lessons
a word, a thing or a phrase talked about («Here the word «more» … it asks how big the difference is»); in stories find the thing «it» stands for; in everyday life «It's me!», «it's raining», «you're it» (in the game of tag), «make it» (arrive in time); in casual talk «that's it», «go for it»; in rough talk «cut it out», «pack it in»; in the exam voice «It is given that», «It follows that», «It may be assumed that»
examples
- Here the word «more» does not mean adding: it asks how big the difference is. tree →
- Sam had a pie and cut it into 6 slices. tree →
- I found a shell and put it in my bag. tree →
- It is cold outside today. tree →
- It is time for bed. tree →
- What is it? tree →
- The dog wagged its tail. tree →
- Tag, you're it! tree →
- It's 8:25, bus is at 8:40, we'll make it tree →
- Cut it out, you two, or no pudding! tree →
- That's it, no more biscuits. tree →
- It is given that a pie is divided into 6 congruent portions, of which 2 are consumed. tree →
- "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. tree →
note
No operation clue; find the thing «it» stands for. «its» (no apostrophe) means belonging to it: its tail; «it's» means «it is» or «it has»: it's raining. «It is given that» in an exam only introduces the facts. «That's it» can end a list, so nothing more is added. «Cut it out» is an order to stop, not to cut anything.
In the corpora
- When a parent seems frazzled after work, it is usually the workload, not anything the child did.
- Overtime is working extra hours beyond the normal ones; sometimes it is paid at a higher rate, sometimes not paid at all.
- A CV is a page or two listing someone's education, jobs and skills; Americans call it a résumé.
- Payday is the day pay arrives in the bank, often once a month, so money is usually lowest just before it.
- Some families rent their home from a landlord; others are buying it with a huge loan from a bank called a mortgage.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «it» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.