‘There’ and ‘it’: Preparatory subjects
Master the use of 'there' and 'it' as preparatory subjects in complex sentences.
- check_circleI can use 'there' to introduce new information.
- check_circleI can use 'it' as a preparatory subject for infinitives and clauses.
Discover
Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.
Sarah: Hi, Mark! Have you read the new company policy yet?
Mark: Yes, I have. It is obvious that they want us to work from the office more often. There are a few new rules that seem a bit strict.
Sarah: I agree. There is a rumor going around that they might track our attendance strictly.
Mark: It would be a disaster for morale. It is important for people to have flexibility. There has been so much progress in remote work lately.
Sarah: Exactly. Plus, it makes no sense to ignore the potential backlash from the employees. Well, let’s hope management changes their mind.
Learn
Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.
We often use there and it as “empty” or preparatory subjects when the real subject of the sentence is too long, or when we want to introduce new information. They don’t have a specific meaning themselves; they just help structure the sentence grammatically.
Using ‘There’
We use there + be to introduce new information, say that something exists, or mention something for the first time. The real subject usually comes after the verb be.
- There is a setback in the plans. (Instead of: A setback is in the plans.)
- There are several reasons why this happened.
When using there, the verb be agrees with the noun that follows it: “There is a problem” but “There are problems”.
Using ‘It’
We use it as a preparatory subject when the real subject is an infinitive phrase, an -ing clause, or a that-clause. English prefers shorter subjects, so placing a long clause at the beginning of a sentence can sound awkward.
- It is crucial to follow the instructions. (Instead of: To follow the instructions is crucial.)
- It surprised everyone that he won the award. (Instead of: That he won the award surprised everyone.)
- It’s no use complaining about the weather.
Common Mistakes
Many learners try to translate directly from their native language and leave out the preparatory subject, which is incorrect in English.
Don’t omit the preparatory subject!
-
❌ Is important to sleep well.
-
✅ It is important to sleep well.
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❌ Exists a solution to this problem.
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✅ There is a solution to this problem.
- Use there + be to say that something exists or to introduce new information.
- The verb after there agrees with the noun following it.
- Use it to replace long subjects like infinitive phrases or that-clauses.
- Never omit the subject in English—always use there or it if needed.
Practice
Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.
Use It
Now make the language yours in a real task. Use the prompt below — the editor keeps a simple word count, and nothing is saved or graded.
Before you finish — be honest. Can you do these now?