Search from various English teachers...
mohammad
Using pronoun ( it )
Is it right in English to use pronoun ( it ) with plural things ?
For example : it's roses
It's times
It's cities ....etc
Dec 11, 2018 12:27 PM
Answers · 7
3
Hi Mohammad,
As a pronoun, "it" is used to refer to singular nouns.
Let me use your examples to form some complete sentences:
A: It's the roses that I love.
B: It's the cities that draw the most talent.
In such cases, the "It" is something like an anticipatory "It".
In A, "It" means "What I love" (What I love is the roses.)
In B, "It" means "What draws the most talent" (What draws the most talent is the cities.)
As you can see, "is" is still used in A and B because we are focusing on a SINGLE idea. In A, the single idea is "What is the one thing I love?". So, What I love IS....
The same logic applies to B. In B, the single idea is "What single criterion draws the most talent?" So, What draws the most talent IS...
To elaborate a little further with another example, the "It" in the sentence "It is a beautiful day." is an anticipatory "It". It helps the reader to anticipate a noun. In this case, the noun is "day".
In a way, yes, "it" can refer to many nouns, but it refers to many nouns as a SINGLE group.
Example: The judge asked the jury for ITS verdict.
I hope this helps.
December 11, 2018
1
Yes, you can use (it) with singular and plural.
December 11, 2018
its = belonging to it (singular possessive)
it's = it is (singular subject + verb to be)
.
No idea what "it's times" would mean.
It's time to answer the question. = It is time to ...
It's cities that will be the future. = It is (the concept is that) cities will ...
.
Its suburbs stretched as far as the eye could see. = It (the city?) 's (possessive) suburbs (belonging to it, the city, singular) stretched ...
December 11, 2018
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
mohammad
Language Skills
Arabic, Arabic (Egyptian), Arabic (Modern Standard), English, French
Learning Language
English, French
Articles You May Also Like

Same Word, Different Meaning: American, British, and South African English
11 likes · 8 Comments

How to Sound Confident in English (Even When You’re Nervous)
13 likes · 11 Comments

Marketing Vocabulary and Phrases for Business English Learners
10 likes · 4 Comments
More articles