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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
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mohammad
Language Skills
Arabic, Arabic (Egyptian), Arabic (Modern Standard), English, French
Learning Language
English, French
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