INFINITIVE CLAUSES WITH IMPERSONAL IT

INFINITIVE CLAUSES WITH IMPERSONAL IT

IMPERSONAL IT
“IT” is used to replace a clause or phrase at the
the beginning of a sentences :

=>When an INFINITIVE is a subject of a sentence, we
usually begin the sentence with “it” and put infinitive
later.

For examples:
It is easy to criticize.  =  To criticize is easy.
It is better to be early. = To be early is better.

MAIN CLAUSE	SUBORD	COMPLEMENT
"IT" IS + ADJ	"FOR" PRN	INFINITIVE CLS
It's difficult	for me	to guess what will happen.
It's hard		to know when a rat will get loose.
It's impossible	for us	to do  this project in 24 hours
It's important		to take a break twice a day.
It's possible	for you	to work on your own project.
It's exciting	for us	to be  here.
It's likely	for it	to get cold in the laboratory.
"IT IS"  + NP	"FOR" PRN	INFINITIVE CLS
It's a good idea (noun)		to put on your lab coat.
It's a pleasure (noun)	for us	to have you here.
It's an honor (noun)	for us	to work in this lab.

Let’s take a look at how infinitive clauses are used after impersonal adjectives like easy, hard, necessary, unnecessary, possible, and impossible. These impersonal adjectives come along with the impersonal pronoun it:

Example:

Incorrect: I am hard to concentrate.

Correct: It is hard for me to concentrate.

Correct: It is hard (X) to concentrate.

The impersonal it doesn’t just happen in simple sentences such as in the example above; it can also begin a complement clause.A complement clause is, for example, the kind of clause that comes after a verb like make or find.

Examples:

Incorrect: This hot weather is making me hard to concentrate.

Correct: This hot weather is making it hard for me to concentrate.

Correct: This hot weather is making it hard (X) to concentrate.

Correct: I am finding it hard to concentrate.

For more about infinitive verb and infinitive clauses, keep reading below.