Writing Tip: Avoid starting sentences with “it.”

May 4, 2009 by David Bowman

The word “it” is often used as the subject of a sentence when the real subject, the rhetorical subject, is somewhere later in the sentence. The word “it” serves as a placeholder because something needs to be in the subject position.

Consider this sentence. “It’s understandable that you are bored.” In this case, the word “it” means “that you are bored.” By itself, the word “it” has no meaning; it is only a placeholder. To write more effectively, put the “real” subject in the subject’s place, not “it.”

The sample sentence can be revised as “That you are bored is understandable.” Ok, so this revised sentence is a bit awkward. Figure out who is doing the action in the sentence, i.e., find the rhetorical subject, which may or may not be mentioned in the sentence. In this case, the person doing the action is “I,” “We,” or something like that. Thus, you can revise the sentence to read as follows.

“I can understand why you are bored.”

Note: The only time starting with “it” is acceptable is when “it” refers to something that you have just mentioned. For example: “I saw the ball. It was on the table.”

This is tip #40 from our series Writing Tips for a Year. More information: http://preciseedit.com and http://hostileediting.com.

David Bowman is the owner and chief editor of Precise Edit, a comprehensive editorial service provider for authors, businesses, and students. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development.

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