Personal Pronoun IT — Subject and Object for Things and Animals
Quick Answer
Use it for things, animals, weather, and time. Like you, “it” is the same word for subject and object — only two letters, every job. With “it” as subject, the verb adds -s in the present simple.
Example: It is raining. (It as subject, talking about weather.)
IT in Action — See the Pattern
Read these three sentences. Look at how it works:
- It is cold today. (It as subject — talking about weather.)
- I love it. (It as object — receiving the love.)
- The cat is hungry. It wants food. (It replacing “the cat.”)
When to Use IT
It is one of the most flexible words in English. Use it for things, animals, weather, time, distances, and many short fixed phrases (“It is okay,” “It is too late”). “It” is the same word for subject and object — but as subject in present simple, the verb still gets +s.
- Things: “It is broken.”
- Animals (when you don’t want to use he/she): “It is a friendly dog.”
- Weather: “It is sunny.”
- Time: “It is three o’clock.”
Easy way to remember: It = thing, animal, weather, time. Same word for subject and object. With “it” as subject in present simple, verb +s.
The Rule in One Line: Use it for things, animals, weather, and time.
Real-Life Examples With IT
Here are examples you might say or hear in everyday life:
- It is raining heavily. (Weather, it as subject.)
- It is six o’clock. (Time, it as subject.)
- My phone is broken. It doesn’t work. (It replacing “my phone.”)
- The dog is hungry. Feed it, please. (It as object — feed the dog.)
- I love it when you sing. (It as object — short fixed phrase.)
You are doing great. Now let’s look at the mistakes many learners make.
Three Mistakes to Avoid With IT
Two words look almost identical to “it” but mean different things: its (without an apostrophe) means “belonging to it” (“The cat is licking its fur”). It’s (with apostrophe) is short for “it is” (“It’s raining”). Mixing them up is one of the most common mistakes in all of English.
Using it’s instead of its
✗ The cat is licking it’s fur. (“it is fur”? No.)
✓ The cat is licking its fur.
Using its instead of it’s
✗ Its raining today.
✓ It’s raining today. (it is raining)
Forgetting +s with “it” in present simple
✗ It work well.
✓ It works well.
How to remember: It = thing/animal/weather/time. “Its” = belongs to it (no apostrophe). “It’s” = it is.
Common “it” sentences: It is raining, It is okay, I love it, fix it, It works, It doesn’t matter.
Test Yourself: IT
Choose the correct answer for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.
1. _______ is raining today.
2. The dog is hungry. Feed _______, please.
3. _______ is six o’clock.
4. My phone is old. _______ doesn’t work very well.
5. I love _______ when the sun shines.
Keep Going — You Are Building Something
You just learned it — the most-used pronoun in English for everything that is not a person. Phones, dogs, weather, time, and a thousand other things all live under “it.”
Now move from one to many. “You and I went to the cinema.” That is two of you, doing one action together. The pronoun for that is short, only two letters, and it works exactly like “I” — but for a whole group.
Next lesson: Personal Pronoun WE — How to Talk About Yourself and Others
My name is Khamis Maiouf. I am the creator of the English Teacher Site, dedicated to providing valuable resources and insights for students around the world. With a passion for education and a commitment to helping students enhance their skills, I aim to make English teaching more effective and enjoyable for both educators and students.
