Guide to English grammar

It's the phone (not the doorbell) that's out of order.

5 It can also refer to the environment, the weather, the time or distance.

It's getting dark.
It was cold yesterday.
Is it five o'clock yet?
It's only a short walk to the beach.

6 There or it?

“There + be” expresses the fact that something exists or happens. “It + be” identifies or describes something, says what it is or what it is like. We use there with a noun phrase of indefinite meaning, “a young lady, something”. It refers to something
definite, “the young lady, something known in the situation”. It can also refer forward to a clause.

There There's a young lady at the door. (= A young lady is at the door.) There's a wind today. (= A wind is blowing.) There weren't any classes. (= No classes took place.) There isn't any truth in the story. (= The story has no truth in it).

It It's Lorraine. (= The young lady is Lorraine.) Yes, it's windy. (= The weather is windy.) It was Saturday. (= The day was Saturday.) It isn't true what they say. (= What they say isn't true.)

51 Emphasis

MUSIC PRACTICE
Susan: Why weren't you at the music practice yesterday?
Emma: I didn't know there was one. How did you find out about it?
Susan: It was you who told me. Don’t you remember? You told me yourself last week.
Emma: Oh, yes. I’d forgotten. I've got a terrible memory. I thought it was Thursdays, not Tuesdays.
Susan: What you need is a personal organizer.
Emma: I'd only lose it. Are all the practices going to be on Tuesdays?
Susan: Yes, and if you want to be in the orchestra, you have to attend.
Emma: Oh, I do want to be in it. I'd love to play in the orchestra.

1 Emphatic stress

1 We can put emphatic stress on a word to contrast it with something else.
Are all the practices going to be on Tuesdays? -No, they're going to be on Thursdays.
I wanted plain paper, not ruled.

2 We can also use emphatic stress to give extra force to a word expressing an extreme quality or feeling.

I've got a terrible memory.
The talk was extremely interesting.
It's a huge building.
I'd love a cup of coffee.

NOTE
Some words can be repeated for emphasis. They are very, really and some words expressing quantity and length of time.

I've been very very busy. (NOT I've been busy busy.)
This has happened many, many times before.
We waited and waited, but no one came. We had a long, long wait.
The noise just went on and on.
We can also sometimes do this with adjectives expressing extreme feelings.
What a terrible, terrible tragedy!

A practical guide to English grammar 51

2 The emphatic form of the verb
1 We can stress the auxiliary or the ordinary verb be.
You can dial direct to Brazil. Carlos said you couldn't.
I haven't taken your calculator, I tell you. I haven't touched it.
Are you tired? -Yes, I am. I'm exhausted.

In a simple tense we use the auxiliary do.

I do want to be in the orchestra.
The garden does look nice.
I did post the letter. I'm absolutely certain.
Do you want to fly in a balloon? -No, I don't. The idea terrifies me.
The emphatic forms emphasize the positive or negative meaning. In the conversation Music practice Emma is emphatic that yes, she wants to be in the orchestra.

NOTE
We can also add emphasis by using adverbs such as really, indeed, certainly and definitely.

The garden really does look nice. You can indeed dial direct to Brazil.

2 But sometimes the form emphasizes another part of the meaning rather than yes or no.

We might go away for the weekend. We haven't decided definitely. (It is possible, not certain.)
I did have a personal organizer, but I lost it. (in the past, not now)

NOTE
We can stress an ordinary verb to emphasize its meaning.

I've borrowed your calculator. I haven't stolen it.
I wrote the letter. I didn't type it.

3 The pattern with it

1 In the conversation Music practice, Susan wants to emphasize the identity of the person who told her about the practice.
It was you who told me.
The pattern is “it + be + phrase + relative clause”. The phrase that we want to emphasize (you) comes after be.

2 Look at this statement about England's football team.

England won the World Cup in 1966.
We can emphasize the subject, object or adverbial.

Subject Object Adverbial