Placeholder IT

Question

Hi,

Please, could someone explain how to use the "Placeholder IT"  when a That-Clause or an Infinitive is an object ? I don't understand the explanation of the MGMAT SC. Could you provide some examples?

amit2k9 · Answer

Two important things - 
Placeholder It doesn't refer to a noun antecedent. 
Placeholder It is used in a sentence at a place where the subject or object was present earlier.

Example - 
Dhoni made 'It' possible for the Indian cricket team 'to Win' the World Cup.
or 
Dhoni made a complete 'attendance' of spectators at the world cup possible.

Placeholder It is not required in the second sentence as action noun attendance befits it's role.

Thank you.

metallicafan · Answer

Thank you!, Kudos for you.

Could you please transform the first example without using the "Placeholder IT"? That's exactly the part I don't understand in the MGMAT SC.

Thanks!

daagh · Answer

Certain words such as  ‘it and there’  are sometimes used to hold just places, without any serious intent or meaning. They do not in fact refer to any noun, either object or subject. They may represent some notions, feeling or some such general abstractions.

Let us look at some examples

It is written on the medicine bottle that it is dangerous for children to use without prescription

In this what does the first  ‘it’  refer to; there is no word that it can point out to except the general caution on the bottle. Similarly what is dangerous? Is it the usage or the bottle? It refers to actually a notion of using without prescription is dangerous. Norms of pronoun usage don't hold good here.

2. It says in the TV that there will be many more natural calamities occurring on the earth than ever before.

It says- what or who says? The ' it ' stands for nothing in particular but for some general talk. Similarly  in there will be, there  stands for a place holder

3. Although it is well known that GMAT is no ordinary test, every one wants to beat it

It is well known—what is well known? No one knows except that it is some kind of knowledge. Wants to beat it is a pronoun it that stands for the test per se.

4. There is no room for lethargy when you want to cross 750 in GMAT
Here, the word ‘there’ is just a place holder; its purpose is to fill up some gap, and aid the flow of the sentence.

Place holders are acceptable usages in formal written communications.

This is just my opinion. Since, I don’t have MGMAT SC guide and don’t follow either MGMAT or anything else for that matter, my comments have nothing to do with what it( MGMAT) says.

daagh · Answer

@ metallicafan:

Dhoni made 'It' possible for the Indian cricket team 'to Win' the World Cup;

To paraphrase the above sentence without the place holder, it may have to be written like this
Dhoni made possible the winning of the world cup for the Indian cricket team.

You can see why the transcribed version is not preferred. Isn’t it really awkward? 
Placeholders are handy in such cases

metallicafan · Answer

Thank you daagh! Double kudos for you! 8-)

astshiv · Answer

I think the post in this link will be useful in clarifying your doubts

https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/advice-needed-on-sc-problem-from-ets-paper-exam-t11187-15.html

amitgupta7587 · Answer

It is written on the medicine bottle that it is dangerous for children to use without prescription

I have a question for Daagh: Is the second "it" ambiguous? Can we call it as a place-holder pronoun?

daagh · Answer

amit 
 yes; the second it is also a place holder. Obviously it cannot refer to bottle, as you see, we cannot say the bottle is dangerous

amitgupta7587 · Answer

Thanks Daagh, for your reply. I have some more curiosity over this question..and thanks for helping us with your prompt replies on so many queries

I believe your reasoning, in the last reply, is more on logical terms than on grammatical terms .And as a fact, I would agree with you, that a bottle cannot be dangerous rather , it is the content of the bottle that can be dangerous. But if we focus grammatically only on the sentence, does Medicine bottle not an antecedent for the second "it" in the sentence.what do you suggest? Regards Amit

farzana87 · Answer

Can anyone explain why "It is more likely that a medical student rather than a law student will party at this hour." is wrong?

It is used here as "Placeholder It" I guess.

manhasnoname · Answer

The mistake here is in the verb tense

The action is happening at this hour "NOW". "will party" is future. Hence the sentence is wrong.

Corrected sentence should look like:

It is more likely that a medical student rather than a law student is partying at this hour.

kop18 · Answer

I have gone through the discussion above and have a small doubt. Can 'that' be a placeholder as well (apart from it and there - as mentioned above?)

karishma   GMATNinja   ANDREW

Placeholder IT

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