Основы теории английского языка. Листунова Е.И. - 100 стр.

       Sometimes an impersonal construction is used side by side with
the construction there is:
       It was still raining... (Cronin). There had been rain the night
before... (Galsworthy). It is snowing even now (London). There had
been snow some hours... (Dickens).
       Some impersonal sentences in English have no corresponding
impersonal sentences in Russian.
       Compare the following:
       It was early spring. — Áûëà ðàííÿÿ âåñíà. It was a warm summer
evening. — Áûë òåïëûé ëåòíèé âå÷åð.
       These Russian sentences have a personal subject.
       b) Time:
       It was a little after nine o’clock (Gissing). It was early m Novem-
ber... (Seton-Thompson). It was now late... (Seton-Thompson). It was
almost two o’clock and the night was dark (Joyce).
       c) Distance:
       How far is it to any town or village? (Dickens). It is a long way to
Ireland, Janet... (Bronte). «Is it far to Eagle Road?» I asked (Braine).
       d) State of things in general:
       «It’s all over, Mrs. Thingummy!» said the surgeon at last (Dickens).
       Note. — In sentences denoting a state of things in general we
often find the plurals: things, matters and occasionally affairs which
are no more definite than the impersonal it:
       How stand matters between you and your brother? In the days
that followed things grew worse (Gordon).

                  Sentences with the Anticipatory It
      When the subject of a sentence is an infinitive, or a gerund (often
forming complexes) or a whole clause, it is placed after the predicate
and the sentence begins with the pronoun it which is called an
antici patory it.




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