(SUBJECT) CLEFT CONSTRUCTION WITH ‘it’

Sometimes, the pronoun ‘IT’ fills the subject position of a sentence when it seems to carry little meaning.

In the English Grammar Profile,  C2 point 116 in PRONOUNS is defined as:

a cleft construction beginning with ‘it’ to emphasise the subject of the main clause.


We can say:

Individuals are to blame.

or:

Here’s an IT construction for emphasis example:

After all, it’s individuals who are to blame here, right?


*Seems like religious contexts use this structure.

An iWeb search for:

It _V _N who _V

1 IT IS GOD WHO IS 218
2 IT IS GOD WHO WORKS 138
3 IT IS GOD WHO HAS 129
4 IT ‘S PEOPLE WHO ARE 120
5 IT IS GOD WHO GIVES 102
6 IT IS WOMEN WHO ARE 73
7 IT IS PEOPLE WHO ARE 60
8 IT ‘S PEOPLE WHO HAVE 51

Here are AI completed sentences for the above:

1 IT IS GOD WHO IS the creator of all things.

2 IT IS GOD WHO WORKS in mysterious ways.

3 IT IS GOD WHO HAS mercy and grace.

4 IT’S PEOPLE WHO ARE responsible for their actions.

5 IT IS GOD WHO GIVES us life and breath.

6 IT IS WOMEN WHO ARE often oppressed and discriminated against.

7 IT IS PEOPLE WHO ARE capable of change and growth.

8 IT’S PEOPLE WHO HAVE different beliefs and opinions.

9 IT IS ALLAH WHO HAS 45
10 IT WAS GOD WHO GAVE 45
11 IT WAS GOD WHO HAD 43
12 IT IS GOD WHO WILL 42
13 IT IS GOD WHO MAKES 42
14 IT IS MEN WHO ARE 39
15 IT ‘S PEOPLE WHO DO 35
16 IT WAS GOD WHO MADE 35
17 IT WAS GOD WHO WAS 34
18 IT IS JESUS WHO IS 33
19 IT IS CHRIST WHO IS 33
20 IT WAS JESUS WHO SAID 32
21 IT IS GOD WHO DOES 31
22 IT ‘S WOMEN WHO ARE 31
23 IT IS WOMEN WHO HAVE 28
24 IT WAS GOD WHO CREATED 28
25 IT IS GOD WHO JUSTIFIES 28
26 IT IS PEOPLE WHO MAKE 28
27 IT IS PEOPLE WHO HAVE 27
28 IT WAS PEOPLE WHO WERE 26
29 IT IS GOD WHO MADE 25
30 IT HELPS PEOPLE WHO ARE 24
31 IT TAKES PEOPLE WHO ARE 22
32 IT WAS PAUL WHO WAS 21
33 IT WAS JESUS WHO HAD 21
34 IT IS GOD WHO SPEAKS 21
35 IT IS GOD WHO WORKETH 21
36 IT IS JESUS WHO HAS 20
37 IT WAS GOD WHO SAID 19
38 IT WAS MEN WHO WERE 18
39 IT IS GOD WHO SAYS 17
40 IT ‘S MEN WHO ARE 17
41 IT IS GOD WHO BRINGS 17
42 IT IS GOD WHO ARMS 17
43 IT IS ALLAH WHO CREATES 17
44 IT WAS JESUS WHO WAS 17
45 IT IS SATAN WHO IS 17
46 IT WAS ADAM WHO WAS 16
47 IT INCLUDES PEOPLE WHO INDICATED 16
48 IT ‘S PEOPLE WHO MAKE 16
49 IT GIVES PEOPLE WHO ARE 16

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