10-5. Вводное it

 
Вводное it в начале предложения употребляется

■ Чтобы поставить грамматически сложный элемент предложения в его конец (в английском языке это более естественное место для таких элементов):

[To drive without a licence] is illegal → It is illegal [to drive without a licence].

■ Привлечь внимание собеседника именно к этой части предложения (новую или важную информацию желательно давать в конце предложения). Сравним:

That she wasn't hurt is a miracle.
It's a miracle that she wasn't hurt.

Вводное it часто употребляется когда подлежащее – это to-infinitive или th-clause (как в примерах выше), а также когда подлежащее wh- и -ing clause:

It is clear why Don decided to leave Spain.
It is useless asking Sue to help.

Кроме конструкции be + adjective/noun (как в примерах выше), возможны и другие варианты с it:

a) it + verb + to-infinitive clause:

I've got a terrible headache. 'It helps to lie down.'
If you want someone to help you, it doesn't do to annoy them just before you ask. ( '(not) do' = (not) advisable, acceptable or enough)

В этой конструкции можно использовать глаголы hurt и pay (= give an advantage or benefit).

b) it + verb + object + to-infinitive clause

It shocked him to see her looking so ill.
It annoys me to hear James swear like that.
It costs a fortune to go to the opera.
It means a lot to get a place at university.

Большинство глаголов, которые употребляются в этой конструкции выражают чувства (дополнение после этих глаголов обычно относится к какому-либо лицу): amaze, annoy, astonish, concern, frighten, hurt, scare, shock, surprise, upset, worry.

Конструкция it + take + object + to-infinitive clause также употребляется, когда необходимо сказать, о времени или усилиях, которые необходимы для чего либо:

It took (them) a week to mend our roof (To mend our roof took (them) a week).
It takes a lot of effort to play the flute (To play the flute takes a lot of effort).

c) it + verb + that-clause

It seems that she has lost her memory (неправильно: That she has lost her memory seems.)
During the trial it emerged that Jacks had been convicted of burglary before (неправильно ...that Jacks had been convicted of burglary before emerged.)

Другие глаголы, которые употребляются в этой конструкции: appear, come about, follow, happen, transpire. В этом случае that-clause нельзя ставить в начало предложения.

d) it + verb + object + that-clause

It suddenly hit me that Jane wanted to borrow money (несколько хуже: ...that Jane wanted to borrow money suddenly hit me.)
When Bond saw Vanya taking photographs of the plane, it dawned on him that he was a spy. (несколько хуже:...that he was a spy dawned on him.)

Дополнение в таких конструкциях обычно относится к какому-либо лицу. Кроме перечисленных глаголов в этой конструкции употребляются глаголы strike (= occur to) и turn out.

Подобные конструкции с it обычно не употребляются, если в качестве подлежащего выступает группа существительного:

[Their success] was unexpected (неправильно: It was unexpected their success.)

Но в разговорной речи возможны такие обороты, чтобы сделать смысловое ударение на второй части предложения или поставить в конец длинную группу существительного:

It tastes really good, [this new ice cream].
It's ridiculous, [all the bureaucracy involved in running a school these days].

■ Употребление it в ряде случаев обязательно, когда дополнение выражено придаточным предложением (здесь it используется уже «внутри» определенных элементов). После it может идти that-, If- , или wh-clause с глаголами can't bear, hate, like, love, resent и can't stand и if- или when-clause после dislike, enjoy, prefer и understand:

I hate it that you can swim so well and I can't (неверно: I hate that you can swim...)
We always enjoy it when they stay with us. (неверно: We always enjoy when they...)

Еще примеры:

I find it disappointing [that he gave up] (неверно: I find that he gave up disappointing).
She considers it quite outrageous [that I didn 't consult her] (неверно: She considers that I didn't consult her quite outrageous).

Но после некоторых глаголов (например, accept, admit, deny, guarantee и mention) можно употреблять и it + that-clause (особенно в разговорной речи) и that-clause без it:

You've just got to accept (it) [that Jim's gone and won't be coming back].

С многими другими глаголами можно употреблять только that-clause или wh-clause без it... (например, argue, discover, emphasise, notice, predict, remember и др.):

I can't remember when I last saw her (не ...remember it when...).

С некоторыми глаголами, показывающими, как видятся те или иные события и ситуации, после it сначала идет прилагательное или группа существительного, а затем that-clause, to-infinitive clause, или when-clause. К таким глаголам относятся include believe, consider, feel, find (= discover something from experience), think:

Officials have said they believe it unlikely that any lasting damage to the environment has been done (или ...they believe it is unlikely that..., но не ...they believe unlikely that...)
I thought it a waste of money to throw away so much food (или I thought it was a waste of money to..., но не I thought a waste of money to throw away...).

Когда it употребляется с глаголами leave и owe (= have a responsibility to) , после it можно использовать to somebody + to- infinitive:

Don't bother to arrange anything. Just leave it to me to sort out.
She owed it to her parents to do well at college.

■ С глаголами accept, regard, see, take (= interpret something in a particular way) и view употребляется конструкция it + as + noun (or adjective) + clause:

We see it as an insult to have received no reply to our letter.
I take it as encouraging when students attend all my lectures.

■ It is/was no... / There is/was no...

Существует ряд часто употребляемых выражений с ‘It is/was no...’ и ‘There is/was no...’:

It's [no secret that the President wants to have a second term of office].
Following the popularity of his first two films, it's [no surprise that his latest production has been successful].
It's [no use telling me now]. I needed to know a week ago.
It's [no good getting angry]. That won't help solve the problem.
It's [no coincidence/accident that they left the party at the same time].
It's [no longer necessary to have a visa to visit the country].

There's [no denying that he's intelligent].
I'm afraid there's [no alternative/choice but to ask her to leave].
There's [no hope of getting more money].
There's [no need to explain how it works]; I'll read the instruction book.
There's [no point in buying an expensive computer] unless you plan to use it a lot.
There's [no question of agreeing to his demands].
There's [no reason to be pessimistic].
There's [no chance of finding a cure] if we don't fund more research.

Предложения с ‘It is/was no...’ могут быть перефразированы с that-, -ing или to-infinitive clause в начале предложения, а предложения с ‘There is/was no...’ нет. Сравним:

It's no secret that he wants a new job. (That he wants a new job is no secret.)
There's no denying that he's a very good footballer (неправильно: That he's a very good footballer is no denying.)