The pronoun it

1 Anaphoric it: it refers back to something previously mentioned.

Wheres the horse? It (the horse) is in the stable.

2 Anticipatory it: also called cataphoric it. It can anticipate:

a. an infinitive: It is wrong to lie.
b. a gerund: Its nice seeing you again.
c. a noun clause: It is a pity that you cant come.

3 Unspecified it: in a great many cases it is used in such a way that it is not
possible to point to something specifically referred to.
a. Weather it: It is cold today.
b. Time it: It is four oclock.
c. Space it: It is a long way to San Francisco.
d. Idiomatic it: If youre found out, youll catch it.
If you go camping, youll have to rough it.

4 It is used to identify an unknown person.

Someone entered the room. It was a burglar.

5 Emphatic it: It was his mother who said that. (The resulting structure is
also known as cleft sentence).

6 It can stand for a whole sentence.

You saved my life; I shall never forget it.