Introduction to avoiding "IT"

The importance of not using "it” in professional writing will prevent the overuse of abbreviations or informal language within writing and improve clarity for the readers. With the use of “It” the readers may assume incorrectly for what “It” is supposed to mean. If they assume incorrectly, what they meant to say can be completely misunderstood and change the message or idea of the sentence. Seeing “it” within r writing should scare you to see and should do your best to try and change the word “it” into what you are saying “it” is. "It" can be easy to repetitively use "it" in your witting as “it” is such an easy filler word to put in. However just because writing “it” is easy, "it" lowers the quality of the writing. When avoiding the overuse of “It” you are able to better engage the reader and strengthen the connection between the writers and readers. By using more descriptive language readers can better understand and use more imagery to enjoy or understand the writing more effectively. Limiting the use of the word “it” allows for more descriptive and diversifying your writing. Use descriptive and intriguing words to engage the readers of writing. Reducing the use of "it" within writing can improve your writing just by changing the word “It”. By proofreading writing and looking for each time “It” is used and trying to change the word to a more descriptive word or what “It’ really is, can help the writing of your work. As you prof read and check for the word “It” more and more you will gradually stop using "it" within writings and help improve your writing.

Example Sentences

Rewording "It Is" Phrases

Original: “To start, it is necessary to examine the impact of neoliberalism on the housing market and the perception of tiny houses” (Student A).

Revised: To start, examining the effects of neoliberalism on the housing market and the perception of tiny houses provides necessary context.

        “It is” phrases such as “it is important to note” are massively overused by students, especially in academic writing—so much that they have lost all meaning, becoming “empty” phrases. Stating that “it is necessary to examine” a subject leaves the subject unidentified and does not explain why doing so is necessary. What does analyzing the topic contribute to the argument? In the example above, rephrasing “it is necessary” to include a clear, explicit subject and proper reasoning removes the “emptiness” of the phrase. Examining the impact of neoliberalism on the housing market places the argument within historical and societal contexts that aid readers in comprehending the argument. 

Replacing "It" With More Formal Language

Original: “The recent COVID-19 pandemic differed from other major world events in that it was highly publicized on social media, leaving the facts of the outbreak largely up to public interpretation” (Student B).

Revised: The recent COVID-19 pandemic, as opposed to other major world events, was highly publicized on social media, leaving the facts of the outbreak largely up to public interpretation.

        Although the subject of this example sentence is slightly more identifiable, the phrase “in that it” is extremely informal and can be replaced by a more explanatory, academic phrase. The sentence contrasts two facts, so “as opposed to” is a proper replacement that does not change the meaning of the sentence but contains more formal language and removes the need for “it.” The sentence structure remains the same as well; the main subject is named at the beginning and no indefinite pronouns are present to add unnecessary confusion. 

Referring to the Subject Directly

Original: “The use of pronouns should be avoided while writing a formal piece of work as it can become unclear what the subject is” (“Language Register (Formal vs. Informal)”).

Revised: Pronouns should be avoided in formal writing because the subject may not be identifiable.

The original sentence is an exemplary (and ironic) instance of how “it” can completely remove clarity from a sentence. “It can become unclear” is an inherently unclear phrase: what can become unclear? The reader cannot distinguish between which subject is being referred to because the indefinite pronoun “it” stands for a subject that does not exist! To avoid such confusion, particularly in an argumentative piece where the goal is persuasion, referring directly to the subject eliminates any further need for clarity. In this case, the subject is “the subject” and the reasoning correlates to the subject that is identified. 

Rephrasing the Sentence

Original: “Inductive reasoning is extremely beneficial to arguments that incorporate logical appeals, or logos, because it allows people to identify important patterns across a variety of observable phenomena and draw conclusions based on those observations” (“Inductive Reasoning”).

Revised: Inductive reasoning allows people to identify important patterns across a variety of observable phenomena and draw conclusions based on those observations, which is extremely beneficial to arguments that incorporate logical appeals.

The subject of the sentence, inductive reasoning, is explicitly referred to in the first half of the sentence. Unfortunately, inclusion of the word “because” generates a need for the subject to be recalled in the second half, which is where many students fall into the habit of utilizing “it.” A simple rearrangement of the sentence structure completely eliminates the necessity to redefine the subject, since the effect of the subject is explained immediately afterward. Whenever a sentence is unable to make sense without including “it,” a useful method to consider is rephrasing the sentence; can the point be made without using “because” or restating the subject? Often, identifying the subject and effect first and elaborating on the effect second can vastly improve the formality and clarity of an argumentative approach. 

Switching the Clauses

Original: “While the perfect solution may not be a tiny house, it offers an attainable stepping stone and an achievable pathway to help people experiencing homelessness” (Student A).

Revised: Despite not being the perfect solution, tiny homes are an attainable stepping stone and an achievable pathway to help people experiencing homelessness.

Similarly to the previous example, relocating the subject from the dependent clause to the independent clause directly identifies the subject instead of relying on “it.” The “while…, it…” structure of phrasing is extremely common in student writing. Contrasting two ideas generally requires an independent and dependent clause, since one idea refutes the information provided by the other. A simple solution to the necessity of “it” in a contrasting sentence is moving the subject into the independent clause, which is usually able to stand on its own as a complete and structured thought. In this specific example, the subject “tiny homes” was referenced in the dependent clause—the half of the sentence that cannot be read alone. The independent clause must also contain a subject, so “it” is employed as a quick pronoun to avoid repetition. If “tiny homes” are instead identified in the independent clause, there is no need to depend upon “it” to be a placeholder for the subject.