Impersonal sentences are the rule in English. Impersonal sentences or sentences with a formal subject

Even younger schoolchildren It is known that the grammatical structure of sentences is very different: simple, complex and complex, etc. We use them every day and they feel completely natural to us. In this motley group, impersonal sentences occupy a special place. In truth, the British Crown has a few surprises up its striped sleeve, so we finish off our traditional milk tea and begin to focus.

So, in impersonal sentences in English (Impersonal Sentences) you will never see either the performer of the action, or even the action itself. Remember the unforgettable “Night. Street. Flashlight. Pharmacy." or the beginning of the standard tabloid publications “It was getting dark…”. It is precisely such cases that will be discussed.

It would be logical to divide such structures into two groups: without subject And without a predicate. And if in Russian you can use any members of a sentence as you please, then the English language inevitably imposes a certain strict structure, namely: in any sentence there are always both main members. Moreover, the subject comes first, and then the predicate. Let us not be too lazy to remind you: always! So if you don’t see any of them in the source code in your native language, then they will appear during translation. If you ignore them, then feel free to deduct points from your exam paper or say goodbye with respect in the eyes of your English-speaking friends.

Using impersonal offers

These constructions are used to denote:

• Natural phenomena:

It was so cold that I could hardly breathe. “It was so cold that I could hardly breathe.”

It has been drizzling since morning. — It has been drizzling since morning.

• Weather conditions:

It will be sunny and hot tomorrow. — Tomorrow it will be sunny and hot.

It was very frosty and slippery last January. — Last January it was very frosty and slippery.

• Time and distance. Especially note for yourself the construction of the phrase “It’s leaving me.../I need...” with the meaning of the period of time where they are combined it And take:

It was five o’clock when I returned home. — It was five o’clock when I returned home.

It is not very far to the barn in the field from my aunt’s house. — From my aunt’s house it’s not very far to the barn in the field.

It takes me nearly an hour to get back home from school. — It takes me almost an hour to get home from school.

• Actions described by the infinitive:

It is never late to say “thank you”. - It's never too late to say “thank you.”

It is hard enough to part with your bosom friends. - Parting with yours bosom friends hard enough.

• Impersonal turns with verbs to happen - to happen, to seem - to seem, to turn out - to appear, to appear - to introduce oneself, etc. So, complex sentences in English may include an impersonal representative:

It appears that Melissa won’t visit us today. “It looks like Melissa won't be visiting us today.”

It so happened that I hated hot milk with mineral water. — It so happened that I hated hot milk with mineral water.

• Modalities with the corresponding verbs: can - be able, may - have permission, must - be obliged, etc. In this case, you will need a formal subject one, which has no translation equivalent:

One must not cross the road here. - You can't cross the road here.

One cannot learn all the cards for the exam in a day. — It is impossible to learn all the tickets for the exam in a day.

As you've probably noticed, almost all impersonal sentences in English have a formal subject. it. Remember that it is not translated into Russian.

Well, let's look at two groups that are of interest to us. Don't forget that all phrases may use different tenses Simple groups, Continuous and Perfect Continuous:

• Nominal sentences in English do not contain a predicate, which, however, must necessarily appear when translated in the form is verb to be or another connective in the third person and singular. Here it combines with nouns, adjectives, adverbs and phrases like adjective + infinitive:

It is very dirty outside, put on your old boots. — It’s very dirty outside, put on your old shoes.

It was so easy to swim across the river. — It was so easy to cross the river.

It is almost September and my nephews don’t want to start school. “It’s almost September, and my nephews don’t want to go to first grade.”

• Verb sentences are not fundamentally different from their aforementioned relative. Here you will find everything the same it and impersonal verbs: to rain - to go (about rain), to snow - to go (about snow), to hail - to go (about hail), to drizzle - to drizzle, etc.:

Let's go home, it is getting dark. - Let's go home, it's getting dark.

It hailed yesterday and I am afraid that my garden was damaged. — There was hail yesterday and I'm afraid my garden was damaged.

When it doesn’t snow in winter one cannot ski or skate. — When it doesn’t snow in winter, you can’t ski or skate.

As for interrogatives and negative sentences, then all the classical rules apply here English grammar- use auxiliary verbs, and everything will work out:

Is it windy today? Should I take my hat? — Is it windy today? Should I bring my hat?

It hasn’t rained for a week already, the ground is very dry. “It hasn’t rained for a week, the ground is very dry.”

As a result, it should be noted that impersonality is widely used in the English language: both simple and complex sentences have their own design options. In fact, there is nothing difficult about remembering this material and using it correctly in speech. Everything is quite logical and justified, so feel free to start practicing and consolidating the rule.

The English language differs from the Russian language in that a sentence must have a subject and a predicate, the main clauses of the sentence.

Construction of impersonal sentences

However, often sentences lack an actor and a verb denoting action. Thus, the sentence becomes impersonal, but a subject and predicate are formally necessary to maintain the structure of the sentence. In this case, the place of the subject is replaced by an impersonal pronoun, if it can be called that, it. And the function of the predicate will be performed by a copular verb to be.

For example, It is hot today. Today it's hot.

The most common impersonal sentences in English are sentences about the weather, seasons, time, distance, etc. Today we will look at suggestions about the weather and seasons. In Russian, impersonal sentences sound like this.
It's cold outside. Winter. It's getting dark.

In English, such sentences can be constructed according to the general scheme: it + to be + adjective, noun.

Dictionary “Weather, seasons” (listen)

In order to learn to talk about weather and seasons, we need an active vocabulary.

Adjectives (weather)

Cold cold

Warm warm

Hot hot

Cool cool

Windy [ʹwındı] windy

Cloudy [ʹklaʋdı] cloudy

Sunny [ʹsʌnı] sunny

Rainy [ʹreını] rainy

Snowy [ʹsnəʋı] snowy

Frosty [ʹfrɔstı] frosty

Nouns (seasons)
Summer [ʹsʌmə] summer

Autumn [ʹɔ:təm] autumn

Winter [ʹwıntə] winter

Spring spring

Read all the words carefully and make sure they are pronounced correctly.

Learning to talk about the weather

To describe the weather outside, we just need to put the pronoun at the beginning of the sentence it, linking verb to be and a necessary adjective. We know that in the present tense the verb to be has three forms (am, is, are). Let's remember what happens with the pronoun it we use form is.

It is cold today. It is cloudy today. It is cold today. Today is cloudy.

If we want to describe what the weather was like yesterday, we will need past form verb to be. We know that this verb has two forms in the past tense (was, were). With a pronoun it we use form was.

It was sunny and warm yesterday. Yesterday it was sunny and warm.

When talking about the time of year, we construct a sentence in a similar way.
It is spring now. Spring is now.

An interesting fact is that in the UK the favorite topic of conversation is the weather. Any conversation, be it a meeting of friends, colleagues or relatives, begins with questions:

It is a nice day today, isn’t it? Nice day, isn't it?

The answers to these questions that we discussed above are assumed.

Now you know that when traveling to the UK, according to the rules of etiquette, the conversation should begin with a question about the weather. In response, they will definitely ask you about the weather of the city or country where you live.

Lesson assignments

Exercise 1. Answer the question.
What is the structure of an impersonal sentence in English?

Exercise 2. Answer the following questions.
1. What is the weather like today?
2. What season is it now?
3. What is the usual weather like in winter, summer, spring, autumn in Russia?
4. What is the usual weather like in winter, summer, spring, autumn in Great Britain?
5. What is your favorite season?
6. What weather do you like?

Exercise 1.
It + to be + adjective/noun Exercise 2.
1. It is...
2. It is... (spring, summer, autumn, winter)
3. In winter it is usually cold and snowy in Russia. In spring it is usually warm and sunny in Russia. In summer it is usually hot and sunny in Russia. In autumn it is usually cloudy and rainy in Russia.
4. In winter it is usually cold in Great Britain. In spring it is usually warm and sunny in Great Britain. In summer it is usually hot and sunny in Great Britain. In autumn it is usually cloudy and rainy in Great Britain.
5. My favorite season is…
6. I like …(cold, warm…) weather.

The British love precision, so the main thing in English is maintaining a clear sentence structure. Everything must be ordered: first the subject, then the predicate, then minor members sentences, etc. However, in English there are such sentences that are called impersonal. It is difficult to compare them with chaotic impersonal sentences devoid of a subject in the Russian language like “Vecherelo”, “Svetalo”, since in these structures there is still a subject. But first things first.

3 types of offers you need to know about

In English, as in Russian, there are 3 types of sentences: personal, indefinitely personal and impersonal.

In personal sentences, the subject expresses a person, thing or concept. Everything is simple here: The child began to cry.

In indefinite-personal sentences, the subject is expressed by an indefinite person. The functions of the subject of an indefinite-personal sentence in English are performed by the pronouns one, you or they.

• One must be graceful to his parents. - You need to be grateful to your parents.
• You never guess what she may bring next time. (— One never guess...) — You’ll never guess (it’s hard to say) what she might bring next time.
• You may walk along the street without meeting one. — You can (you can/you can) walk along the street and not meet anyone.
• They say that a new mall will be built here next year. - They say that in next year A new shopping center will be built here.

In Russian, a sentence that lacks a subject is called impersonal: Winter. Light. Cold. It's frosty. Dark. It's time to leave. Impersonal offers in English, as noted above, are not devoid of a subject. However, it does not express the person or object performing the action. The function of the so-called “formal” subject is performed by the pronoun it, which, as a rule, is not translated into Russian.

Cases of using impersonal constructions

• When indicating time, distance, natural phenomena, weather conditions, emotional state person.
  • It is 3 o'clock. 3 hours.
  • It is late. Late.
  • It is ten miles from here. (It is) ten miles from here.
  • It is summer. Summer.
  • It is frosty. It's frosty.
  • It is raining (snowing). It is raining (snowing).
• In the presence of such impersonal phrases as it seems (it seems), it appears (obviously, apparently), it happens (it turns out).
  • It seems that I’ve forgotten my identity card at home. — It seems that I forgot my passport at home.
  • It appears that he will win. - Obviously he will win.
  • It happened that nobody had made homework. — It turned out that no one had done their homework.

2 types of impersonal offers

In English they come in two types: nominal and verbal. The first got their name due to the presence of an adjective in their structure. Their structure includes the verb to be and they are formed according to the following scheme:

subject + linking verb to be + nominal predicate + object

Let's look at examples of nominal impersonal sentence structures in the table.

Subject	Linking verb to be	Nominal part of the predicate	Addition	Translation
It	is	stuffy	here	It's stuffy here
It	is	amazing	that we saw it our own eyes	It's great that we saw it with our own eyes.
It	was	late	when he came	It was already late when he arrived
It	is	pleasant	to be on this island	It's nice to be on this island

Examples of verbal impersonal sentence structures.

Subject	Linking verb to be	Semantic verb	Addition	Translation
It		snows	a lot in Alaska	It snows often in Alaska
It		rained	cats and dogs last Monday	Last Monday it rained like buckets
It	will	snow	next Tuesday	It's going to snow next Tuesday

Construction of interrogatives and negative forms verbal impersonal sentences occur according to general rules ordinary verbal predicates: taken into account grammatical tense, used in a sentence, and auxiliary words necessary to pose a question are used.

Beginner mistakes

The most common mistake beginners make is trying to translate impersonal sentences verbatim. Even the simplest sentences can be translated correctly by understanding the following rules:

• do not rush to translate if in Russian the sentence begins with indirect pronouns: me, him, her, them, us. Think carefully about how to say this in the English manner;
• remember that in English a sentence always begins with a subject, and if this subject is a pronoun, then it must certainly be in the nominative case: he, she, it, I, you, they, we, but not us, them, me, him , her.

Below are examples of designs in which beginners most often make mistakes.

• I don't like this novel = I don't like this novel. — I don’t like this novel. (Me not like this novel).
• She has a son. = She has a son. - She has a son. (Here be a son.)
• I'm Katya. = My name is Katya. = I am Katya. — My name is Kate. I am Kate. (Me is Kate).
• They live well. = They live well. - They live well. (Them lives good).

Exercises for consolidation

To better understand all the listed rules, the impersonality of the sentence and consolidate your knowledge, try doing a simple translation exercise:

1. It will be hot …
2. It's stuffy...
3. It was raining and snowing on Monday...
4. Three days ago it was warmer...
5. It will be cold in March...

Apply now

Your application is accepted

Our manager will contact you soon

Close

There was an error sending

Send again

All students of English have probably come across sentences that begin with it and there more than once. For example: It is cold (It’s cold.) There is a little problem (there is a small problem). At first glance, everything is simple. The difficulty arises when you need to use them yourself in speech. It is not always clear to students why they are needed and when to use them. It is further complicated by the fact that most often they are not translated into Russian. And since they are not present in native speech, they are ignored in translation into English. However, it is impossible to do without them and the English sentence will sound incomplete and unnatural. As you probably know, an English sentence must have a subject. What to do if there is no character or object in the sentence? The formal subject is replaced, which is what it is in these sentences and there. They serve to replace the subject, introduce the main information into the sentence and other parts of speech. Let's take a closer look at the cases where we shouldn't forget to use it and there in a sentence.

Using it

It's freezing outside. Put on your hat. It's cold outside. Put on your hat. How far is it from Naples to Rome? – It’s 187.5 km. What is the distance from Naples to Rome? – 187.5m It is illegal to read other people’s letters in many countries. In many countries, reading other people's letters is illegal. It was a dark and stormy night. It was a dark and stormy night. It was half past nine when I left the office. It was half past nine when I left the office.

It seemed that he was there for the first time. It seemed like he was here for the first time. It turned out to be a gift of the destiny. It turned out that this was a gift of fate. It looks as if somebody has already used this room. It looks like someone has already used this room.

There’s a beautiful valley between the two rivers. There is a beautiful valley between two rivers. There seems to be a mistake. There seems to be a mistake here. There's no need to worry about that. There is no need to worry about this. There’s always a chance for those who try. There is always a chance for everyone who tries.

We have already written about the fact that in the English language there must be a subject and a predicate in the article “How to ask a question correctly in English”.

You understand that if a verb is missing, you need to insert a linking verb to be. You cannot leave a sentence without a verb at all. But what if there is no subject in the sentence?

Such sentences in Russian can be called incomplete (when there is neither a subject nor a predicate). For example:

Night. Street. Flashlight. Pharmacy…

Morning. Winter. It's frosty today. There is a glass on the table.

All of these sentences have no subject. The word "Night" is an addition.

This is unacceptable in English.

Instead of non-existent subjects, they insert the pronoun “it”, “this” or “there”

Moreover, there is used only to indicate location, and in other cases it is used.

For example,

Dark. – It is dark. = It's dark.

Morning. – It is morning.

in autumn it's raining. – It rains in autumn.

It's frosty today. – It is frosty today.

Stupid. - It's stupid.

This, that, these, those are used when we want to emphasize that we are pointing to a given subject (more specifically).

This is a book. This is a book.

That was a rude question! – That was a rude question! (traditionally that is used to mean “that”, but in the past tense it is used instead of this)

These are the words you always say to me. (plural) – These are the words you keep telling me all the time.

These were my favorite paintings. (in the past tense instead of these) – Those were my favorite paintings.

Turnoverthere is/there are

There is a book on the table. – There is a book on the table. (if there should be a singular noun after there, put is, in the past tense - was)

There are a lot of people on the street. – There are lots of people on the street. (if after the introductory there there is a noun in plural, put are, and in the past tense - were)

You can, of course, say:

The book is on the table. Lots of people are on the street.

Then what is the point of studying the turnover there is/there are?

Of course, if you say The rose is on the table, you will be understood, but this turn decorates the speech and gives a slightly different shade of meaning to the whole statement.

The rose is on the table. - Rose is on the table. Answer to the question: where is the rose? The fact that the rose is on the table is emphasized.

There is a rose on the table. - There is a rose on the table. Originally Answered: What's on the table? It is noted that there is generally on the table, that it is not empty. The focus is on the table, not the rose. She is generally a secondary object, somewhat unspecified, a little abstract.

That is why after there is there is always an article “ a "!

Since it is used only in the singular, no article is placed after there are.

Therefore after there is / there are The article the is never used!

Look! There is a building over there! We must be on the right way! (the building itself does not matter, the main thing is that it is there)

Are you looking for the Embassy? The building is over there. You can see it already. (the location of a specific building is indicated)

And one more rule: after the phrase there is/there are, “no” is always put, and not not (as after have).

There is no desk in the classroom.

There are no teeth in my mouth.

In this case, the article a, of course, disappears.

Exception: any

There isn't any books on the shelf.

Very often there is/there are describes a person’s feelings, emotions, state of mind and thoughts:

There is some emptiness in my heart since he left.

There are emotions in her songs like in nobody else’s.

There is a great difference between his social dance and his performance on the stage.

After there is/there are, only nouns or phrases with nouns are used (with much, a lot of, little, a few, some).

It's cold in the north. (Cold is not a noun, so it is not used with there is), therefore – It is cold in the North.

It is hot outside. – It is hot outside.

Something, although not a noun, can be used after there is:

something + adjective or something + additional clause.

There is something I wanna tell you.

Is there anything difficult in that?

There is still something good in you.

There is nothing I can hide from you.

There is nothing serious about your illness.

The same applies to somebody, no one, someone.

It is better to translate sentences with there is/there are from the end, since the circumstance of place in this sentence is the most important. The phrase there is itself does not need to be translated, it can be translated with the words: there is, located, available.

Look! There is a castle on that hill. - Look! There (is) a castle on that hill.

Impersonal offers

Often impersonal sentences in Russian are familiar to us in this form:

I don't like this movie.

I have a car.

My name is Nina.

She lives well.

There is no subject in these sentences.

This is unacceptable in English!

The most big mistake for beginners is to try to literally translate impersonal sentences.

The sentences seem to be easy, but you can translate them correctly if you understand that:

I don't like this movie = I don't like this movie. – I don’t like this film. (Forget about Me not like this film)

She has a child. = She has a child. (yes, no matter how stupid it may sound, there is no other way to say it) - She has a baby. (None: Her be a child.)

My name is Nina. = My name is Nina. = I am Nina. – My name is Nina. I am Nina. (Me is Nina – not allowed)

He lives well. = He lives well. – He lives well. (Wrong: Him live good)

Never start translating a sentence if in Russian they ask: me, him, her, them, us... that is, indirect pronouns. Stop and think about how to “remake” it in the English manner.

An English sentence always begins with a subject, and if this subject is a pronoun, then it should only be he, she, it, I, you, they, we, but in no case us, them, me, him, her.

We have listed the most common structures that beginners make mistakes in.

There are, however, impersonal sentences that cannot be changed so easily.

For example,

They gave me a book.

I was told that it will rain tomorrow.

In most cases, impersonal sentences in Russian should become passive in English. Passive voice is when the doer himself is unknown, and the subject is an object that experiences the action, but does nothing, is passive. Hence the name: passive voice.

They gave me a book. = I was gifted with a book. – I was presented with a book.

They dressed him and took him to wash. = He was dressed and taken to the bathroom. – He was dressed and shown to the bathroom.

I was told that it will rain tomorrow. = I was told (notified) that it would rain tomorrow. – I was told that it is going to rain tomorrow.

They say the summer will be hot. = It is said that the summer will be hot. - It is said that the summer is going to be hot.

It sounds, again, it seems to us, strange. But this is a feature of the English language. This is why the passive voice is used much more often in English than in Russian. Because they cannot use impersonal sentences.

However, even in English the passive sometimes looks cumbersome.

There is a way to do it differently. The unknown subject is replaced by the impersonal they. It is not translated into Russian.

They gave me a book. - They presented me with a book.

They dressed him and took him to wash. - They dressed him and showed him to the bathroom.

Sentences that begin with the words: they told me..., they say...

almost always used with they:

I was told that it will rain tomorrow. – They told me that it is going to rain tomorrow.

They say the summer will be hot. – They say it is going to be hot in summer.

IN colloquial speech they are used more often, sentences with the passive voice are most often a sign of the official style of speech and writing.

Sometimes you can put one instead of a non-existent subject, but this will also be more bookish than conversational.

You can become a professor, but teach languages ​​without practical experience impossible. - One can become a professor, but without practical experience he/they can’t teach languages.

As we said above, in English the main thing is sentence structure. The English absolutely need everything to be in order, to have a subject and a predicate, to have a structure in the sentence, so that the predicate can be placed before the subject, and a question can be asked. Our chaotic sentences without a subject (they are called impersonal), for example: They fixed my car It is impossible to translate word for word, since this is impossible in English, but there are many ways to avoid impersonal sentences.

have something done

The have something done structure is one of them. In English the sentence " I'm haircutted" cannot be translated like this: Ihavecutmyhair. or like this: I cut my hair. Such a translation would mean that I took the clipper and cut my own hair. The idea that someone did something for me at my request is expressed by the words: have something done.

For example: I have mine hair cut. - I am undergot a haircut. (They cut my hair at my request)

I have my dress made. - Isewedto myselfdress. (Meaning that it was custom-made for me)

I have my car fixed. - Ifixed itcar. (My car was repaired at my request)

Sometimes it is possible to use get:

I get my roof repaired. - To merepairedroof.

Igetmyroomredecorated. – I renovated the room. (Meaning that I called someone to do this repair for me)