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Activities: “How to use expletive ‘it is’ sentences in English?”

By: Annie Lopes, Isabel McKay

Activity 1: Describe the picture

For each picture, create two sentences that start with It is.

  1. Topic: weather

    A beach with two palm trees on a sunny day.

  2. Topic: time of day

    A photo of an old-fashioned black alarm clock reading 7:00.

  3. Topic: time of year

    A dirt road through a forest at the height of autumn.

  4. Topic: general conditions

    A photo of a train car taken from outside the window. There are a lot of people on the train.

  5. Topic: general conditions

    A two-lane road on a snowy day

Activity 2: It is + adjective

Complete each sentence by adding “it is” + an appropriate adjective. Use the list of raising adjectives to help you!

  1. to climb a mountain.

  2. If you want to learn English, to study your irregular verbs.

  3. to park in a “no parking” zone.

  4. to mow the lawn in flip-flops!

  5. to be kind to your grandmother.

Activity 3: Expletive it?

The paragraph below is full of sentences that begin with it is and it was! But which ones use “expletive it”?

Click to select the bold phrases below that use “expletive it.” Leave the other "it is" phrases unmarked.

after midnight when I left the office. Now I can’t find my phone anywhere. probably still at work! snowing now, and I am so tired. very peaceful outside when it snows. My car heater is broken. my only hope of staying warm on the way home. not far from my house now, so I will be there soon. If only I had hot chocolate to drink! delicious and would be a perfect treat right now! my mom who always told me that hot chocolate could fix any bad day. She was right! looking a little more clear outside which means the snow may not stay overnight. going to melt fast. I will be glad to be home soon and in my cozy bed!