Writing Tip 2: Hit the ITs

The impersonal pronoun 'it' can be useful when referring to a topic like the weather:

It's raining again!

Or when used in a general statement:

It is common practice to use 'it' in sentences like this one.

But too many impersonal 'its' in your writing can make your writing sound......well, impersonal.

In many cases 'it' can easily be removed in favour of a known subject. This usually means that the key verb or verbs in the sentence - the action words- become clearer.

Here are some examples from the first writing task:

Before
It is necessary that the committee presents a full proposal before the end of April.
After
The committee needs to present a full proposal before the end of April.

Before
It will be beneficial for the Organisation to expand and renew its Internet facilities as more and more communication is web-based.
After
The Organisation will benefit from expanded and renewed Internet facilities as more and more communication is web-based.

And some more examples:

Before
In the report it suggests that moderate exercise is better than no exercise at all.
After
The report suggests that moderate exercise is better than no exercise at all.

Before
The group wanted to meet in January, but it didn't happen until May.
After
The group wanted to meet in January, but the conference didn't take place until May.

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Tip: identify a concrete subject, the doer of the action, and put it at the beginning of the sentence. The key verbs should become clearer as a result.