What is known as ”subject extraposition” (or ”the introductory it pattern”) is a construction that can be very helpful for sentence-structural purposes, as it helps writers avoid so-called ”heavy subjects”, where too much information is placed before the (main) verb of the sentence. This construction also enables writers to disguise their involvement, thereby making the statement seem more objective.

The construction is made up of an introductory it, a predicate (a verb with an optional adjective, noun and/or adverb); examples include:

It has been found that many people enjoy a session in a lunch hour.

It is possible to establish a qualitative correlation with the energy administered to each irradiated point.

The construction can also be used to express a stance towards the proposition stated in the to-, that– or wh-clause:

It seems that school reforms are not in alignment with a culturally responsive curriculum.

It is interesting to note that both groups scored lower on the QRI-5 posttest than the pretest.