make it?

by **Hei** Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:33 am

I have seen this structure, "X makes it [adjective] for Y to do Z," couple times.
What does it refer to?

For example:
The GMAT's grammar rule has made it difficult for the exam takers to score high.
What does it refer to?

Or should I *always* assume that such pattern is perfectly fine with no exception?

Thanks in advance.

by **StaceyKoprince** Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:38 pm

"it" does not always require an antecedent - sometimes it basically just refers to an unknown that we all acknowledge is not a real thing. For example, it is raining outside. What could that "it" possibly refer to? It's just a vague concept, not really a thing.

This can get tricky on the test, because there are other times when "it" can be a problem - you basically have to ask yourself whether this is one of those "amorphous unknowns" or whether it really could be referring to one specific noun. In which case, is the noun present, is it unambiguous, does it agree in number, etc.