Explanation
Exercises

🔎 This vs. It – Uses & Examples

👉 This

Use this to talk about something near you, or to introduce people:

  • This cat is cute. (cat is right here)
  • This is my house. (house in front of you)
  • I think this jacket is perfect for you.
  • This is my brother John. (introduction)
  • “Hello, this is Linda.” (on the phone)

The plural is these:

  • These are my brothers, John and Edward.

🟢 It

Use it to refer back to something mentioned or known, or to talk about:

  • Objects or animals: “This cat is cute. It is sleeping.”
  • Situations/ideas: “There was a storm and they cancelled the concert. It was a disaster.”
  • Times/dates: “It’s very late.” / “What day is it? It’s Tuesday.”
  • Weather: “It was sunny yesterday.”
  • Distance: “It’s not very far from here.”

⭐ It’s + adjective

  • It’s + adjective + to-infinitive: “It’s nice to see you again.” / “It’s easy to get lost in this part of the city.”
  • It’s + adjective + that…: “It’s important that you learn this.”
Exercises:
1
2
3

The difference between this and it

Choose the correct option for each gap.
1
is the last slice of pizza.
2
Have you tried the new café? has great coffee.
3
Oh no, isn’t working anymore!
4
was a fantastic movie. I really enjoyed it.
5
I can’t find my phone. Have you seen ?
6
smells amazing! What’s cooking?
7
Is the right way to solve the problem?
8
I don’t understand in the instructions.
9
needs to be replaced before winter.
10
I sent you an email yesterday. Did you read ?

The difference between this and it

Choose the correct options to complete the sentences.
1
______ tastes amazing! Did you bake the cake yourself?
A.
B.
2
Have you seen the forecast? ______ says we’ll have rain tomorrow.
A.
B.
3
I found an old photo album. Look at ______ from our summer trip.
A.
B.
4
The meeting starts at 10 a.m. Are you ready for ______?
A.
B.
5
Sam showed me his new phone. ______ is very fast.
A.
B.
6
We’re moving next month. ______ is going to be a big change for us.
A.
B.
7
I can’t find my keys. Have you seen ______ anywhere?
A.
B.
8
Listen to ______: I recorded my guitar practice yesterday.
A.
B.
9
The exam was really hard. ______ took me over two hours to finish.
A.
B.
10
Here’s the address of the restaurant. Is ______ correct?
A.
B.

The difference between this and it

Write ‘this’ or ‘it’ in each gap to complete this dialogue.
1
A: Hey, did you see notification on your screen?
2
B: No, let me check… says “Software update available”.
3
A: Right. I clicked on earlier and now my computer is restarting.
4
B: Ah, takes a few minutes.
5
A: While we wait, have a look at diagram I drew for our project.
6
B: Good idea. looks clear. Who made it?
7
A: I did, but I need your feedback on section about budget.
8
B: Sure. seems a bit low—should we increase it?
9
A: Yes, I think so. After that, send to the team by email.
10
B: Got it. I’ll click “Send” as soon as finishes updating.