It’s easy to…, It takes…

  • B1 · Intermediate
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min
  • introductory it

Starting a sentence with it: It takes me an hour to get to work, and it's hard to find parking. From a blog post about a long new commute to helping your teacher choose the best way to get to a new job.

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Free, no card needed. The PDF has every slide, the homework and an answer key.

It's easy toIt takesIt's fun to learn

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Reading: Emeka's new commuteReading comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find it… toGrammar exercise
  6. 6It's easy to…, it takes…Grammar rule
  7. 7Choose the formGrammar exercise
  8. 8A message to a new coworkerGrammar exercise
  9. 9Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
  10. 10Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  11. 11The new job across townSpeaking practice
  12. 12About youGrammar exercise
  13. 13Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: find the mistakeGrammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: say it with itGrammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: which is right?Grammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: welcome to my cityDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

  1. Would you take a better job if the trip to work were twice as long? Why, or why not?
  2. What is something that is easy to do in your city, and something that is hard to do?
  3. Do you use the time on a bus or a train for work, for reading or for sleep?

Grammar rule

It's easy to…, it takes…

It + be + adjective + to + verb

When the subject of a sentence is an action, English usually starts with it and puts the action (to + verb) at the end: To learn the guitar is fun. → It's fun to learn the guitar.

Example
PositiveIt's fun to learn the guitar.
NegativeIt isn't polite to call after ten.
QuestionIs it OK to bring my dog?
PastIt was strange to come back after so long.
+ for + personIt's hard for my dad to climb stairs.

Common adjectives: easy, hard, difficult, possible, impossible, important, nice, great, fun, safe, dangerous, expensive, cheap, strange, smart, polite.

It takes (+ person) + time + to + verb

Example
PositiveIt takes (me) twenty minutes to iron a shirt.
PastIt took (us) three days to unpack.
NegativeIt doesn't take long to make pancakes.
QuestionHow long does it take (you) to read a book?

Watch out

  • Don't leave out it: not Is easy to cook pasta. but It's easy to cook pasta.
  • Not there or this: not There is hard to… but It's hard to…
  • to + the base verb: not It's polite say hello first or It's hard for him relax.
  • The person comes right after takes, with no to: It takes me an hour (not takes to me).
  • The question: How long does it take…? (not How long it takes…? or How long time…?)
  • These are correct too: Finding parking is hard. I took an hour to get ready. But It's… and It takes… are the most common.

Teach it live with video and a whiteboard, or print it: the PDF has every slide, the homework and the answers.

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