It vs Is
As it and is have quite a few distinguishable differences when it comes to their usage in English grammar, knowing the difference between it and is can be of help to you. First of all, it should be mentioned that it and is belong to two different parts of speech. It is a pronoun while is is a verb. It has many uses in English grammar. It is a pronoun that is used very much in the language. There are many phrases that use it. In the same manner, is is also a very useful verb form. To be exact is is the third person singular form of the be verb. Let us have a look at the difference between it and is in depth through this article.
What does It mean?
As a pronoun, the word it is mainly used “ referring to an animal or child of unspecified sex.” For example,
The dog kept on barking. It surely did not like the stranger.
Amanda was holding her baby while her husband caressed its head.
It is to be noted that it is a demonstrative pronoun. The word it shows something about which you talk or describe. In the sentence ‘it is lovely to look’, you have already talked about a rose and in saying ‘it is lovely to look’, you referred to the same rose with the demonstrative pronoun called ‘it’.
The word ‘it’ is used to convey the sense of generality as in the example, ‘it is good to speak the truth’. In this sentence the word ‘it’ is used to convey the general idea of speaking the truth at all times.
What does Is mean?
The word is, on the other hand, is an auxiliary verb. It is not a direct verb but an indirect verb that implies the meaning of to be. It gives the meaning of to be present. Look at the two sentences, ‘he is in Australia’ and ‘the book is on the table’. In the first sentence, the verb is gives the idea of someone present in Australia. In the second sentence, the verb is implies the idea that the book is present on the table.
The word is, on the other hand, is used in present continuous tense. Look at the example, ‘he is looking at me’. In this sentence the word is conveys the present continuous tense. It gives the idea of presently he is looking at me. In fact, the action of looking was on when the speaker spoke the sentence.
The word is is used in the sense of confirmation. When somebody says ‘yes, it is’ a kind of confirmation is understood as the intent of the speaker. You can see the usage of it too as a particle that confirms with emphasis.
What is the difference between It and Is?
- It is a pronoun. Is is a verb.
- It is a demonstrative pronoun. Is is the third person singular form of the be verb.
- The verb is used in the present continuous tense as an auxiliary verb.
- The word is is used in the sense of confirmation.