anticipatory

anticipatory it (it som foreløpig subjekt eller objekt): it is called 'anticipatory' when is a place-holder for a subject or an object which is realized as a clause (an  infinitive clause  or an ing-clause). Anticipatory it functions as anticipatory subject (example 1) or anticipatory object (example 2). In clauses with it as anticipatory subject, it is usually possible to remove the anticipatory it and move the notional subject (the real subject, realized by a clause) to subject position. With an anticipatory object, a similar operation is impossible.