How to use the word it in english

English for IT. How to learn to programmer + 79 resources

: 28.11.2016

According to statistics, more than 75% of orders for software development come to domestic specialists from foreigners and almost all customers prefer to communicate in English. That is why every IT specialist should be fluent in it. In this article, we will show you how English can help you in your work and what resources you need to use when learning English for programmers.

Why does a programmer need English

If you have already started working in the IT field, then you perfectly understand that programmers cannot do without English. However, some people believe that technical English can never be learned: almost all terminology comes from English, so everything will be clear anyway. For those who are not sure whether it is worth spending time learning a foreign language, we will give several powerful arguments.

1. Understanding the terminology

   Most programming languages ​​are based on English keywords.

2. Choice of development tools

   Some of them lack a Russified interface.

3. Reading technical documentation

   Almost all reference materials and technical assignments are written in English (if you are interested in orders from abroad).
4. Communication with customers

   Many foreign companies actively use the services of Russian IT specialists, and in order to accurately understand the needs of clients, you need to know English well.

5. Study of professional literature

   The latest books and articles in the IT field are published in English. Programmers need to be constantly aware of all the news and updates, so it’s worth learning English.

6. Attending online courses and webinars

   You can find hundreds of free training courses from programming gurus on the Internet. And on paid courses, you can get an international diploma — a big plus for your resume.

7. Finding solutions on the world wide web

   In your work, you periodically encounter difficult tasks and some problems, the solution to which can be found in the English-speaking part of the Internet.

8. Chance of getting a job abroad

   It’s no secret that almost all IT giants are located in the United States. Such firms constantly require competent specialists, but in order to communicate with colleagues and management, you need to know English. Want to work in Silicon Valley? Learn English.

Your strengths and weaknesses: how to teach English to a programmer

In learning English, as in any other business, you should use your strengths and try to work on your weaknesses. Let’s find out what you have to work on.

1. Your strengths:
• Logical thinkingHow to use: grammar is a logical structure, so it should be easy for you to learn it with regular practice.
• Wide vocabularyHow to use: It will be easier for you to learn English for IT, because you already have a good vocabulary base. As you study the words, you will notice that many of the «technical» words you are familiar with have different meanings in common English.
2. Your weaknesses:
• Uncertain knowledge of grammarCause: technical texts tend to use complex terminology, but very simple grammatical constructions, so you might not pay enough attention to grammar. Everything is solved by studying the structures and performing practical exercises.
• The language barrierCause: you had very little or no speaking practice. Because of this, the so-called «dog syndrome» develops, that is, you understand everything, but you cannot say it yourself. Speaking practice will solve this problem.
• Hearing barrierCause: Programmers rarely have to comprehend information in English by ear, so you may have problems understanding the interlocutor’s speech. Working with audio materials will save you from this.

We have found out your strengths and weaknesses, and now we need to decide how to learn English for programmers. Based on our experience, you should start learning specialized English for IT after you have completed the Pre-Intermediate course. Before that, it is better to study general spoken English in order to lay a solid foundation for professional knowledge.

Where is the best place to learn a language? Finding special courses for learning English for developers is almost impossible, so the best solution would be one-to-one lessons with a teacher.

And it will be even more convenient to study English without interrupting your favorite computer, and we suggest you do it in English lessons via Skype.

If you want to study exactly English for IT, we recommend you a personal English course, in this case in the classroom you will study the materials of your topic, that is, learn only what you need.

Basic English vocabulary for a programmer

In this section, we would like to present you with basic concepts in English that will be useful to almost every IT specialist. For convenience, we have highlighted a set of IT-related verbs, as well as words related to the Internet, hardware and software.

Useful verbs

WordTranslation

to back up (backup)	back up
to boot	upload, download (for example, about a device or operating system)
to burn	burn to optical disc
to create	create
to compile	compile
to compress	compress (for example, with an archiver)
to connect	connect, connect
to copy	copy
to cut	cut to clipboard
to debug	debug
to decrypt	decipher
to delete	remove
to deploy	deploy (for example, an application on a server)
to develop	develop
to disable	disable, deactivate
to disconnect	disconnect, disconnect
to display	display
to download	upload, download
to eject	eject (device)
to enable	turn on, activate
to encrypt	encrypt, encrypt
to execute	perform
to format	format
to implement	implement, implement
to initialize	reset, initialize
to install	install, install
to integrate	integrate, combine into one system
to link to	refer to anything
to load	upload

Source: https://englex.ru/english-for-it-specialists/

It, this, that: usage difference

Difficult grammatical tenses do not raise as many questions as small words in English. I often notice that many make mistakes in the use of the words it, this, that, because they do not know exactly which one to use and choose at random.

Let’s sort it out in order. To begin with, let’s consider what meanings and functions these words initially have.

It is a personal pronoun and is used to avoid repeating the names of inanimate objects.

This and that are demonstrative pronouns. They are used when they point to a specific object within sight. This is used when we point to something that is close; that — if something is far away. Let’s look at several situations that you may encounter in communication.

Example 1

You point to an item that is close and name it:

This is a chair. — This is a chair.

You point to an object that is far away and name it:

That is a chair. — That chair.

If you have already named the item, pointed to it, then you need to say it:

This / that is a chair. It is a comfortable chair. — This / that chair. This is a comfortable chair.

It’s understandable with objects, but sometimes the words this, that, it are used to describe more complex ideas and whole situations. It, as a rule, refers to one subject, while this and that refer to the whole situation, which is more complex. Moreover, this is a situation in the present, and that in the past.

Consider an example.

You are at a concert of your favorite band. You like the speech (present situation), and you say:

This is great!

When after the concert you call a friend and describe everything that you saw (the situation in the past), you say:

That was great!

If you just say that you liked the concert, you say:

I d the concert. It (the concert) was great!

Example 3

Since all three words that we are talking about today are most often translated into Russian as «this», confusion arises: in which situation to choose which.

Let’s look at a few typical situations in life when it is important for you to remember the right choice of the word.

If you introduce people, introduce someone to someone, then you say this (you kind of point to a person):

This is my brother Alex. — This is my brother Alex.

When you call, introduce yourself by saying this:

Hello. This is Maria. — Hello. This is Maria.

To understand who is on the other end of the line, in a telephone conversation, British people often say that, and Americans say this:

Hello! Is that Mark? (UK version)

Hello! Is this Mark? (American version)

You knock on the door. From behind the door they may ask:

Who is this / who is that? — Who’s there?

And in response, you say:

It’s me. — It’s me.

If we talk about the use of the words in question in the context of several sentences or in writing, then it usually refers to the last noun in the previous sentence, and this can refer to whole sentences, ideas or parts of text:

We left the car under a tree and saw a small shop. It was closed. — We left the car under a tree and saw a small shop. It was closed. (It — not a car or a tree, but the last noun in the sentence is a store)

More and more people are driving cars in the city. This leads to air pollution and traffic congestion in the center. — More and more people are driving in the city. This leads to air pollution and traffic congestion in the center. (This — the whole situation as a whole)

That is used in a similar way, but by using that, the speaker distances himself from the situation or certain aspects of it:

People in villages usually have several children who live with their parents after they get married. That is a conservative idea of ​​family life. — People in villages usually have several children who live with their parents after they get married. This is a conservative approach to family life.

Example 5

What word to use with know when you want to say, “I know that”?

When someone gives you information that you are already familiar with, just say I know.

By adding the words it / this / that you add a bit of emotion:

— It was the secretary who left the door open. — It was the secretary who left the door open. — I knew it! — I knew that. I knew it! (my suspicions were confirmed)

— I knew this / that. — I knew it and so. (I’m not surprised)

Regarding the use of it, this, that in different situations, the carriers themselves often cannot explain why one should choose one or another, because there are no clearly formulated rules.

To grasp when which word is better to use, you need to read and listen a lot, that is, to «pass» speech through yourself, with all the examples of use.

If you are lost in the entire volume of materials and rules in English, cannot find explanations for incomprehensible points and organize your work, then our teachers are happy to help you.

Take action, submit a request for an introductory lesson, meet with your teacher and start regular English classes on Skype. After all, it is much more effective when a professional assistant motivates you, directs your attention to the nuances and examples of the use of words, helps to practice them in speech and improve speaking skills.

Good luck to you!

Source: https://enginform.com/article/it-this-that-raznica-v-ispolzovanii

Personal pronouns in English

Personal pronouns in English include the following pronouns:

I — I

you — you, you

he — he

she — she

it — it

we — we

they — they

me — me, me

him — he

her — she

us — we

them — they

Personal pronouns denote persons or objects in terms of their relationship to the speaker. For example, I denotes the speaker himself, we — speaking with another person or persons, and they — someone other than the speaker and his interlocutor.

They can vary by person, number, gender (only in the 3rd person) and case (nominative and object).

Table of personal pronouns in English

Number	Face	Case
nominative	object
The only thing	1 th	I (i)	me (me, me)
2 th	you (you)	you (you, you)
3-e	he / she / it (he, she, it)	him / her / it (him, her, him, her)
Multiple	1 th	we (we)	us (us, us)
2 th	you	you (you, you)
3-e	they	them (them, them)

Nominative and object cases of personal pronouns

Personal pronouns in the nominative case in a sentence usually play the role of a subject:

and in the object case — additions (object):

This ice cream was bought for me.
They bought this ice cream for me.

Also, the object case can be used when, apart from the personal pronoun, there is nothing else in the sentence:

Who called me?
Who called me?

I did… (Me)
Ya

The order of personal pronouns in English

If several personal pronouns refer to one verb, then their order is usually as follows: third and second person before the first:

He and I both sailing.
He and I both love sailing.

second person before third:

You and she should make it up with each other, you were such a nice couple.
You have to make peace with her, you were such a wonderful couple.

Case selection for personal pronouns

If there are several personal pronouns, it is sometimes difficult to choose between variants like “He and I» and «He and me«. To solve this problem, you need to understand what the pronouns are — the subject or the object. In the example “He and I both sailing»Pronouns act as a subject, and therefore are used in the nominative case. If it were addition, the object case would have to be used:

Our teacher had a question for Jane (her) and me to answer.
Our teacher wanted Jane and I to answer one question.

Sometimes in such a situation it is easier to drop the second pronoun: the sentence “Our teacher had a question for I to answer«Sounds clearly wrong.

Personal pronouns and the gender of inanimate nouns

Pay attention to how personal pronouns reflect gender. Typically pronouns he/she (Him/here ) refer to animate objects, but in fiction and poetry they can also be used in relation to some inanimate objects:

He: Sun, wind, fear, love.

She: Earth, Moon, ship, boat, car, hope, justice, modesty, peace.

In addition, the pronoun She may cover the names of some countries:

I grew up in England. She will always remain in my memory.
I grew up in England. She will forever remain in my memory.

Exceptions are the names of countries with a common noun base, for example, the International of Soviet Socialist Republics or the United States of America.

Source: https://www.native-english.ru/grammar/personal-pronouns

English slang in IT

In the office of an IT company, you can hear from the bosses something like: “Did you make a backup? Send me a bug report and fix the bugs by running. Deadline soon, will you have time? » Why in the IT and Digital spheres do specialists speak an explosive mixture of Russian and English, and how to learn to understand them? Go figure it out!

Where does the slang come from?

Slang expressions can reduce the communication time by 2-3 times without losing the meaning of the phrases. «Bug» is shorter than «error», and «bug report» is more laconic than «error report».

Thought is formulated more clearly than general words in Russian. But there are phrases that translate into «the language of native aspens» is, in principle, problematic.

For example, «patch»: formally this word is translated as «plaster». The meaning is similar — this is a program or part of it that fixes errors in software and is installed over the original code, like a patch.

Agree, the phrase «write a program to fix errors found in the program code» sounds awkward and too long. But its equivalent «make the patch» is exactly what you need.

From junior to team lead: professional deformation at the word level

Most of the slang expressions in the IT sphere are “narrow” niche designations of processes and concepts. Here the speech «professional deformation» of specialists plays a role: you get used to working with foreign customers and colleagues, to communicate on professional topics exclusively in English. Therefore, tracing paper from English expressions seems to be more capacious than Russian counterparts.

For example, for the word «team lead» there is an adequate Russian translation — «team leader». But in international companies, the first definition is common. This is because it is the same for all employees, regardless of the country where they live and work.

Programmers also have their own deep level of IT slang, where specialists communicate with each other. But an unprepared person has nothing to do there. It’s like with a related but unfamiliar Slavic language: the words seem to resemble something familiar, but what people are talking about is not clear.

Concise IT Phrasebook: Everyday Developer Slang

Approve — request or receive confirmation.

Attach — attach a document or file to an email or message.

Upgrade — improvement, modernization (upgrade your computer).

A bug is an error in the code, less often — a breakdown of the computer hardware.

Bugreport — a report with found bugs.

Bench — waiting for the project.

Benefit is a benefit, most often intangible.

Backup — data backup or the last saved stable version of the program.

Deadline — the deadline for the completion of the task, project.

Login — login to the system, account.

Implement — to implement a task, to do your job.

Crash — crash of the server, operating system or termination of the program.

Creeds — saved username and password for entering the system.

To be creative is to create a solution to a problem.

The customer is the customer.

A manager is a manager who does not understand the work of IT specialists and requires them to perform impossible tasks with yesterday’s deadlines.

A rally is a meeting where work tasks are discussed. More often — with a client, less often — within a company or a team.

Monitoring — control of the state, dynamics; examination.

Mentor — mentor, leader.

A patch is a program or a part of it that fixes detected errors in the program code.

Subject — topic of discussion or letter.

Task (task) — a separate task, a task for a certain period of time.

Team lead is the leader of the team.

Fak — a list of answers to the most frequently asked questions of users (from «Frequently Asked Questions»)

Fakap is a mistake that negatively affects the entire project or part of it.

Fix — fix bugs and bugs made in the project earlier.

Feature — a feature of a project or program code. Although programmers often disguise features as bugs that they don’t know what to do with.

Flood — a conversation in a work chat not on business, idle chatter.

Use — use (hardware or software), less often — test.

Shall we continue together? Write in the comments what English slang words in programming you know.

And we will help you learn English!

Bonuses for readers

Get free access to three months of learning English with EnglishDom online courses until June 30, 2018.

We will be glad to see you in individual lessons of the course «English for IT Professionals».

Take a free introductory lesson and get comprehensive feedback on your level of knowledge, choose a teacher and a training program!

Source: https://geekbrains.ru/posts/english_slang

Enjoy learning English online with Puzzle English for free

The word it is used in many different ways in English. It replaces an inanimate noun or serves as a formal subject in a sentence. What it is and in what cases it is used in English — we will analyze in the article.

It as a personal pronoun

Personal pronouns in English include the familiar words I (I) / he (he) / she (she) / you (you, you) / we (we) / they (they). It is added to this series: it replaces an inanimate noun. The pronoun it is immutable and does not have a special plural form. It is translated into Russian by the same pronouns that are used for animate persons (he / she / it).

I’ve seen your book, it lies on the table — I saw your book, it lies on the table.

Your notebook is not here, your brother has taken it with him — Your notebook is not here, your brother took it with him.

As you can see from the above examples, the it form can stand both in the subject position (it lies on the table — it lies on the table) and in the complement position (your brother has taken it with him — your brother took it with him).

Animals and babies (when their gender is unknown) in English is also usually rendered by the pronoun it, although the use of personal pronouns he / she is also possible:

The dog is full of energy, it cannot stop playing with the ball — The dog is very energetic, it will never stop playing with the ball.

Impersonal pronoun

Another use of it in English is impersonal sentences. This pronoun allows you to describe a situation, express a certain characteristic:

• It’s beautiful — beautiful
• It’s too late — It’s too late

The pronoun it can be used as a replacement for a certain fragment of a sentence already mentioned in speech. In such cases, it avoids repetitions.

Do you know that Mr Smith has already come to town? Yes, I’ve heard about it — Do you know that Mr. Smith is back in town? Yes, I heard about it (instead — Yes, I’ve heard that Mr Smith had already come to town).

In impersonal sentences, it often acts as a formal subject. The need for a formal subject arises when there is no subject who performs the action. But since in English the presence of a subject is mandatory, it appears in such phrases:

It’s raining — It is raining.

There are typical cases when the pronoun it is used as a formal subject. For example, when describing weather or temperature:

It’s getting dark — It gets dark.

It’s cold outside — It’s cold outside.

It is also used to indicate time or distance:

It’s already 11 pm — It’s already 11 pm.

It is 40 miles away from here — It’s 40 miles away.

Other uses

The pronoun it can be used as a subject in other cases as well. Let’s analyze them.

1. It appears in sentences where the infinitive is the semantic subject. The use of the infinitive as a subject is not very typical for English, so the pronoun it is used in such phrases.

It’s nice to talk to you — It’s nice to talk to you (instead of — To talk to you is nice).

1. Another case of it appearing as a formal subject is with a subordinate clause.

It is probable that we will be a little late — We will probably be a little late.

It does not interest me what you think — I am not interested in what you think.

When we talk about how long it takes to perform an action, you can use the it takes construction.

It took me months to get to know her — It took me months to get to know her.

How long does it take to get to Boston? — How long will it take to get to Boston?

It’s time design means it’s time. For example, it’s time to go to bed. If the sentence has a generalizing character, then this phrase is immediately followed by the infinitive with the particle to. If the sentence is addressed to a specific person, then the infinitive can be preceded by a complementary noun for +, which indicates the addressee.

It’s time to buy a new car — It’s time to buy a new car.

It’s time for you to buy a new car — It’s time for you to buy a new car.

The impersonal pronoun it appears in the constructions it seems, it appears.

It appears / seems that they will not come — It seems they won’t come.

It appears / seems to me that they will not come — It seems to me that they will not come.

The pronoun it can be used to highlight a specific object in a sentence.

It was my aunt who took Peter to London yesterday — my aunt took Peter to London yesterday.

It was Peter whom my aunt took to London yesterday — Yesterday my aunt took Peter to London.

It was Peter’s house that we visited yesterday — We were in the house yesterday Peter (and not someone else).

The difference between the pronoun it and this / that

When the pronoun it is used as a reference to a known situation or thing, the demonstrative pronouns this / that can also be used instead.

It is a strange story / This is a strange story / That is a strange story — This is a strange story.

It’s terrible / This is terrible / That is terrible — This is terrible.

In such sentences, the variants it / this / that are interchangeable, although they have some semantic connotations. All three options refer to the situation mentioned, but it defines the situation in the most general sense and does not emphasize it in any way. Whereas the pronouns this / that, rather, involve the speaker in a situation and pay attention to his attitude, denote the novelty of the fact or the impression about him.

Source: https://puzzle-english.com/directory/pronoun-it

Examples

• Maya wants to travel the world.
• We don’t know where Poco is.
• The book you were looking for is on the bookshelf.

Examples

• It is raining today.

  Not “is raining today.”

• There is no way Farley can win this match.

  Not “Is no way Farley can win this match.”

Example

• Look at this wooden table. It is three hundred years old.

  In this sentence, it refers to something specific: a wooden table. Therefore, the word isn’t being used as a dummy subject.

Tip

The dummy subject is variously called a fake, artificial, or empty subject.

Examples

• It’s sunny outside—the perfect day for a picnic.
• It is 3 a.m., and I’m wide awake.
• It’s the third of December today.
• Where I come from, it is cold in summer and colder in winter.

Examples

• It’s five miles to the nearest hospital.
• It’s no trouble at all.
• It’s a strange world we live in.
• It seems as though we wasted our time.
• It’s getting dark, and we should go home.
• It’s the perfect day for a picnic.

Tip

The pronoun it as a dummy subject is also called the nonreferential or empty it.

Examples

• It is important to be happy in your own body.

  The real subject in this sentence is “to be happy in your own body.” We could also say, “To be happy in your own body is important,” but that would sound oddly formal.

• It is unfortunate that you missed the train.
• It’s wonderful that you found each other.
• It seems inevitable now that she will find out what happened.
• It feels strange to have finally won.
• It was in May that I first met him.
• It’s me you should blame.
• It’s funny how cats like cheese.

Note

The anticipatory it is not strictly a dummy subject, since it does refer to something real that follows in the sentence. However, it is still often classified as a fake subject because it replaces a real one.

Examples

• There are two ways to solve this problem.
• There is something we need to discuss.
• Is there anything I can do to help?
• There’s a storm coming!
• There’s no pleasing some people.
• There is nothing we can do.
• There is a grocery store around the corner.
• There’s a cat on your laptop.

Tip

The dummy there is also called the existential, introductory, anticipatory, or nonreferential there.

Examples

• Preferred: There is some cake left.
  Poor: Some cake is left.

  Might be phrased this way in answer to the question “What is left?” but sounds odd otherwise.

• Preferred: There is no hope for us anymore.
  Poor: No hope exists for us anymore.
• Preferred: There’s a supermarket around the corner.
  Poor: A supermarket is around the corner.

  Unidiomatic, unless in answer to the question “What is around the corner?” and then too the answer would simply be “A supermarket” instead of the complete sentence.

• Preferred: There is a goat grazing in your garden.
  Poor: A goat is grazing in your garden.
• Preferred: It is important to be honest with one another.
  Poor: To be honest with one another is important.

Caution

How-to books on writing sometimes warn against using the dummy or fake subject. Be careful: avoiding dummy subjects altogether can make your writing sound stilted and unnatural. It is perfectly normal and idiomatic to use dummy subjects in English (like the word it at the start of this sentence).

Examples

• Poor: There were forty research papers that we reviewed.
  Better: We reviewed forty research papers.
• Poor: There are five candidates they interviewed today.
  Better: They interviewed five candidates today.

Examples

• Poor: It was evident that the experiment had failed.
  Better: Evidently, the experiment had failed.
• Poor: It is believed that the probability of an alien species visiting our little planet is negligible.
  Better: Scientists believe that the probability of an alien species visiting our little planet is negligible.
• Poor: It is clear that this phenomenon requires further investigation.
  Better: Clearly, this phenomenon requires further investigation.

Examples

• Acceptable: It was necessary to cross-check the data against results from previous studies.
  Poor: To cross-check the data against results from previous studies was important.
• Acceptable: There are three ways to guard against bias.
  Poor: Three ways exist to guard against bias.

Examples

• Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.

  — Oscar Wilde, “The Critic as Artist,” Intentions (1891)

• It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

  — George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel (1949)

• ‘There is no story that is not true,’ said Uchendu.
• There is no doubt fiction makes a better job of the truth.

  — Doris Lessing, Under My Skin: Volume One of My Autobiography, to 1949 (1994)

• There was no one to whom he could explain that in order to survive he needed to be at altitude, a Himalayan altitude, so he might breathe.

  — Anita Desai, The Artist of Disappearance (2011)

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