<p>I know the word "it" is sometimes correct on certain identifying error questions but I'm not quite sure why. </p>
<p>For example (something like) "Almost all animals who hibernate prepare for it by..." "It" is apprently used incorrectly but I'm not exactly sure why. I suppose it's because "it" can't refer to any word in the sentence.</p>
<p>Also "His Dad snored loudly last night and it kept his Mom awake." Just so you guys know, this is paraphrased (so "it" functions the same way) from the show "Are you smarter than a fifth grader." When I first read the sentence, I thought that "it" was used incorrectly because it can't refer to anything. Is this true, and did the writers of the show mess up (it was irrevelant to the actual question) or am I wrong?</p>
<p>"It" is a pronoun, meaning it has to take the place of a noun. In both phrases above, "it" is being used to replace a verb in the sentence.</p>
<p>For example in "Almost all animals who hibernate prepare for it by..." the word "it" is trying to replace hibernate, but hibernate is used as a verb in this sentence.</p>
<p>In "His dad snored loudly last night and it kept his mom awake." the word "it" is being used to replace the VERB snored. Not right.</p>
<p>I don't generally write sentences like either example. </p>
<p>I'd write sentence one as: "Almost all animals who hibernate prepare by. . . " That sounds stronger and more active to me. "For it" is not needed.</p>
<p>I'd write sentence two as: "His dad's loud snoring kept his mom awake last night." That sounds more active and direct to me.</p>
<p>i'm not sure i understand what happened in the game show from your description, but in standard American English grammar there's nothing wrong with either sentence. that doesn't mean there can't be something wrong with it on the SAT, of course. do you have an example you could give us (page number and question number?)</p>