Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Barbirolli]

I have a question. Could you answer it for me,please?


"Tokyo is a city I have never visited. It would be a pity to pass through"

Please look at the sentence"It would be a pity to pass through".
What does "it" refer to, "Tokyo" or "to pass through" ?

[CP]

You already asked and I already answered a similar question:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/student/viewtopic.php?p=90624&highlight=#90624

Where did the sentence come from?

Anyway, the "it" really stands for the infinitive "to pass through." You could reword it as, "To pass through Tokyo would be a pity."

Of course, that isn't the true meaning of the sentence. What it really means (I believe) is, "To miss Tokyo would be a pity," or, "To pass through Tokyo without stopping to see it would be a pity."
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