This sentence pattern is used to talk about general truths. “It” does not have any special meaning. It is just a placeholder.
- Smoking is bad. = It is bad to smoke.
It is bad + infinitive…
- It is bad to smoke.
- It is bad to lie.
- It is bad to judge other people by how they look.
- It is bad to overeat.
- It is bad to spend more money than you have.
We can also say that not doing something is bad. Use “not to + verb”.
- It is bad not to try your best.
- It is bad not to eat healthy.
- It is bad not to be honest.
- It’s bad not to arrive on time.
- It’s bad not to say please and thank you.
The phrase “not bad to + verb” means that something is okay.
It is not bad + infinitive…
- It is not bad to go home early sometimes.
- It is not bad to eat dessert once in a while.
- It is not bad to date many people before you get married.
- It isn’t bad to have some wine once in a while.
- It isn’t bad to drink one cup of coffee a day.
When we want to be specific about what or who we are talking about, we can add “for + noun”.
It is (not) bad + for + noun + infinitive…
- It is bad for children to drink coffee.
- It is bad for young people to get too many things from their parents.
- It is bad for our health to eat only fruit.
- It’s not bad for children to play video games sometimes.
- It’s bad for people to use their smartphones too much.
Bonus Tips and Points
1. We can also use this sentence pattern when there is a specific subject.
- The soap is bad for us to use because it has too many chemicals.
- Cookies and cakes are bad for our health.
- They are bad for our company.
2. We can use the same sentence pattern, but just replace the word “bad” with any other adjective. We can make many different sentences with this pattern. These are very useful when speaking English.
It is + adjective + infinitive…
- It is boring to study grammar.
- It is hurtful to lie about other people.
- It is unhealthy for our bodies to drink alcohol.
- It is terrible to steal from other people.
- It is unsafe for beginners to climb this mountain.
We can also use positive adjectives.
- It is good to exercise.
- It is nice to spend time together.
- It is fun to surf.
- It is healthy to do yoga.
- It is interesting to learn a new language.
Real-World English Conversations
A) Why do you smoke? You know it is bad for your health.
B) I know that it’s bad to smoke, but I am addicted. It is hard to quit.
A) I think that it is bad to live alone.
B) Why do you think that? I think it is nice and peaceful to live alone.
A) Living alone can make people lonely and sad.
B) I disagree. I feel more comfortable and relaxed when I am alone.
A) Is it bad to tell a white lie?
B) I think it depends on the situation, but I usually don’t think it is bad to tell a small lie.
A) Would you steal food if you were hungry?
B) No. It is always bad to steal.
Study these free English lessons to improve your English speaking. If you learn these common sentence patterns well, then your English speaking will improve greatly and you will be able to have fluent conversations in English in the near future! Study the lessons well, practice using the sentences and questions at home and in real life, and make sure to come back to review the material so you do not forget. If you do these three things, then you will be speaking English like a native English speaker in no time!
English Sentence Patterns for Speaking Index
