Dummy 'it'/ pronoun 'it'

Question

The written word is a powerful tool… something Mikimoto knows all too well. Talented and devious, Mikimoto has everything it takes to make a top-rated journalist, but what would a journalist be without a good scandal to write about?

I'd like to know if "it" is dummy in "everything it takes to make a top-rated journalist."
Thank you in advance for your help.

Xerxes · Accepted Answer

By "dummy" do you mean "silly"? "Dummy" as an adjective is not used in that context.

Is it silly? No, not at all. In fact, that's the way we say it. "He has everything it takes to be a good lawyer". "She has everything it takes to make it as a good journalist".

Deadrat · Answer

No, he means whether "it" has an antecedent in the sentence or whether it just means the general situation.

It's the latter.

Xerxes · Answer

Apologies, I may have misunderstood, then.

CalifJim · Answer

park sang jooneverything it takes to make a top-rated journalist

It takes [something / someone / an amount of time] (to ...) is an idiom in which 'it' is preposed to take the place of the real subject (the infinitive), so yes, that's a "dummy it".

It takes two hours to get to Los Angeles.
It takes several cups of flour to make a loaf of bread.
It takes a lot of skill to become a journalist.

It takes is like It requires in meaning. The first of the three examples above paraphrases as follows: { To get to Los Angeles } [takes / requires] two hours.

Thus, in your example, everything it takes to make a top-rated journalist is equivalent to everything which is required to make a top-rated journalist.

CJ

Dummy 'it'/ pronoun 'it'

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