Questions tagged [existential-constructions]
The existential-constructions tag has no usage guidance.
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Context for "There was nothing could be done for him."
Sentences (1)-(2) below are grammatically/semantically correct.
Sentences (1)-(2) are traditionally explained by deletion of a nominative case relative pronoun. However, in my view, sentences (1)-(2) ...
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A question about constructing relatives from existential sentences
Chomsky (2004) claims that examples very similar to (1a) and (1b) are crashingly bad. But I was wondering if the (somewhat wordier) versions in (2a) and (2b) are equally degraded, or if there is a ...
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Why can you omit existential there when an adverbial phrase begins the sentence? Can you omit it in an existential question?
There are zebras in the zoo.
Becomes:
In the zoo (there) are zebras.
Does "in the zoo" become the subject instead of "there"? If so, if we don't omit "there", does ...
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5
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0
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There’s one letter (for you) to sign
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language by H&P says (Page 1394):
(d) Infinitival extensions
[11] i a. A few replies are still to come. b. There are still a few replies to come.
ii a. One ...
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What is 'there is a God' supposed to mean?
There's no denying that the phrase there is a God is in use, as shown in these examples.
The New York Times, 2020:
When the nefarious Cardinal Richelieu died in 1642, Pope Urban VIII is said to have ...
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3
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Use of “there were”
I am working on a statistical report and came up with a question. I know that the two sentences below are grammatical but I wonder if there are any subtle differences, in the meaning or focus of a ...
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There seems (to be) a... vs. There seems (to be) little
There seems to be a problem.
There seems a problem.
In this type of construction, the version with to be, such as (1), is much more productive than the one without, such as (2). See this Ngram: ...
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Are these sentences existential?
I am studying existential there, but I am not sure if the following sentences are exemple of existential sentences. All sentences come from Oscar Wilde's A house of pomegranates, available at Project ...
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Correct usage of neither/nor vs. not/and + usage of was/were
Since I am not a native speaker, I would like to consult with you. Which version would be the correct one? (I am translating a text in informal style)
There were neither hair dryer, shower gel, nor ...
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The subject-verb agreement with existential 'there' in a relative clause
So I was reading the urban dictionary for the definition of the term 'LibLabCon', and the entry seemed grammatically correct:
LibLabCon is a phrase used by Britons who hold the belief that there is ...
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If his son is dead: "His son was John Smith", "His son is John Smith"
If someone's son has died, would you say: "His son was John Smith" or "His son is John Smith"? Dying stops you from being, but would that stop someone from being someone's son?
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Is the usage of “does no longer exist” grammatically correct? [closed]
Example: This Facebook member does no longer exist.
Is it grammatically correct to add “does” in front of no longer exist or is it only correct to say that “it no longer exists” or “it does no longer ...
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Can locative "there" be omitted when the location is explicit? [duplicate]
Is
In the park is a tree.
grammatical as
In the park there is a tree.
? Moreover, how about inaccusative verbs like:
In the park sits a dog.
?
Thanks for any help.
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there + semantic verb
What semantic verbs are used with there besides the verb to be?
I'm looking for the cases when there is used as a formal subject.
For example in:
There came a knock
There comes a point in life
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"There is any number of" vs "There are any number of" [duplicate]
There is any number of ...
There are any number of ...
Intuitively I'd say 'are', but 'number' is singular, right?
Please note that this question is different from these two questions here:
A ...
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Can 'nothing' ever be preceded by a plural verb?
I've had it drilled into my head that nothing is always singular, since it's essentially another way to say 'no thing'. However, in the following sentence, I'm having trouble ascertaining whether the ...
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