Questions tagged [existential-constructions]
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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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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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What-questions of existential sentences
I'm interested in whether what in (1) is interpreted uniformly. Presumably, what in (1a) refers to kinds rather than individuals: it's related to there's such (kinds of) things in Boston--not to e.g. ...
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