OPTIONAL

CONTRASTIVE GRAMMAR 4

GRAMMAR: IT vs. THERE (the existential use)

One of the perpetual puzzles that students of English have is the use of dummy subjects, i.e. there and
it. They are called empty or dummy subjects, because they have no semantic content and are placed
in the sentence only to fill the subject position, a sine qua non requirement of this language. Why are
there and it so difficult to use? When do we use one and when do we use the other? These are the
questions we will be happy to answer in this section.
Now, consider the examples extracted from the text above:
(1) Not that there is any suggestion it is rape.
(2) There is, of course, the one really disgusting scene...
(3) How enjoyable it is!
(4) It is, of course, Rhett Butlers kneecaps that seem ripest for the treatment
(5) It is high time for Scarletts come-uppance.
The more one looks at these examples, the more puzzled one seems to become. This is because there
seems to be no rhyme or reason in the use of there and it. Indeed, there seems to be no apparent
pattern of usage in this set of examples. Let us try and establish a few rules and then go back to our
sentences.
It is muddy on the street. / There is mud on the street.
The first rule students should remember in connection with dummy subjects is that normally existential
it is combined with an adjective whereas there is followed by an (indefinite) noun. Consider the
examples below and remember this rule:

It is muddy on the street.

It is foggy today.
It is glorious outside.
It is nice and quiet all
around.
It is naughty of you to
behave like that.

There is mud on the street.

There is fog outside.
There is glory to be gained
from her actions.
There was peace and quiet all
around.
There was naughtiness in his
tone.

So, remember never to use a noun after it with an existential meaning:

There is a cat on the
mat.
There is a book on
the table.

But not:
*It is a cat on the mat.
* It is a book on the table.

* - the star indicates that the sentence following it is

grammatically incorrect

This rule practically tells us something very important about the examples we have listed at the
beginning of this section. It tells us that all those sentences where it is followed by a noun are not in
fact existential it sentences. For instance, example (4) contains the so-called emphatic it. What is the
difference between existential it and emphatic it? Translation is a good test: only the existential it
sentence can be translated by a sentence beginning with the verb a fi:
(7) It is muddy on the street = este noroi pe strad
(8) It is Rhett who needs to be kissed = Rhett este cel care are nevoie s fie srutat.
The translation for (8) shows you that this sentence lays emphasis on a certain element, in this case
Rhett. On the other hand, the example under (7) introduces a new object/ property in the world of our
discourse, and thus has an existential meaning.

It is high time / There is enough time

How do we account for these two constructions? We have just stated that existential it should never
be followed by a noun. Well, then, how about the sentence under (5)? This is an instance of idiomatic
use. There is practically no accounting for it. Students are advised to learn these examples by heart:
Idioms with it
Its no secret that mother likes
pearls.
Its no surprise/wonder that he
knows English so well.
Its no use/good telling me
now.
It was no coincidence/accident
that they met in the station.
It was about time for her to
admit her mistake.
It is three miles/kilometers to
the next village.
It is (five) years/an eternity
since they first met in the
station.

Idioms with there

Im sorry, but theres no
alternative/choice but to tell her the
truth.
Theres no denying that he is
handsome.
Theres no need to tell me your
secret.
Theres no question of going to the
concert tonight.
Theres no chance of finding a cure
for cancer in the near future.
Theres no doubt that she enjoys
dancing.
Theres no telling what shell do
when she finds out!

As you can notice, the theres no pattern is very productive.

There is a cat on the mat. / Oh, theres the cat next door, we can use it in our movie.
There is one last remark to be made. This concerns the so called indefiniteness effect rule. What is
this rule about? It states that dummy there should be followed by an indefinite noun only. Consider the
following table for this rule:
There is a cat on the mat.
There is a girl in the room.

But not: * There is the cat on the mat.

* There is the girl in the room.

However, there are cases when this rule is not observed, as you could see in example (2). This example
is possible when we want to introduce a new object in our discourse about which there exists some
previous knowledge. Generally the definite noun must be followed by further modification for the
sentence to be correct. Consider also the examples under (9) and (10) and notice the underlined
modifiers attached to the definite noun:
(9) Alternatively, there is the choice to vote against the planned changes.
(10) And then there is the question of who is going to pay.
Nota bene!
Dont forget that dummy there is not combined only with the indicative. It can appear in the vicinity
of participles or infinitives in formal English:
(11) There being nothing left to say, Susan left the room enraged.
(12) It is desirable for there to be at least two sets of examples in your dissertation.
EXERCISES:
1. Use the most logical form of the verbs between brackets:
a) It (be) just this that gave me my perspective for finding her there.
b) There (be) two men and one dog in that room.
c) There (be) one dog and two men in that room.
d) What you need and what you get (be) your problem.
e) What you need and what you get (be) two different things.
f) He liked her. There (be) some talk of her marrying William Banks once, but nothing had come of
it.

2. Translate into English:

a) Pn la casa unde locuia Florin erau cel mult dou sute de metri. Cei doi mergeau ncet, tcui.
Prea ncet i prea tcui pentru o distan att de mic. Ion se temea s nu vorbeasc, fiindc,
mergnd alturi, ar fi trebuit s se ntoarc mai mult dect ar fi fost normal, ca s-i vad i s-i
arate faa. Ca i cum i-ar fi ghicit gndurile, Florin se opri i se ntoarse spre el, care imit brusc
micarea, aa nct se puteau privi. Ea rosti: mulumesc, cred c am ajuns. Vznd c tnrul nu
spunea nimic i o privea numai, adug: se spune c vei mai sta pe la noi un timp.
b) Era uor s fie centrul ateniei. Ori de cte ori era solicitat, se ducea pe scen i recita o poezie.
Oamenii l rugau mereu s se produc.
c) Nu mi e greu s fac nite calcule. E greu ns s trag concluziile i s i ofer soluii.
d) S-ar putea ca mine s plou. Totui nu se aude nici o veste despre acest lucru la radio. Poate c sau plictisit s anune ploaie i apoi s nu plou.
e) De-abia intrar n sal, c unul din spectatori se apuc s strige la ei i s-i faca n toate felurile.
f) N-are nici o importan cnd a spus profesorul lui Tom c poate prsi clasa. Important e c a
fcut-o.
g) Ajuni acas, se apucar s fac de mncare.
h) Ce m deranjeaz cel mai mult sunt ideile lui fixe.
i) Cnd o s nceap s bat vntul, ar fi bine s ne ntoarcem din parc acas i s dm drumul la
cldur.
j) Diplomatul tia bine englezete i nu acest lucru l supra pe Tom. Iritant era ce spunea i modul n
care nghiea cuvintele.
k) Cine spuneai c a venit i a mncat tot tortul? Tom, bineneles c Tom.
l) Sunt vreo doi kilometri pna la aeroport. Putem merge pe jos pn acolo dac nu cltoreti cu
multe bagaje.
m) Recunosc c e foarte neplcut s intre la nchisoare acum n floarea vrstei. Dar i mie mi-e greu s
nu spun adevrul despre el.
n) Dintre toate posibilele variante care ni s-au explicat pn acum, nici una nu pare a fi la fel de
palpitant ca penultima.
o) Nimeni dintre cei de fa, fie c erau profesori sau doar prini, nu prea s l asculte pe vorbitor.
p) Socotesc c e o prostie s depind de un asemenea om.
q) E timpul s mergi la culcare, dar mai e timp s-i citesc o poveste.
r) Terminnd de mncat i lsndu-i s vorbeasc alandala, am ieit. Era un aer rece i nmiresmat.
Un soare uria, apunnd, nroea cerul. Sus, pe un deal, se vedea albind mnstirea Draga. Curnd
se fcu ntuneric ochilor notri. Eram fericit fr s se tie de ce. (L. Blaga Proz)
s) Un viciu urt, sau ce-i nchipuie lumea c e un viciu urt, orict l-ai ascunde, - i dac judeci bine,
tocmai pentru c-l ascunzi, - contiina ta venic nelinitit ajunge cu vremea s-l cread public.
Poate c nu era nimic. Putea fi exagerarea de moment a unui lucru, care totui, n principiu, n-ar fi
fost exclus s nu se ntmple. Cu Brummer discuta direct. Cu Georgeoiu, dei i purta simpatie,
veriga de ncredere ce-i lega fiind uria, nu reuea niciodat s vorbeasc deschis, din cauza
ironiilor i zeflemelilor lui, cu toate c tia c ele sunt aparente i c dedesubtul lor se ascundea
altceva, oricum nu i s-ar fi destinuit niciodat. (Constantin oiu Galeria cu vi slbatic)
t) Nu sunt un spirit tiinific. Iat de ce nu-mi pot explica n ciuda lmuririlor dumneavoastr
competente, cum se face c n locul acesta e ntotdeauna timp frumos! Poate c, i asta v-a uurat
probabil sarcina, locurile pe-aici sunt mai ferite? Nu vd ns nici un fel de dealuri n jur care s le
fereasc de intemperii! De altfel, dealurile nu gonesc norii, nu mpiedic ploaia, o tie oricine.
Exist poate cureni calzi i luminoi care vin dintr-un al cincilea punct cardinal sau de la o a treia
nlime? Nu-i aa c nu? De altfel, asta s-ar ti. Sunt un caraghios. Nu e nici o briz, cu toate c
aerul miroase frumos. E totui ciudat, domnule arhitect al orasului, foarte ciudat! (Tudor Octavian
Istoria unui obiect ciudat)
u) La Alexandru Popescu ma gndesc adesea. Viaa m-a apropiat de el n chip neateptat. S-a
ntmplat, cum se spune, ceea ce era dat s se ntmple. (Tudor Octavian Istoria unui obiect
ciudat)
3. Fill in the gaps with a suitable variant of it is/are or there is/are:
a)
b)
c)
d)

____ a man at the door, waiting to see you.

____ a good idea to sleep after a heavy meal.
____ every reason to believe that he is a thief.
____ a fact that most men are larger and heavier than most women.

e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
l)
m)
n)
o)
p)
q)
r)
s)
t)
u)
v)

____ a concert at the Festival Hall tomorrow evening.

____ no sense in waiting for her; shes always late.
____ often believed that the English are reserved.
____ I who cannot bear these hateful words.
____ time you left this place.
____ enough time for you to wash your hair.
____ fog outside; dont go out.
____ windy outside; please, stay indoors.
____ time you confessed your crime, you know!
____ a lot of smoke in this place, I cant stay here.
____ a long way to London!
____ sunny outside and the birds are chirping.
____ two books and one chair in the room upstairs.
____ so much mud outside that we wont be able to walk to church.
____ a while since we last met.
____ a cat that ate our canary, despite what you might think.
____ so stuffy in here! How can you bear it?
____ no room for you in my plans, Im sorry!

4. Fill in the blanks with either it or there:

Toni thought _____ was probably better to be a little vague about the interview until ______ was over.
_____ was no guarantee that she would get that job, anyway. Miss Black had been careful to point out
that _____ would be other applicants; and then ______was this Managing Director, Mr. Lawrence, who
sounded rather a brute. Not an easy man to satisfy, Miss Black had said, and Toni knew from
experience what that meant. ______ meant that he was a perfectionist and _______ was hardly any
doubt that he was a slavedriver as well. But she didnt suppose _______ was him she would be
working for. _______ was doubtless that he had his own personal secretary, with years of faithful
service behind her. _______ being no choice in the matter, she would try to make the best of it.