NONREFERENTIAL IT AND
THERE
THE WORDS IT AND THERE COMMONLY FUNCTION AS
PRONOUNS; THAT IS, THEY REFER TO SOME OTHER ELEMENT IN
THE SAME SENTENCE OR IN THE PRECEDING DISCOURSE.
NONREFERENTIAL IT
• (1) HE PICKED UP A FLAT STONE AND SKIPPED IT ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE WATER.
• THE WORD IT IN (1) IS A PRONOUN THAT REFERS TO THE NOUN PHRASE A FLAT STONE.
• (2) IT’S RAINING PRETTY HARD.
• IN (2), IT IS NONREFERENTIAL SINCE IT DOES NOT REFER TO ANYTHING. HERE, IT HAS
NO PARTICULAR MEANING BY ITSELF, IT SIMPLY FILLS THE SUBJECT POSITION OF THE
SENTENCE.
• (3) IS IT RAINING?, IT WAS RAINING EARLIER, WASN’T IT?, IT HAS BEEN RAINING.
(4) SENTENCES WITH THIS IT REFER TO A
NUMBER OF THINGS:
• IT’S A SUNNY DAY. (WEATHER)
• IT’S 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO OUT THERE. (TEMPERATURE)
• WHAT TIME IS IT? IT’S 4:20. (TIME)
• I’M NOT SURE WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK IT IS. IT’S HALLOWEEN. (DAYS)
• IT’S ONLY TWO WEEKS UNTIL WE GO ON VACATION. (ELAPSED TIME)
• IT’S A GOOD 59 KILOMETERS FROM HERE. (DISTANCES)
• IT’S SO NOISY IN THIS RESTAURANT THAT I CAN HARDLY HEAR MYSELF. (ENVIRONMENT)
• IT’S HOT IN HERE. (ENVIRONMENT)
SPECIAL CONSTRUCTIONS WITH IT
• IN (5) AND (6) IT FILLS THE SUBJECT POSITION IN VARIOUS SPECIAL
CONSTRUCTIONS.
• (5) IT’S MY BROTHER WHO GOT MARRIED, NOT ME.
• (6) IT WAS 6 MONTHS AGO THAT HE GOT HIS PROMOTION.
CLAUSES WITH IT
• (7)WITH ADJECTIVES LIKE AMAZING, INTERESTING, REMARKABLE, AND UNUSUAL.
• (7)IT IS INTERESTING… (THAT YOU BELIEVE THAT)
• (8)WITH TRANSITIVE VERBS LIKE ANNOY, ASTOUND, DEPRESS, DISTURB, AND UPSET.
• (8) IT ANNOYS ME …(THAT HE IS ALWAYS LATE)
• (9) YOU CAN BEGIN SENTENCES (7) AND (8) WITH WHAT TO CREATE A CLAUSE.
• (9) WHAT IS INTERESTING IS THAT YOU BELIEVE THAT.
NONREFERENTIAL /EXISTENTIAL THERE
• THE WORD THERE IN (10) AND (11) REFERS TO THE PLACE PARIS IN THE PRECEDING SENTENCE. IT IS
REFERENTIAL. IT FUNCTIONS AS A PRONOUN.
• (10) I WAS IN PARIS IN 2005. IT WAS THERE I MET THEM BOTH.
• IN (11) THE WORD THERE INDICATES A PLACE THAT THE SPEAKER CAN POINT TO.
• (11) PUT THE BOXES OVER THERE.
• IN (12) THERE FILLS THE SUBJECT POSITION AND DOES NOT REFER TO SOMETHING PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED.
• (12) THERE IS A UNICORN IN THE GARDEN.
• (13) ARE THERE ANY COOKIES LEFT? THERE WAS ANOTHER ROAD, WASN’T IT? THERE’S SOMETHING WE
NEED TO TALK ABOUT.
CONTRACTIONS AND THEIR OCURRENCES
• IN (14) THERE CONTRACTS WITH IS BEFORE A SINGULAR NOUN AND WITH ARE BEFORE A PLURAL NOUN/NOUN PHRASE.
• (14) THERE’S A HOLE IN MY TIRE. THERE’RE LOTS OF BIRDS OUT HERE.
• UNCONTRATED FORMS ARE USED IN POSITIVE ANSWERS TO YES/NO QUESTIONS (15).
• (15) IS THERE ANY MILK LEFT IN THE FRIDGE. YES, THERE IS.
• IN (16) CONTRACTED FORMS WITH BE AND NOT TEND TO BE USED.
• (16) ARE THERE ANY GOOD BEACHES IN THIS ISLAND? NO, THERE AREN’T.
• MODAL VERBS MAY APPEAR BEFORE BE IN SENTENCES WITH THERE (17).
• (17) THERE MUST BE ANOTHER SOLUTION. THERE MIGHT BE MORE TAN ONE.
• CONTRACTIONS WITH MODALS AND AUXILIARY VERBS CAN OCCUR (18).
• (18) THERE’LL BE OVER 3000 PEOPLE AT THE CONCERT. THERE’S BEEN CRITICISM.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
• IN SENTENCES WITH NONREFERENTIAL THERE, THE FORM OF THE VER BE AGREES IN NUMBER WITH THE FOLLLOWING
NOUN PHRASE AS IN (19).
• (19) THERE ARE TWO BEDS IN MY ROOM.
• IN SOME CASES, HOWEVER, AGREEMENT DEPENDS ON HOW THE SUBJECT NOUN IS INTERPRETED AS IN (20).
• (20) HE SERVED A DELISCIOUS MEAL. THERE WAS HAMBURGERS WITH FRIES.
• IN (21) THE PLURAL UNITS OF MEASUREMENT AND TIME MAY TAKE A SINGULAR FORM; HOWEVER, WITH A NUMBER OF,
BE MUST AGREE WITH THE NOUN RATHER THAN THE NUMBER.
• (21) THERE WAS 20 KILOS OF MEAT ON THE TABLE. THERE’S 30 DOLLARS. THERE’S ONLY 5 MINUTES LEFT. THERE WERE A
NUMBER OF ISSUES THAT HE DISCUSSED.
• A COMMON ERROR OCCURS WHEN SEPARATING THERE IS/ARE FROM THE NOUN, AS IN (22).
• (22) THERE’S MORE AND MORE OF THESE ANIMALS.
