word meaning - Difference between "idiot" and "dummy"?
May 20, 2020 · Although idiot and dummy do commonly have the same meaning, the use of idiot in this joking phrase draws particular attention to a specific sense of idiot. From Merriam …
pronouns - What exactly is a dummy-it? - English Language …
Dec 12, 2023 · "Dummy it refers to nothing at all; it simply serves a grammatical function. In other words, dummy it has a grammatical meaning but no lexical meaning." Here, there are clear …
dummy pronouns - Can we use "It varies a lot" at the beginning of …
Apr 16, 2024 · The term dummy pronoun refers to the function of a word in a particular sentence, not a property of individual words. For example, it in the example from the previous paragraph …
It - Preparatory subject - English Language Learners Stack Exchange
May 3, 2024 · There is no question of dummy "it" being a preparatory element, since the elements that follow it do not give the meaning if "it". "It" is, then, just a dummy element serving the …
Can the word "THIS" be a dummy subject? For example: "This is …
Dec 4, 2022 · 5 I think the "dummy subject"you are talking about is that which is known as an expletive subject. A good example is It is raining. In the text you quote I don't believe this is …
pronouns - English Language Learners Stack Exchange
Sep 20, 2023 · It's an anticipatory "it", as "it" could be replaced with "you joining us". It's not a dummy as it does actually refer to something specific. The second is the same, although …
word meaning - "Hi there!" -- What does this 'there' mean?
Jan 5, 2016 · Footnote: "there" isn't the dummy subject in these greetings. "There" is a dummy subject mostly in constructions there is or there are, or before certain verbs in certain contexts.
Using "they" in tag questions with everybody/nobody etc
Jun 9, 2021 · In English, existential clauses usually use the dummy subject construction (also known as expletive) with there, as in "There are boys in the yard"… In the OP's sentence, the …
"There is some" or "There are some"- which is correct?
Nov 4, 2022 · Initial There's is OK before anything. When it's at the beginning of the sentence, it's just a dummy, with no meaning or plural, and it's reified into one word before anything plural …
What is the function of "there" in the structure, "There is/are/..."?
Jan 7, 2022 · Has there been an accident? Merriam-Webster doesn't have a clear definition for "there" in this structure, but it labels it an adverb in the section, "Examples of there in a …