About 49,500 results
Open links in new tab
  1. word meaning - Difference between "idiot" and "dummy"?

    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-Webster's …

  2. "There is some" or "There are some"- which is correct?

    Nov 4, 2022 · By the time the real subject comes along, plural or not, the listener will've forgotten how the sentence started. Since it didn't start with anything meaningful except the dummy …

  3. 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 …

  4. It - Preparatory subject - English Language Learners Stack Exchange

    May 3, 2024 · A preparatory subject is a placeholder noun used before the actual subject (infinitive expression, a clause) is introduced in the sentence. It looks as if we're going to have …

  5. 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 …

  6. 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.

  7. pronouns - English Language Learners Stack Exchange

    Sep 20, 2023 · It's not a dummy as it does actually refer to something specific. The second is the same, although calling it anticipatory seems a bit odd. Both could be rewritten as "You joining …

  8. dummy pronouns - How many meters is it/are there/is there …

    May 16, 2023 · Which one is correct? 1 How many meters is it between this tree and that car? 2 How many meters is there between this tree and that car? 3 How many meters are there …

  9. 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 …

  10. "How far is it from here? VS "How far is it from here to there?"

    1 Dummy pronoun A dummy pronoun, also called an expletive pronoun or pleonastic pronoun, is a pronoun used for syntax without explicit meaning. - wikipedia You ask whether "to there" is …