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Magic-dragon Posted 5 years ago
Grammar

A book is on the table

A: "A book is on the table. Bring it to me."

B: "Look! A frog is on the table. Catch it. Be quick!"

A sounds a bit unnatural, but B sounds good to me.
I think "A noun is on the X" is usually used when the speaker finds something unexpected. If so, in A "a book" isn't an unexpected thing, and A isn't a normal way of stating, I think. Am I right?

  

Top answer

I don't know how you're reasoning this through, and I don't completely understand why the contrast between expected and unexpected should make a big difference, but for me, both should have an existential- there construction. There's a [book / frog] on the table. and so on.

  • I don't know how you're reasoning this through, and I don't completely understand why the contrast between expected and unexpected should make a big difference, but for me, both should have an existential- there construction.
  • There's a [book / frog] on the table.
  • and so on.
  • CJ
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1 Answers
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I don't know how you're reasoning this through, and I don't completely understand why the contrast between expected and unexpected should make a big difference, but for me, both should have an existential-there construction.

There's a [book / frog] on the table. ... and so on.

CJ

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