0
Moon7296 Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
The occurrence of 'there' is restricted
The occurence of 'there' is restricted in some other contexts.
1. There is a little boy who looks after the sheep, isn't there?
2. There was king prawns cooked in chili, salt, and pepper, which is a big favorite of mine.
3. Here is the little boy who looks after the sheep.(substitute 'here' for 'there' in #3)
Does 'restricted in some contexts' mean nouns in #1,2&3 before relative clauses restrict those meaning?
4. There is the little boy who looks after the sheep, isn't there?
5. Here is a little boy who looks after the sheep.
#4 and #5 look like the same as #1,2&3 but my book says #4 and #5 are not the case of restriction, which makes me difficult.
1. There is a little boy who looks after the sheep, isn't there?
2. There was king prawns cooked in chili, salt, and pepper, which is a big favorite of mine.
3. Here is the little boy who looks after the sheep.(substitute 'here' for 'there' in #3)
Does 'restricted in some contexts' mean nouns in #1,2&3 before relative clauses restrict those meaning?
4. There is the little boy who looks after the sheep, isn't there?
5. Here is a little boy who looks after the sheep.
#4 and #5 look like the same as #1,2&3 but my book says #4 and #5 are not the case of restriction, which makes me difficult.
Top answer
In #1, 2, and 4, 'there' is the 'existential there '. It has no referent. #4 must be restricted to the existential there also; if 'there' is a locational there , then the tag makes no sense and cannot be used.
- In #1, 2, and 4, 'there' is the 'existential there '.
- It has no referent.
- #4 must be restricted to the existential there also; if 'there' is a locational there , then the tag makes no sense and cannot be used.
- I don't know what the intent is with #3 or #5, but 'here' is always locational; it is not the opposite of existential there in any way.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
1 Answers
0
In #1, 2, and 4, 'there' is the 'existential there'. It has no referent. #4 must be restricted to the existential there also; if 'there' is a locational there, then the tag makes no sense and cannot be used.
I don't know what the intent is with #3 or #5, but 'here' is always locational; it is not the opposite of existential there in any way.
I don't know what the intent is with #3 or #5, but 'here' is always locational; it is not the opposite of existential there in any way.
0
Related Questions