0
Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

There is/there are

Hello, I know all the rules about using "there is/are" but when reading books I can find something like " Directly across from me are three shrinks...." or similar sentences... Is it possible to leave out the word "there"? If so, in what cases? Or is it only an example of breaking the grammar rules? Thanks.
  

Top answer

The meaning is the same. Without 'there', 'the shrinks' = subject of the sentence, just in a different order.

— Philip

  • The meaning is the same.
  • Without 'there', 'the shrinks' = subject of the sentence, just in a different order.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

3 Answers
0
The meaning is the same. Without 'there', 'the shrinks' = subject of the sentence, just in a different order.
0
0
You have asked an excellent question.

According to The Grammar Book (Mesdames Celce-Murcia and Larsen- Freeman), there could be a difference between:

Directly across from me are three shrinks

and

There are three shrinks directly across from me.

If I understand them correctly, your first sentence "is one piece of visual information in a longer backgr
0
0
Anonymousan example of breaking the grammar rules?
No rules are being broken.

A "There" sentence may be transformed by moving the locative expression to the front:

There is a strange woman standing before me.
becomes
Standing before me there is a strange woman.

Once the locative is fronted, there may be deleted.
0

Related Questions