*There telephoned his mother.

Question

I know the first example is correct use, but why isn't the second?There arose an outcry.*There telephoned his mother.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

I know the first example is correct use, but why isn't the second?

This construction is indeed correct but it's uncommon, particularly in spoken English. It's literary, stylish and old-fashioned. So, my advice is not to make a habit of talking or of writing this way. It will sound comical.

It consists of inverting the position of subject and verb.eg

A horseman came = Came a horseman.

There arose an outcry. OK, but you'd normally say 'An outcry arose'.

There telephoned his mother. OK, if you mean 'His mother telephoned'. However, it sounds very odd. Possibly because the stylish structure does not fit well with such an ordinary, everyday meaning.

Best wishes, Clive

CalifJim · Answer

There-insertion has been widely investigated, but no definite rule has emerged so far -- only some guidelines. One of these guidelines is called "the Definiteness Effect", which states that the noun phrase after the verb in such constructions must be indefinite -- or rather, that it is usually indefinite.

You have the indefinite "an outcry" in the first sentence and the definite "his mother" in the second. This is one of the reasons that the second is not particularly idiomatic.

In addition, only verbs with a certain semantic content are found in these constructions, and the verb "telephone" is not one of them. Briefly, the verbs which are usually seen in these constructions are verbs of existence, appearance, and inherent motion. "arose" can be considered either a verb of appearance or a verb of inherent motion. "telephone" does not fit into any of these categories.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

That's a very good explanation. CJ. I understand all now.

*There telephoned his mother.

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