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  1. word meaning - Difference between "idiot" and "dummy"? - English ...

    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 definition of idiot: 1 : a …

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

    Nov 5, 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 existential. …

  3. pronouns - What exactly is a dummy-it? - English Language Learners ...

    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 meanings and …

  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 trouble with …

  5. 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 subject is not …

  6. Are dummy subject and impersonal subject the same?

    Apr 20, 2016 · It is sunny. (impersonal subject) It is difficult to learn English. (dummy subject or place holder) In Korea, we learn that dummy subject and impersonal subject are different. But, I don't think...

  7. word meaning - "Hi there!" -- What does this 'there' mean? - English ...

    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.

  8. 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 us would be …

  9. dummy pronouns - English Language Learners Stack Exchange

    Jun 29, 2019 · What is the meaning of "it" in the following sentences? Our car broke down on the road, but as luck would have it, there was a garage nearby. I arrived a little late and, as luck would hav...

  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 required …