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What are some examples of expletives?
In a Nutshell… Basically, expletive constructions are phrases or sentences that begin with “There are,” “There is,” “It is,” or “It was.” The verb “to be” is also part of many of these uninspired sentences. Examples include, “There are going to be hundreds of people attending the party.”
How do you avoid expletives?
Avoid overusing expletives at the beginning of sentences Expletives are phrases of the form it + be-verb or there + be-verb. Such expressions can be rhetorically effective for emphasis in some situations, but overuse or unnecessary use of expletive constructions creates wordy prose.
What is an expletive subject?
This is a meaningless subject that bears no thematic role. Such things are often called pleonastic or expletive subjects and their function seems to be to act as a ‘place holder’ for the subject when no thematic element will occupy this position.
Why do writers use expletive?
They are filler words that allow writers to move other words to a different place in the sentence, into a place where (theoretically) the moved words will be stressed.
How can I avoid there?
Writing Well: Avoiding “There is”
- There are three things that you need to remember: close the window, lock the door, and bring the cake.
- Remember these three things: close the window, lock the door, and bring the cake.
What is the use of expletive in English grammar?
In English grammar, however, expletives are quite useful to achieve good writing. Expletive is a word or (sometimes) a short phrase often interrupting a sentence, primarily used to lend emphasis to the earlier part of the sentence or that part added after the expletive.
What are expletive words and phrases?
Expletive words and phrases are recognized as emphasizers; thus, they can be embedded at the beginning of a short sentence to signal the entire sentence as unusually important. Obviously, the new design has a greater user interface.
What is expletive construction in English grammar?
” [A] device for emphasizing a particular word (whether the normal complement or the normal subject) is the so-called expletive construction, in which we begin the sentence with ‘It is’ or ‘There is.’ Thus, we can write: ‘It was a book that John gave’ (or simply ‘It was a book’).
How do you start a sentence with the expletive it?
For instance, when a sentence’s subject is an infinitive phrase or a that clause, starting the sentence with the expletive it instead of the subject sounds more natural. The expletive it also serves constructions that do not have a concrete subject. It is cold outside. It is getting a bit loud over there.