Expletive Construction
Updated 2026-08-01
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
An expletive construction is a sentence beginning with a dummy subject such as There is, There are, There was, or It is. The expletive carries no referential meaning and only holds the grammatical subject slot while the real subject is pushed later. The construction is grammatically correct, so the objection is stylistic rather than grammatical: it delays the subject, buries the actor, and dilutes the verb. The practical test is whether the sentence survives deletion of the placeholder and promotion of the true subject to the front.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Strong Openings: Promote the real subject to the front so the sentence begins with content. - Verb Rescue: Replace the weak verb plus abstract noun pattern with one direct action verb. - Draft Cleanup: Scan for There is and It is during revision and rewrite every instance.
Anchor fast decisions
Readers process a sentence by locating the actor and the action. An expletive occupies the subject position with an empty token, so attention is spent on a word that carries no information while the real subject is deferred. The delay flattens emphasis and typically pairs with an abstract noun and a weak verb, which hides who does what. Removing the placeholder restores the actor-action order that attention naturally follows.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- baike.baidu.comhttps://baike.baidu.com/item/虚词结构verified
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