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fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M14.234 10.162L22.977 0h-2.072l-7.591 8.824L7.251 0H.258l9.168 13.343L.258 24H2.33l8.016-9.318L16.749 24h6.993zm-2.837 3.299l-.929-1.329L3.076 1.56h3.182l5.965 8.532l.929 1.329l7.754 11.09h-3.182z\"\u002F>",{"id":47,"title":48,"author":49,"body":50,"cefrLevel":703,"date":49,"description":704,"exercises":705,"extension":778,"faqs":779,"gcseTier":49,"intro":49,"language":792,"lastUpdated":49,"meta":793,"navigation":794,"path":795,"seo":796,"stem":797,"verbSlugs":49,"__hash__":798},"pages\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fdummy-subjects.md","Dummy subjects in English: it's raining, there's a problem, and why the subject slot is never empty",null,{"type":51,"value":52,"toc":693},"minimark",[53,78,86,91,97,157,169,186,201,205,208,243,278,310,314,317,335,358,374,407,411,426,480,497,517,521,524,612,616,628,658,668],[54,55,56,57,61,62,65,66,69,70,73,74,77],"p",{},"Try to say ",[58,59,60],"em",{},"is raining"," in English, as a whole sentence, and the grammar\nsimply refuses. Spanish manages fine with ",[58,63,64],{},"llueve",", Italian with ",[58,67,68],{},"piove",",\nMandarin with one word for rain falling - but English demands a subject in\nfront of every verb, even when nothing on earth is doing the action. So the\nlanguage keeps two professional seat-fillers for the job: ",[58,71,72],{},"it"," and ",[58,75,76],{},"there",".\nGrammars call them dummy subjects, or empty subjects, and between them they\ncover some of the most common sentences you will ever say.",[54,79,80,81,85],{},"The rule underneath is short enough to memorise as it stands: ",[82,83,84],"strong",{},"an English\nsentence never leaves the subject position empty."," Everything on this page\nis what English does to obey it.",[87,88,90],"h2",{"id":89},"it-for-weather-time-distance-and-temperature","it for weather, time, distance and temperature",[54,92,93,94,96],{},"The dummy ",[58,95,72],{}," owns four territories:",[98,99,100,113],"table",{},[101,102,103],"thead",{},[104,105,106,110],"tr",{},[107,108,109],"th",{},"Territory",[107,111,112],{},"Examples",[114,115,116,127,137,147],"tbody",{},[104,117,118,122],{},[119,120,121],"td",{},"weather",[119,123,124],{},[58,125,126],{},"It's raining. It snowed all night. It looks like rain.",[104,128,129,132],{},[119,130,131],{},"time",[119,133,134],{},[58,135,136],{},"It's five o'clock. It's Tuesday. It's late.",[104,138,139,142],{},[119,140,141],{},"distance",[119,143,144],{},[58,145,146],{},"It's ten miles to town. How far is it to the station?",[104,148,149,152],{},[119,150,151],{},"temperature",[119,153,154],{},[58,155,156],{},"It's cold in here. It was thirty degrees yesterday.",[54,158,159,160,162,163,165,166,168],{},"In none of these does ",[58,161,72],{}," refer to anything. There is no thing doing the\nraining, no object that \"is\" Tuesday. Learners sometimes hunt for the meaning\nof ",[58,164,72],{}," in these sentences, and the honest answer is that there is none: the\nverb needed a subject, and ",[58,167,72],{}," was the cheapest one available.",[54,170,171,172,175,176,175,179,182,183,185],{},"This matters for your own sentences because the temptation is to drop the\nsubject the way your first language may allow: ",[58,173,174],{},"Is raining",", ",[58,177,178],{},"Is very cold\ntoday",[58,180,181],{},"Was late when we arrived",". Every one of those needs an ",[58,184,72],{},", and\nleaving it out is one of the fastest ways for writing to read as non-native.\nIf the verb is there, the subject must be too.",[54,187,188,189,192,193,196,197,200],{},"The only genuine exceptions are informal speech and messages, where English\nspeakers clip the front of a sentence: ",[58,190,191],{},"Looks like rain."," ",[58,194,195],{},"Sounds good.","\nThat is deliberate compression of ",[58,198,199],{},"It looks like rain",", and it belongs to\ntexts and conversation, not to anything formal.",[87,202,204],{"id":203},"there-for-existence","there for existence",[54,206,207],{},"The second dummy subject does one job: it announces that something exists,\nor is present, usually for the first time.",[209,210,211,220,228,236],"ul",{},[212,213,214],"li",{},[58,215,216,219],{},[82,217,218],{},"There's"," a problem with the car.",[212,221,222],{},[58,223,224,227],{},[82,225,226],{},"There are"," two banks on the high street.",[212,229,230],{},[58,231,232,235],{},[82,233,234],{},"There was"," nobody at home.",[212,237,238],{},[58,239,240,242],{},[82,241,218],{}," no milk left.",[54,244,245,246,249,250,175,257,175,263,269,270,273,274,277],{},"The real subject - the thing that exists - comes ",[82,247,248],{},"after"," the verb, and the\nverb agrees with it: ",[58,251,252,253,256],{},"there ",[82,254,255],{},"is"," a message",[58,258,252,259,262],{},[82,260,261],{},"are"," three\nmessages",[58,264,252,265,268],{},[82,266,267],{},"were"," no seats",". Spoken English flattens this to\n",[58,271,272],{},"there's"," before plurals constantly (",[58,275,276],{},"there's three messages for you","), and\nyou should recognise it when you hear it, but in writing keep the agreement\nhonest.",[54,279,280,281,283,284,287,288,293,294,297,298,301,302,305,306,309],{},"Two details worth having. First, ",[58,282,76],{}," survives into the question tag:\n",[58,285,286],{},"There's a problem, isn't there?"," - see\n",[289,290,292],"a",{"href":291},"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fquestion-tags","question tags"," for why that is unusual.\nSecond, whether you say ",[58,295,296],{},"there is"," or ",[58,299,300],{},"there are"," after a list depends on the\nfirst item: ",[58,303,304],{},"There's a table and four chairs",", because ",[58,307,308],{},"a table"," is what the\nverb meets first.",[87,311,313],{"id":312},"it-or-there","it or there?",[54,315,316],{},"Here is the choice that actually trips learners, because many languages use\none construction where English uses two.",[54,318,319,328,329,331,332,334],{},[82,320,321,324,325,327],{},[58,322,323],{},"There"," introduces; ",[58,326,72],{}," refers back."," Use ",[58,330,76],{}," to bring something new\nonto the stage, and ",[58,333,72],{}," once the thing is already known:",[209,336,337,348],{},[212,338,339],{},[58,340,341,343,344,347],{},[82,342,218],{}," a car outside. ",[82,345,346],{},"It's"," my neighbour's.",[212,349,350],{},[58,351,352,354,355,357],{},[82,353,218],{}," a message for you. ",[82,356,346],{}," from the bank.",[54,359,360,361,364,365,370,371,373],{},"Cross them over and the sentence goes wrong in a way every native speaker\nhears instantly. ",[58,362,363],{},"It's a problem with the engine",", said out of nowhere, is\nthe learner version of ",[58,366,367,369],{},[82,368,218],{}," a problem with the engine",". The test is\nsimple: if you could naturally follow the sentence with \"...that you didn't\nknow about\", you are announcing existence, and you want ",[58,372,76],{},".",[54,375,376,377,380,381,384,385,388,389,392,393,396,397,400,401],{},"French and Spanish speakers should watch this one closely: ",[58,378,379],{},"il y a"," and\n",[58,382,383],{},"hay"," both translate to ",[58,386,387],{},"there is \u002F there are",", never to ",[58,390,391],{},"it is",". And the\nother direction matters too - ",[58,394,395],{},"it has"," is not an existence verb in English.\n",[58,398,399],{},"In my town it has many restaurants"," is a direct transfer that English does\nnot accept: ",[58,402,403,404,406],{},"In my town ",[82,405,300],{}," many restaurants.",[87,408,410],{"id":409},"it-as-a-placeholder-for-a-clause","it as a placeholder for a clause",[54,412,93,413,415,416,175,419,422,423,425],{},[58,414,72],{}," has a second, subtler job. When the real subject of a\nsentence is a whole clause - ",[58,417,418],{},"to say no",[58,420,421],{},"that she left"," - English prefers\nnot to start with something that heavy. So it parks ",[58,424,72],{}," in the subject slot\nand moves the real subject to the end:",[209,427,428,440,450,460,470],{},[212,429,430,439],{},[58,431,432,435,436,373],{},[82,433,434],{},"It","'s hard ",[82,437,438],{},"to say no to her"," (= To say no to her is hard.)",[212,441,442],{},[58,443,444,446,447,373],{},[82,445,434],{}," takes two hours ",[82,448,449],{},"to get there",[212,451,452],{},[58,453,454,456,457,373],{},[82,455,434],{},"'s strange ",[82,458,459],{},"that nobody called",[212,461,462],{},[58,463,464,466,467,373],{},[82,465,434],{}," seems ",[82,468,469],{},"that we were wrong",[212,471,472],{},[58,473,474,476,477,373],{},[82,475,434],{}," turned out ",[82,478,479],{},"that the door was open all along",[54,481,482,483,486,487,489,490,493,494,373],{},"The front-loaded versions are grammatical - ",[58,484,485],{},"To say no to her is hard"," - but\nthey sound formal and top-heavy, and English speakers reach for the ",[58,488,72],{},"\nversion nearly every time. The pattern runs on a small set of verbs and\nadjectives you already know: ",[58,491,492],{},"it seems, it appears, it happens, it turns\nout","; ",[58,495,496],{},"it's hard, it's easy, it's possible, it's clear, it's a shame",[54,498,499,500,502,503,505,506,509,510,512,513,373],{},"Keep this placeholder ",[58,501,72],{}," separate from one lookalike: the ",[58,504,72],{}," that starts\na cleft sentence like ",[58,507,508],{},"It was John who broke the window",". That ",[58,511,72],{}," is doing\na different job - pointing a spotlight, not filling a seat - and it has its\nown page at ",[289,514,516],{"href":515},"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fcleft-sentences","cleft sentences",[87,518,520],{"id":519},"common-mistakes","Common mistakes",[54,522,523],{},"Ranked by how often learners actually make them.",[525,526,527,544,558,575,588,600],"ol",{},[212,528,529,192,532,175,534,537,538,175,541,373],{},[82,530,531],{},"Dropping the subject.",[58,533,174],{},[58,535,536],{},"Is important to arrive early.","\nEvery finite verb needs its subject: ",[58,539,540],{},"It's raining",[58,542,543],{},"It's important to\narrive early",[212,545,546,192,549,551,552,554,555],{},[82,547,548],{},"it is for existence.",[58,550,363],{}," when the\nproblem is news. Announcing existence takes ",[58,553,76],{},": ",[58,556,557],{},"There's a problem\nwith the engine.",[212,559,560,192,563,566,567,570,571,574],{},[82,561,562],{},"it has for there is.",[58,564,565],{},"In this city it has a lot of traffic"," should be\n",[58,568,569],{},"there is a lot of traffic",". English never uses ",[58,572,573],{},"have"," to say that\nsomething exists somewhere.",[212,576,577,192,580,583,584,587],{},[82,578,579],{},"Agreement after there.",[58,581,582],{},"There is three messages"," should be ",[58,585,586],{},"there\nare three messages"," in writing, however often you hear the spoken\nshortcut.",[212,589,590,192,593,596,597],{},[82,591,592],{},"Starting with a heavy clause.",[58,594,595],{},"That she didn't call is strange"," is\ngrammatical but stiff. English prefers ",[58,598,599],{},"It's strange that she didn't\ncall.",[212,601,602,605,606,175,609,611],{},[82,603,604],{},"Answering what does it mean?"," In ",[58,607,608],{},"it's raining",[58,610,72],{}," means nothing.\nStop looking for the referent; there isn't one.",[87,613,615],{"id":614},"practice","Practice",[54,617,618,619,297,621,623,624,627],{},"Write ",[58,620,72],{},[58,622,76],{}," (with the right form of ",[58,625,626],{},"be"," where needed). Answers\nare below.",[525,629,630,637,642,648,653],{},[212,631,632,636],{},[633,634,635],"code",{},"___"," nearly midnight when the phone rang.",[212,638,639,641],{},[633,640,635],{}," a light on in the kitchen. Is somebody home?",[212,643,644,645,647],{},"How far is ",[633,646,635],{}," from the hotel to the beach?",[212,649,650,652],{},[633,651,635],{}," no easy way to say this.",[212,654,655,657],{},[633,656,635],{}," seems that we have a problem.",[54,659,660,663,664,667],{},[82,661,662],{},"Answers:"," 1. It was (time) 2. There was \u002F There is (existence) 3. it\n(distance) 4. There is (existence) 5. It (placeholder for ",[58,665,666],{},"that we have a\nproblem",")",[54,669,670,671,673,674,73,676,678,679,683,684,686,687,690,691,373],{},"Dummy subjects lean hard on the verb ",[58,672,626],{},", and the agreement rules that\ngovern ",[58,675,296],{},[58,677,300],{}," start with knowing which nouns count and\nwhich do not - that is\n",[289,680,682],{"href":681},"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fcountable-and-uncountable-nouns","countable and uncountable nouns",".\nAnd for the spotlight ",[58,685,72],{}," of ",[58,688,689],{},"It was John who said it",", see\n",[289,692,516],{"href":515},{"title":694,"searchDepth":695,"depth":695,"links":696},"",2,[697,698,699,700,701,702],{"id":89,"depth":695,"text":90},{"id":203,"depth":695,"text":204},{"id":312,"depth":695,"text":313},{"id":409,"depth":695,"text":410},{"id":519,"depth":695,"text":520},{"id":614,"depth":695,"text":615},"B1-B2","Why English sentences always need a subject, even when nothing is doing anything: it for weather, time and distance, there for existence, how to choose between them, and it as a placeholder for a clause arriving later in the sentence.",[706,730,750],{"type":707,"instructions":708,"options":709,"items":713},"which-one","Choose the correct dummy subject for each sentence.",[434,323,72,76,710,711,226,712],"It is","There is","is it",[714,716,718,720,722,724,726,728],{"prompt":715,"answer":434},"___ was raining when we left.",{"prompt":717,"answer":323},"___ is a message for you on the table.",{"prompt":719,"answer":710},"___ nearly midnight. Go to bed.",{"prompt":721,"answer":226},"___ two banks on this street.",{"prompt":723,"answer":712},"How far ___ to the station?",{"prompt":725,"answer":711},"___ no reason to shout.",{"prompt":727,"answer":434},"___ takes an hour to get there by bus.",{"prompt":729,"answer":323},"___ was nobody at home.",{"type":731,"instructions":732,"items":733},"fill-blank","Write it or there in each gap.",[734,736,738,740,742,744,746,748],{"prompt":735,"answer":434},"___ is snowing again.",{"prompt":737,"answer":323},"___ is snow on the road.",{"prompt":739,"answer":434},"___ is a long way from here to the coast.",{"prompt":741,"answer":323},"___ were a lot of people at the market.",{"prompt":743,"answer":434},"___ is hard to explain.",{"prompt":745,"answer":323},"___ is no milk left.",{"prompt":747,"answer":72},"What time is ___?",{"prompt":749,"answer":434},"___ seems that nobody checked the door.",{"type":751,"instructions":752,"pairs":753},"match","Match each sentence half to the half that completes it.",[754,757,760,763,766,769,772,775],{"left":755,"right":756},"It's five","o'clock already.",{"left":758,"right":759},"There's a man","at the door.",{"left":761,"right":762},"It's twenty miles","to the nearest town.",{"left":764,"right":765},"There were no","tickets left.",{"left":767,"right":768},"It's hard","to say no to her.",{"left":770,"right":771},"It takes","two hours by train.",{"left":773,"right":774},"There's no point","in waiting.",{"left":776,"right":777},"It looks","like rain.","md",[780,783,786,789],{"q":781,"a":782},"What is a dummy subject in English?","A word that fills the subject position without meaning anything, because English refuses to leave that position empty. In it's raining, nothing is doing the raining; it is there purely because the grammar demands a subject before the verb. English has two dummy subjects: it, for weather, time, distance and delayed clauses, and there, for saying that something exists.",{"q":784,"a":785},"Why do you say it's raining? What does it mean there?","Nothing at all, and that is the point. Many languages say the equivalent of raining or rains and leave it at that. English cannot: every full sentence needs a subject, so it steps in as a placeholder. The same empty it covers time (it's five o'clock), distance (it's ten miles to town) and temperature (it's cold today). Asking what it refers to in these sentences is a question with no answer.",{"q":787,"a":788},"What is the difference between it is and there is?","There is introduces something new: it announces that a thing exists. It is picks up something already known and tells you more about it. So you say There's a car outside to report the car's existence, and then It's my neighbour's to identify it. Using it is to announce existence, as in It's a problem with the engine when you mean There's a problem with the engine, is a classic learner error.",{"q":790,"a":791},"Is it there is or there are before a plural?","The verb agrees with the noun that follows: there is a message, there are three messages. In relaxed speech native speakers say there's before plurals all the time (there's three messages for you), and you will hear it daily, but in writing and in exams keep the agreement: there are. The same goes for the past: there was one call, there were two calls.","english",{},true,"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fdummy-subjects",{"title":48,"description":704},"english\u002Fgrammar\u002Fdummy-subjects","ctWeb6N6jJYtD8xCnPNk3G2AufwJ8ejDzaZlaRtmyao",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":800},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M13 21h8M15 5l4 4m2.174-2.188a1 1 0 0 0-3.986-3.987L3.842 16.174a2 2 0 0 0-.5.83l-1.321 4.352a.5.5 0 0 0 .623.622l4.353-1.32a2 2 0 0 0 .83-.497z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":802},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M11 4.702a.705.705 0 0 0-1.203-.498L6.413 7.587A1.4 1.4 0 0 1 5.416 8H3a1 1 0 0 0-1 1v6a1 1 0 0 0 1 1h2.416a1.4 1.4 0 0 1 .997.413l3.383 3.384A.705.705 0 0 0 11 19.298zM16 9a5 5 0 0 1 0 6m3.364 3.364a9 9 0 0 0 0-12.728\"\u002F>"]