Last Updated：2025/12/30
Sentence
A
second
class
of
Subject
Expressions
in
English
are
so-called
pleonastic
pronouns
such
as
it
and
there
in
sentences
like:
(104)
(a)
It
is
raining/It
is
a
long
way
to
Dallas/Itʼs
time
to
leave/It
is
obvious
that
youʼre
right
(104)
(b)
There
must
have
been
some
mistake/There
walked
into
the
room
the
most
beautiful
woman
I
had
ever
encountered
These
Pronouns
are
called
‘pleonasticʼ
(which
means
‘redundantʼ)
in
traditional
grammar
because
(in
their
‘pleonasticʼ
use,
but
not
in
other
uses)
they
are
felt
to
be
(in
some
vague
intuitive
sense)
‘semantically
emptyʼ,
and
thus
cannot
have
their
reference
questioned
(cf.
^✽What
is
raining?
^✽Where
must
have
been
some
mistake?).
Quizzes for review
A second class of Subject Expressions in English are so-called pleonastic pronouns such as it and there in sentences like: (104) (a) It is raining/It is a long way to Dallas/Itʼs time to leave/It is obvious that youʼre right (104) (b) There must have been some mistake/There walked into the room the most beautiful woman I had ever encountered These Pronouns are called ‘pleonasticʼ (which means ‘redundantʼ) in traditional grammar because (in their ‘pleonasticʼ use, but not in other uses) they are felt to be (in some vague intuitive sense) ‘semantically emptyʼ, and thus cannot have their reference questioned (cf. ✽What is raining? ✽Where must have been some mistake?).
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