Dummy Pronouns for beginners

Dummy pronouns function grammatically the same as other pronouns, except they do not refer to a person or thing like normal pronouns do.

"Dummy Pronouns" in English Grammar

What Are Dummy Pronouns?

Sentences must have subjects. Some sentences in English practically do not have subjects. In this case, we use the dummy pronouns 'it' or 'there' to fill the place of subject in these sentences.

English Dummy Pronouns

We have two dummy pronouns in the English language:

  • It
  • There

Dummy Pronoun 'It'

The word 'it' can be a dummy subject in sentences about times, dates, and the weather. Look at these examples:

It's 5 o'clock in the morning.

It's January 3rd today.

It's raining.

Using the Dummy Pronoun 'It' as the Subject

Tip!

Dummy 'it' refers to nothing at all (it has no meaning); it only serves a grammatical function; so that our sentence has a subject.

Dummy Pronoun 'There'

The word 'there' is used as a dummy subject to say that a situation exists. 'There' does not refer to anything specific, but simply introduces the situation. Look at these examples:

There are two chairs in the kitchen.

There is some milk in the fridge.

There must be a way!

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