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?

All sentences in English need a subject, but some sentences may seem to not have one. In these cases, we use special words like 'it' or 'there' to fill the place of the subject in the sentence.

English Dummy Pronouns

There are two dummy pronouns in English:

  • It
  • There

'It' as a Dummy Pronoun

The word 'it' can serve as a dummy subject in sentences discussing time, dates, or 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' has no real meaning in the sentence and is used only to fulfill a grammatical function, that is, providing a subject for the sentence.

Dummy Pronoun 'There'

The word 'there' is used as a dummy subject to indicate the existence of a particular situation. Although 'there' does not refer to anything specific, it serves to introduce the situation being discussed. 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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