oxford_guide_to_english_grammar

PAGE 59
50 The empty subjects there and it
h
There can also be the subject of an infinitive or ing-form.
I didn't expect there to be such a crowd.
The village is very isolated, there being no bus service.
But this is rather literary. A finite clause is more usual.
/ didn't expect (that) there would be such a crowd.
The village is very isolated because there's no bus service.
3 There + be with relative clauses
We can put an active or passive participle after the noun phrase.
There was a van blocking the road.
(= A van was blocking the road.)
There was a van parked outside the house.
(= A van was parked outside the house.)
But we use a finite relative clause for a single action.
There was a noise that woke me up.
We also use a finite clause when the pronoun is not the subject.
There's a small matter which we need to discuss.
NOTE
For the infinitive after there, • 113(2).
There is a small matter to discuss/to be discussed.
4 There with other verbs
We use the subject there mostly with the verb be. Some other verbs are possible,
but only in a formal or literary style.
On top of the hill there stands an ancient church tower.
There now follows a party political broadcast.
The next day there occurred a strange incident.
Verbs in this pattern are: arise, arrive, come, emerge, enter, exist, follow, lie, live,
occur, remain, result, sit, stand, take place.
NOTE
We can use seem, appear, happen, chance, turn out, prove and tend with to be.
There doesn't seem to be enough memory in the computer.
There proved to be no truth in the rumour.
There appears to have been an accident.
We can sometimes use a noun phrase after seem, especially one with little or no.
There seemed (to be) little difference between the two alternatives.
There seems (to be) no reason for alarm.
5 The empty subject it
a
A clause like to make new friends or that so few people came can be the subject of a
sentence, but this is not very usual. Instead, we normally use it as subject, and the
clause comes later in the sentence. ,
It's difficult to make new friends.
(= To make new friends is difficult.)
It was a pity so few people came.
(= That so few people came was a pity.)
It amazes me how much money some people earn.
(= How much money some people earn amazes me.)
Because the clause is long, it comes more naturally at the end of the sentence than
at the beginning.