code: EX
biber_number: G20
xiao_number: B24
mfte_code: EX
bohmann_number: 157
name: Existential THERE
definition: >-
Existential "there" constructions (e.g., "there was a ring", "there lived a hobbit").
normalization: finite_verbs
detection:
- source: mfte
requires:
- word
- pos
cql: '[word={words} & pos="EX"]'
words:
- there
- requires:
- word
- pos
cql: '[word="there" & pos="EX"]'
examples:
- text: In a hole in the ground _there_ lived a hobbit.
- text: _There_ are students.
source: le_foll_2024
- text: And _there_ is now a scholarship scheme.
source: le_foll_2024
sources:
- mfte
- pybiber
- xiao_2009
- grieve_2023
- bohmann_2019
notes: >-
Highly relevant to fiction openings and scene-setting. "In a hole in the ground
there lived a hobbit."