8 Special Little Words in English Grammar

To be accurate, its not the words themselves that are special; its how theyre sometimes used in sentences. Linguists have assigned names to these distinctive (and sometimes controversial) ways of using eight very common words in English: it, there, should, anymore, be, we, they, and eh. For additional examples and more detailed discussions of the terms, follow the links in bold. Dummy ItUnlike an ordinary pronoun, dummy it refers to nothing at all. In sentences about time and weather (e.g., Its six oclock, Its snowing) and in certain idioms (Its obvious youre having a tough time), it serves as a dummy subject. (For a related use of this personal pronoun, see Anticipatory It.)Existential ThereAnother familiar type of dummy subject is the existential there. In contrast to the deictic there, which refers to a place (e.g., Lets sit over there), the nonreferential there simply points out the existence of something (There is a problem with the network).Putative ShouldUnlike the mandative should, which expresses a command or recommendation (e.g., You should stop complaining), the putative should emphasizes an emotional response to a presumed fact (Its sad you should feel that way). Putative should is heard more often in British English than in American English.Positive AnymoreIn Standard English, the adverb anymore is usually limited to negative or interrogative co nstructions (e.g., She doesnt sing anymore). But in some American, Canadian, and Irish dialects, anymore is also used in positive constructions to mean now or at this time (They go to Maryland on their holidays anymore).Invariant BeA feature of African American Vernacular English (AAVE), invariant be is often misinterpreted as an all-purpose substitute for am, is and are. In fact, because invariant be (as in She be busy all the time) has the special function of marking habitual or repeated activities, AAVE makes a distinction that Standard English cant make by verb tense alone. (See No Time Like the Present Tense.)Inclusive WeIn contrast to the exclusive we, which deliberately leaves out the person whos being addressed (e.g., Dont call us; well call you), inclusive we uses a first-person plural pronoun to evoke a sense of commonality and rapport between a speaker (or writer) and his or her audience (We shall never surrender).Singular TheyMost handbooks still decry the use of they, t hem, or their to refer to a singular noun or an indefinite pronoun (e.g., Somebody lost their keys). But this is probably a losing battle: singular they has been in widespread use since the 14th century.Narrative EhThough strongly associated with speakers of Canadian English, narrative eh isnt exclusively Canadian. This little discourse marker or tag (described by one linguist as virtually meaningless) most often shows up at the end of a sentence--like this, eh?