Understanding the Use of ‘There’ in English Grammar: Is it Existential or ‘There’ as a Place?

In English grammar, the word ‘there’ can serve different purposes depending on its usage in a sentence. In this article, we will discuss the different meanings of ‘there’ in sentences such as ‘The clean air there is free of pollution’ and help you understand its role as either an existential subject or a place reference.

Existential ‘There’ vs. ‘There’ as a Place

In the sentence ‘The small town of Gujo Hachiman in Gifu Prefecture sits in a narrow valley. The clean air there is free of pollution,’ the word ‘there’ functions as an adverb. However, it is not an existential ‘there,’ which is typically used to indicate the existence of something (e.g., ‘There is a book on the table’). Instead, ‘there’ here refers to the location of the ‘clean air’ in relation to the small town.

So, in this case, ‘there’ is used to refer to the place where the clean air is, not to introduce something’s existence. It’s a more common usage of ‘there’ that simply points to a location or setting.

Understanding Existential ‘There’

Existential ‘there’ typically appears with the verb ‘to be’ (e.g., ‘There is a book on the table’). This structure is used to indicate that something exists at a particular place. For example, in the sentence ‘There is a town called Gujo Hachiman,’ the word ‘there’ is existential because it introduces the existence of the town.

The existential ‘there’ is different from the use of ‘there’ to point to a place or location. It’s important to distinguish between these two uses when analyzing a sentence.

Examples of ‘There’ in Different Contexts

To clarify, here are some examples of both existential and location-based ‘there’:

• ‘There is a problem we need to address.’ (Existential ‘there’ indicating existence)
• ‘The restaurant is over there.’ (Location-based ‘there’ indicating place)
• ‘There are many beautiful gardens in the city.’ (Existential ‘there’ used with ‘are’)

Summary

The use of ‘there’ in the sentence about Gujo Hachiman refers to the location of the clean air, making it a reference to place. It is not an existential ‘there’ because it does not introduce the existence of something but rather points to a specific location where the clean air is present. Understanding the context and grammatical structure of the sentence helps distinguish between the different meanings of ‘there’ in English grammar.