Existential Clause
Existential Clause
An existential clause is a clause, having a distinctive grammatical structure, which expresses the real or imagined existence of an entity.
An existential clause often introduces an entity into a discourse .
(English)
The clause construction “there + verb [typically be] + noun phrase” forms an existential clause, as in:
Page/s: 1402, 1408
Source: Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, and Svartvik 1985
Quirk, Randolph, S. Greenbaum, G. Leech, and J. Svartvik. 1985.A comprehensive grammar of the English language. London: Longman.
Page/s: 114
Source: Crystal 1985
Crystal, David. 1985.A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. 2nd edition. New York: Basil Blackwell.
Broader Terms
- BT↑ Clause
Related terms
- RT⇆ Discourse
- RT⇆ Existential Marker
- RT⇆ Expository Discourse
- RT⇆ Partitive Case
- ExactMatch: https://glossary.sil.org/term/existential-clause
