Writing Tip: Expletives

Thanks Laurie for the tip. She is a friend who is a professional editor and always sends me great info on everything, including the sun (you'll understand what i mean in my next post)

Starting Sentences with Expletives ("It is," "there is," "there are")

What the heck is an expletive, you may ask...??? You’re right if you think it’s a swearword (as in "expletive deleted")... but cursing is not the topic of this writing tip—I’ll leave you on your own to decide the prudence of starting your sentences that way. :o)

Here’s another definition...
ex•ple•tive \"ek-spl€-tiv\ noun (1612)
1 a : a syllable, word, or phrase inserted to fill a vacancy (as in a sentence or a metrical line) without adding to the sense; esp : a word (as it in "make it clear which you prefer") that occupies the position of the subject or object of a verb in normal English word order and anticipates a subsequent word or phrase that supplies the needed meaningful content©1997, 1996 Zane Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

In grammar, an expletive is a word that temporarily takes the place of a subject or an object. As Richard Lederer describes in The Write Way, "In "There are few people who cannot improve,’ there is an expletive. It and there appear to be subjects of is and are, but they cannot be called true subjects. Some grammarians call expletives ‘dummy subjects.’"

In most cases, it’s best to rewrite a sentence that begins with an expletive (It is, There is, or There are).Here’s why.

First, let’s look to The WordWatcher’s Guide to Good Writing and Grammar, (page 258):

Q: Do good writers begin sentences with "There is" or "There are?"
A: Occasionally, I’m sure. But they avoid this construction, called an expletive, wherever possible. The expletive there delays the true subject—"There are many patients waiting" needs only "Many patients are waiting."

Here’s another example. Note how much more powerfully the second sentence below reads:
Original: There are more than five million American children facing serious problems."
Revision: More than five million American children face serious problems."

Consider again the sentence above:
Original: There are few people who cannot improve.
Revision: Most people can improve. As Lederer says, the revised version is "more succinct and vigorous."

And the following two examples:
Original: It is advised that you refrain from starting your sentences with expletives.
Revision: Don’t start your sentences with expletives. (Subject=implied you; verb=start.)
Original: There is really no other generation that quite compares with Baby Boomers for their lust after life’s sheer drama.
Revision: No other generation quite compares with Baby Boomers for their lust after life’s sheer drama.

Second, in many cases, with a little thought you can find a more fitting subject and verb for your sentence. A concrete subject that takes the action of the verb will always communicate more clearly:
Original: There is a resentment or anger, a feeling of giving up who he really is to meet the needs of others. ("There is a feeling" is vague.)
Revision: He may feel a resentment or anger about giving up who he really is to meet the needs of others." (This is more clear: "He" is the subject, "may feel" is the verb),

In The Write Way, Lederer advises, "Several expletive constructions in succession can rob your writing of energy and make it monotonous. When you can eliminate an expletive without saying anything that’s awkward or outright barbarous, you ought to do so."

Get in the habit of noticing when sentences begin with It is or There are—and searching for the true subject. In time, you’ll find yourself translating such sloppy sentences when you hear or read them.

FROM: Laurie Masters,
freelance editor
Precision Revision
"I turn what you wrote into what you meant!"
LaurieM (at) VibrantLiving.org