DUMMY
DUMMY. In GRAMMAR, an item that has little or no meaning but fills an obligatory position: (1) Prop it, which functions as subject with expressions of time (It's late), distance (It's a long way to Tipperary), and weather (It's raining); anticipatory it, which functions as subject (It's a pity that you're not here) or object (I find it hard to understand what's meant) when the subject or object of a clause is moved to a later position in the sentence, and is the subject in CLEFT SENTENCES (It was Peter who had an accident); (2) Existential there, which functions as subject in an existential sentence (There's nobody at the door). (3) The dummy auxiliary do, which is introduced, in the absence of any other auxiliary, to form questions (Do you know them?). See ANTICIPATORY IT.
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NEARBY TERMS
DUMMY