Existing Verbs?

Phew!

Thanks, CJ. I'm not the only one who doesn't know this category. Here is a cut and paste off the Australian Department of Education website. This is where you would find the English language curriculum to teach at schools across the country.

Activity 5: existing verbs

Another type of verb is where there is no action or relationship being described, simply a state. These types of verbs are introduced by the word ‘there’.

• there was an old house on the hill
• there is a hole in your jeans
• there are no decent shows on television
• there was nothing to do
• there was not a breadth of air stirring.

This can be explored through guided reading. Choose quality children’s text such as, Beware of Dog, by Roald Dahl to explore existential verbs and discuss their purpose. Derewianka (2011) p25.

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I have to say, this doesn't really make any sense. The verbs - is, are, was and were - are part of the 'be' verb.

Cheers,

CC

That's a highly idiosyncratic name for the "existential there construction", but I'd say your best bet is just to play along with it.

It's the use of "existential there" (also called "expletive there"), which simply posits the existence of something (or non-existence) and usually its location.

There was an old house on the hill.
There are no decent shows on television.

CJ

You never cease to amaze me, CJ.
Now, I've got something new to research.

And I thought that 'there' was a little old adverb just doin its thing.

CC

Cup cakea little old adverb

That's the there that shows location. Two different theres.

Watch out! There_existential is an alligator there_locational!

CJ

That's amazing! I've got it.

Thanks, CJ

That seems to be from a book by an Australian educational linguist, Beverly Derewianka. You can't learn English from an educational linguist.