There is/the book is

[Rachel Adams]

What is the difference between these construcions? As I understand the first is describing a specific book while in the examples in bold ''a book'' and ''a seashell'' are first mentioned. Is it wrong to use ''there is/there are if I am talking about a specific object?

1. ''The book is on the table'' and ''There is a book on the table''.

2. ''The seashell is on the sand'' and ''There is a seashell on the shell.''

 

[teechar]

What is the difference between these construcions? As I understand it, the first is describing a specific book, while in the examples in bold, ''a book'' and ''a seashell'' are [STRIKE]first[/STRIKE] mentioned for the first time.

Yes, that's right.

Is it wrong to use ''there is/there are if I am talking about a specific object?

Not necessarily.
For example, imagine you spend a few hours looking for some object, and then you find it. You might say:
There's the little bugger. I've been looking for it all day.

 

[PaulMatthews]

What does your textbook/research tell you about such constructions?

 

[tzfujimino]

There's the little bugger.

May I ask a question here?

Does the sentence in the quote box mean the same as "The little bugger is there"?

 

[PaulMatthews]

May I ask a question here?

Does the sentence in the quote box mean the same as "The little bugger is there"?

That example seems to have locative "there", (possibly accompanied by pointing) rather than existential "there", which is what the OP is asking about.

 

[PaulMatthews]

What is the difference between these construcions? As I understand the first is describing a specific book while in the examples in bold ''a book'' and ''a seashell'' are first mentioned. Is it wrong to use ''there is/there are if I am talking about a specific object?

1. ''The book is on the table'' and ''There is a book on the table''. 2. ''The seashell is on the sand'' and ''There is a seashell on the sand.''

Yes: the non-existential examples with "the" are definite NPs, those with "a" indefinite.

The existential construction is typically used to introduce addressee-new entities into the discourse, and hence the displaced subject is usually indefinite.

There are, however, a handful of cases where a definite NP is admissible, but you needn’t concern yourself about them at this stage of your studies.

 

[emsr2d2]

I appear to be the first to notice that "There is a seashell on the shell" makes no sense, and it certainly doesn't mean the same as "The seashell is on the sand".

 

[Rover_KE]

I corrected it in post #6.

 

[emsr2d2]

I corrected it in post #6.

So you did! Oh well. I'll be the first to notice something eventually.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Yes: the non-existential examples with "the" are definite NPs, those with "a" indefinite.

The existential construction is typically used to introduce addressee-new entities into the discourse, and hence the displaced subject is usually indefinite.

There are, however, a handful of cases where a definite NP is admissible, but you needn’t concern yourself about them at this stage of your studies.

Could you please write about such cases? Or where Ican read about them? I think I need them at this stage of my studies.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Yes, that's right.


Not necessarily.
For example, imagine you spend a few hours looking for some object, and then you find it. You might say:
There's the little bugger. I've been looking for it all day.

Is it true that if you locate an object or people you should always you "there is" and the place you are talking about? For example, "There is a book on the table" or "There are many tourists in my city." But in "Oxford Discover" by Helen Casey, the book for children, I came across such sentences as "There is a book " and "There is a snake" without additional information exactly where.

 

[GoesStation]

But in "Oxford Discover" by Helen Casey, the [*] book for children, I came across such sentences as "There is a book" and "There is a snake" without additional information exactly where.

*Is there only one book for children?

You might say "There's a snake!" while pointing at the creature.

Never put a space before a closing quotation mark.

 

[Rachel Adams]

*Is there only one book for children?

You might say "There's a snake!" while pointing at the creature.

Never put a space before a closing quotation mark.

It's one of the books from the series.

 

[GoesStation]

It's one of the books from the series.

You needed the indefinite article there. It's one book among others. Remember that "a" means "one".

 

[Rachel Adams]

You needed the indefinite article there. It's one book among others. Remember that "a" means "one".

And if there was only one book using "a" would be wrong because I was talking about a specific one. That's why I used "the".

 

[GoesStation]

And if there was only one book using "a" would be wrong because I was talking about a specific one. That's why I used "the".

There are many books for children. "Oxford Discover", by Helen Casey, is one of them.

Is that the complete title?

 

[Rachel Adams]

There are many books for children. "Oxford Discover", by Helen Casey, is one of them.

Is that the complete title?

Yes, that's the book's title. Sorry to annoy you, but did you mean that using "the" is wrong even if I am talking about a specific book from the series? Because there isn't just one book. But if there was one book and I was mentioning it for the first time I would be still talking about a specific book so in that case using "the" would be correct. Am I right?

 

[GoesStation]

Yes, that's the book's title. Sorry to annoy you, but did you mean that using "the" is wrong even if I am talking about a specific book from the series? Because there isn't just one book. But if there was one book and I was mentioning it for the first time I would be still talking about a specific book so in that case using "the" would be correct. Am I right?

Only the indefinite article works in your sentence regardless of how many books there are in an unnamed series. There are many books for children; you mentioned one of them. "A" means one.

Other contexts could require the definite article. For example, you might have written … in the children's book "Oxford Discover", by Helen Casey.

Is the book you're referring to "Oxford Discover Grammar"?

 

[Glizdka]

Not a teacher
------

Maybe this will help: use a(n) when you're defining what something is.

Oxford Discover is a book.
What is Oxford Discover? It's a book.
It was in Oxford Discover. What is Oxford discover? It's a book.
It was in a book. Its name is Oxford Discover.
It was in Oxford Discover, a book.
It was in Oxford Discover, a book for children.

 

[GoesStation]

It appears that Oxford Discover is a series of books.