Expletives

Expletives are empty "filler" words that are inserted at a place in a sentence where the subject should go. For example, if a sentence begins, "It is evident that..." the word "It" is an expletive marking the spot in the sentence where a subject should go but it doesn't actually convey any information.

Expletives are usually wasted words and if they are overused they can lead to unclear or uninteresting writing.


LOOK FOR: Any sentence (or phrase) that begins with "It is..." "There are..." etc. and fix the error by finding the real subject of the sentence and using it in place the empty words.


INSTEAD OF: It is evident that we will not meet our goal.
USE: We will not meet our goal.


Although expletives may not convey any real meaning to the sentence, they can still have a grammatical purpose. For example, by using "There..." at the beginning of the sentence, the subject moves to a spot later in the sentence – where it can be emphasized. Sometimes, lyrical writing makes use of this style.


For Example:

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.

–Leonard Cohen, from his song “Anthem,” off the 1992 album The Future.

Expletives are not always bad words


More
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