dummy subject

English

Noun

dummy subject (plural dummy subjects)

1. (grammar) A word (in English, it or there) used as the subject of a sentence when the real subject is placed after the main verb, or when the subject is indefinite.

   In the expression "It's raining", the word "it" is a dummy subject.

Synonyms

• introductory subject
• preparatory subject

Translations

grammatical subject carrying no meaning of its own

• Dutch: loos onderwerp n