There–insertion

there-插入

A term used in transformational grammar for a transformation which relates pairs of sentences by inserting a there-element, such as A baby is in the bath → There is a baby in the bath. The latter type of sentence is often referred to as existential.

转换语法术语，指通过插入一个there成分将成对句子联系起来的转换，例如A baby is in the bath“一个婴孩在洗澡”→There is a baby in the bath“有一个婴孩在洗澡”。后一类句子常称作存在句。