Vaniver comments on Rationality Quotes September 2013 - Less Wrong

5 Post author: Vaniver 04 September 2013 05:02AM

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Comment author: Vaniver 16 September 2013 04:34:29PM *  4 points [-]

That seems to support the quote, actually: "it" typically has a single antecedent, or a small enough set that the correct antecedent can be easily identified by context. When it cannot be identified by context, this is seen as a writing error (such as here, here, or here).

Comment author: Document 16 September 2013 05:59:03PM *  0 points [-]
Comment author: Vaniver 16 September 2013 07:02:29PM 3 points [-]

For each of those, the meaning of "it" is clear from context. If it weren't, then it would be uncommunicative writing.

Comment author: LM7805 23 September 2013 09:45:46PM 1 point [-]

All of these are dummy subjects. English does not allow a null anaphor in subject position; there are other languages that do. ("There", in that last clause, was also a dummy pronoun.)