Empty words and pro-forms

There are various categories of word and phrase that tend not to receive the nucleus, even though they may be the last lexical item in the IP.

A

Some nouns, for example, have very little meaning on their own: particularly vague general nouns such as things, people. Such empty words are usually not accented.

I ▸keeps 'seeing things.
They're ▸really 'going places.

🎧
▸What are you going to 'tell people?
(With these, compare:
I ▸keep hal'lucinating.
▸What are you going to 'say?
They're ▸really 'successful.)

B

Sometimes expressions such as the man, that woman, etc. mean little more than he, she. Like pronouns, therefore, they are not accented when used in this way:

▸Have a 'word with the guy. (= ▸Have a 'word with him.)
I ▸can't 'stand that woman. (= I ▸can't 'stand her.)

C

There are several idiomatic expressions in which some is accented (often bearing a fall-rise nuclear tone), while the following noun is not. (The same pattern is lexicalized in the word 'sometimes and various other words beginning some-.)

For ⤵⤴some reasons, | I keep forgetting to do it.
In ⤵⤴some cases, | the answer is obvious.
⤵⤴Some days | I feel very depressed.
This represents a kind of fossilized implication, namely a contrast with other reasons, cases, days, times, etc.

D

Numerals (one, two, three...) tend to be accented, since they have considerable semantic content. However, when one is used as a pronoun - a pro-form, a kind of function word - it is not accented and so does not take the nucleus:

▸Can I borrow your 'ruler? | ▸I haven't 'got one.
With a plural of mass noun, the pro-form corresponding to one is some or any. When used in this way, some and any are not accented:

🎧
▸Could I borrow some 'sugar? | ▸I haven't 'got any.

We ▸need some 'cards. | 'Can you 'see any?
I've got ▸lots of 'milk left, | ▸would you 'like some?
Other words are sometimes used as virtual pro-forms, more or less synonymously with one, some or any. They too do not get accented.

⤵⤴That looks like a nice wine. I'll ⤵buy a bottle. (= I'll ⤵buy some.)
When one is used after an adjective, it is not accented.

🎧
The ▸train was 'crowded, | so we ▸caught a 'later one.

I'll ▸take 'this one
Would you like a 'green one | or a 'red one
Against this general principle, one is usually accented in the expression the one, the right|wrong|fist|last|only one, which one

(Seeing an empty box of chocolates) You took the ▸last 'one.
(to someone who has just picked up a key) Have you ▸got the right 'one?

E

The word so is normally not accented when it is used as a pro-form (to refer back to an idea, situation, etc. that has just been mentioned):

🎧
If you're ▸feeling un'well, | just 'say so.

The ▸band is 'popular, | and ▸likely to become 'more so.

〉 Is he ▸still going to 'college?
》 I 'think so.

E

As we saw above, when a form of do is used as a pro-form (= as a substitute for another verb), it is not accented:

▸Martin got better marks than 'Wayne did.
'Peter smokes, | and his 'sister does, | 'too.

〉 ▸Will you go to 'Brighton tomorrow?
》 I 'may do.

F

Likewise, there is usually not accented when used as pro-form.

'China? | I've ▸always wanted to 'go there.

Last update at: 2023/09/05 02:56:19