In the following sentence, it seems it should end up with "like it" or "like there". Why the both of "it" and "there" have come together?
I have been to Washington several times, and I like it there.
grammarmeaningsentence-structure
In the following sentence, it seems it should end up with "like it" or "like there". Why the both of "it" and "there" have come together?
I have been to Washington several times, and I like it there.
Best Answer
In the sentence, it does not refer to Washington. So, you shouldn't be interpreting the sentence in this way:
Instead, it is a dummy pronoun. From Wikipedia:
In the sentence, it does have some meaning, but it's not exactly defined. For a native speaker, the meaning of the sentence is generally the same as:
A conversation could go something like this:
The use if it is non-specific. It refers to something, but the sentence doesn't clarify what it is. However, it does say that it exists there in Washington.
There is also a contrast between here and there (and anywhere else):
The use of (it) has changed from a dummy pronoun to a referential pronoun because the first part of the sentence has actually made it clear what (it) is that's being referenced. But the important part is the contrast between here and there.
Compare this with the sentence in which there has been omitted:
In this sentence, no dummy pronoun is used. It is a referential pronoun that refers to Washington.
Although awkward, the sentence could be rephrased in the following way:
A similar conversation could be constructed around this:
Note the specific difference between this conversation and the earlier one.
Whereas it in the first conversation refers to something completely undefined (aside from its existence in Washington), it in this conversation refers to something about Washington itself.