There, happens, to, be, have

This paper argues for an analysis of experiencer have and presentational there constructions based on a small clausal structure of which the predicate - a dative PP in the former and the 'expletive' there in the latter - inverts with its subject. This subject can be a simple nominal phrase (as in simple possessive John has the car or there is no solution) or a proposition, This paper will concentrate on have and there constructions in which the subject of the small clause is propositional, analysing in detail more complex there constructions like there walked a arrange man into my office and so-called experiencer have constructions like ! had a strange man walk into my office, both of which feature the verbal proposition [a strange man walk into my office] as the subject of the there/dative small clause, The structure assigned to these constructions will be seen to correctly predict their extraction properties, in conjunction with a few independent hypotheses concerning the semantics of experiencer have constructions. The analysis brings forth a typology of there and have constructions which will be seen to be empirically attested, It lends support to an analysis of 'expletive' there as a small clause predicate, and to a decompositional (have = be + to) approach to have.