There Is / There Are

Existential 'there' to introduce new information

beginner

When to Use

•Introducing existence: There is a book on the table.
•Stating quantity: There are three people waiting.
•Describing places: There's a park near my house.
•Abstract existence: There is a problem with the plan.
•Questions: Is there any milk left?

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

There is + singular/uncountable | There are + plural

Negative (-)

There isn't / There aren't / There's no...

Question (?)

Is there...? / Are there...?

💡 'There' is a dummy subject—the real subject comes after the verb. Match verb to the noun that follows.

Examples

✓There are many students in the class.

✗There is many students in the class.

Plural noun (students) needs 'are'.

✓There's a lot of traffic today.

✗There are a lot of traffic today.

Traffic is uncountable—use 'is'.

✓Is there any coffee left?

✗Are there any coffee left?

Coffee is uncountable—use 'is'.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• There is + singular: There is a cat.
• There are + plural: There are two cats.
• There is + uncountable: There is water.
• Informal: 'There's' often used even with plurals in speech
• Different from 'there' (place): 'Put it there' vs 'There is a book'

subject-verb-agreement countable-uncountable it-as-subject 📝 word-order-beginner 📝 there-is-there-are-quiz

There Is / There Are

Existential 'there' to introduce new information

beginner

When to Use

•Introducing existence: There is a book on the table.
•Stating quantity: There are three people waiting.
•Describing places: There's a park near my house.
•Abstract existence: There is a problem with the plan.
•Questions: Is there any milk left?

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

There is + singular/uncountable | There are + plural

Negative (-)

There isn't / There aren't / There's no...

Question (?)

Is there...? / Are there...?

💡 'There' is a dummy subject—the real subject comes after the verb. Match verb to the noun that follows.

Examples

✓There are many students in the class.

✗There is many students in the class.

Plural noun (students) needs 'are'.

✓There's a lot of traffic today.

✗There are a lot of traffic today.

Traffic is uncountable—use 'is'.

✓Is there any coffee left?

✗Are there any coffee left?

Coffee is uncountable—use 'is'.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• There is + singular: There is a cat.
• There are + plural: There are two cats.
• There is + uncountable: There is water.
• Informal: 'There's' often used even with plurals in speech
• Different from 'there' (place): 'Put it there' vs 'There is a book'

subject-verb-agreement countable-uncountable it-as-subject 📝 word-order-beginner 📝 there-is-there-are-quiz

There Is / There Are

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

There Is / There Are

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗It is a book on the table.

✗There is many reasons to celebrate.

✗Have there any questions?

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗It is a book on the table.

✗There is many reasons to celebrate.

✗Have there any questions?

💡 Practice Tips

Related