A1Nouns

There Is / There Are

What is it?

"There is" and "there are" are used to say that something EXISTS or is in a particular place. Use "there is" (there's) with SINGULAR nouns and uncountable nouns. Use "there are" with PLURAL nouns. Questions: "Is there...?" / "Are there...?". Negatives: "There isn't" / "There aren't". This structure is very common for introducing new information or describing what exists in a location. The contraction "there's" is very common in speaking.

How to form it

Subject	Positive	Negative	Question
There is + singular	There is a book	There isn't a book	Is there a book?
There are + plural	There are two books	There aren't any books	Are there any books?
There is + uncountable	There is water	There isn't any water	Is there any water?
Contraction (singular)	There's a dog	There isn't a dog	Is there a dog?
Contraction (plural)	There are (no contraction)	There aren't any dogs	Are there any dogs?
Short answers	Yes, there is / Yes, there are	No, there isn't / No, there aren't	Are there cats? — Yes, there are.

• There is (there's): singular & uncountable → There is a book / There's water
• There are: plural → There are three books / There are many people
• Questions: reverse order → Is there...? / Are there...?
• Negatives: there isn't / there aren't (+ any with plural/uncountable)
• Contraction: there's (singular only), NOT 'there're' for plural
• Short answers: Yes, there is/are. No, there isn't/aren't.
• Choose based on the NOUN after there is/are, not what comes before

When to use it

1
There is — singular nouns and uncountable nouns
"There is a cat." / "There is one problem." / "There is water in the glass." / "There's a book on the table."
2
There are — plural nouns
"There are two cats." / "There are many problems." / "There are books on the table." / "There are people outside."
3
Questions — invert to: Is there...? / Are there...?
"Is there a problem?" / "Are there any questions?" / "Is there water?" / "Are there books here?"
4
Negatives — there isn't / there aren't (+ any for plural/uncountable)
"There isn't a problem." / "There aren't any cats." / "There isn't any water." / "There aren't many people."
5
Contraction — there's (singular only), NOT there're
"There's a dog." / "There's water." | Plural: "There are dogs" (no contraction)

Common mistakes

There is two books.

There are two books.

Use 'there are' with plural nouns.

There are a book.

There is a book.

Use 'there is' with singular nouns.

Is there books?

Are there books? / Are there any books?

Use 'are there' with plural nouns.

There're many people.

There are many people.

Don't use 'there're' contraction - it's not standard.

Quick reference

There is/are = something exists or is in a place
There is (there's): singular & uncountable → There is a book / There's water
There are: plural → There are three books
Questions: Is there...? (singular) / Are there...? (plural)
Negatives: There isn't (singular) / There aren't (plural)
Contraction: there's (singular only) — NOT there're
Choose based on the NOUN: singular/uncountable = is, plural = are

Natural conversation example

Looking for an apartment

Agent

Welcome! There are three bedrooms in this apartment.

Client

Great! Is there a balcony?

Agent

Yes, there's a beautiful balcony with a view.

Client

Perfect! Are there any supermarkets nearby?

Agent

Yes, there are two supermarkets. There's also a park.

Client

Is there parking?

Agent

Yes, there's parking for two cars in the garage.

Practice Exercises

Complete with "there is" or "there are".

1.
a book on the table.
2.
three cats in the garden.
3.
water in the glass.
4.
many people here.
5.
a problem.
6.
two questions.

Common and Proper Nouns All Topics It and There

Now use There Is / There Are in real conversation

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