There is / There are

Exercises

Affirmative sentences

There is + singular countable noun / uncountable noun

• There is a mouse in the kitchen.

• There is some milk in the fridge.

There are + plural countable noun

• There are two cats in the garden.

• There are some books on the desk.

With “someone” or “something”:

• There was someone at the door.

• There was something strange in the room.

Tip: In singular, we usually use a / an before the noun.

Negative sentences

Form: there + be + not + noun

• There isn’t a cat in the garden.

• There aren’t any pencils on my desk.

• There wasn’t any food in the box.

• There won’t be a party next week.

Other options:

• There was no cat in the garden.

• There is nobody in the room.

Questions

Form: be + there + noun … ?

• Is there a cat outside? - Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t.

• Were there any pencils on my desk? - Yes, there were. / No, there weren’t.

• Will there be a concert tomorrow? - Yes, there will. / No, there won’t.

With question words:

• Who is there in the room?

• How many people are there at the station?

• Is there anything I can do for you?

Usage with other tenses & modals

• There has been an accident this morning.

• There must be some money in my pocket.

• There is going to be a concert next week.

Enumerations

When listing items, the verb agrees with the first noun:

• There is a cat and two dogs in the house.

• There are two dogs and a cat in the house.

With other verbs

Sometimes other verbs replace be to show existence or presence:

• There stood a large statue in the park.

• There lives an old woman in that house.

• There came a loud noise from the kitchen.

Forms in different tenses