THERE IS / THERE ARE
“There is” and “there are” mean that something exists. “There is” is used with singular subjects whereas “there are” is used with plural subjects. “There” can be used in this way with different forms of verb TO BE.
Note: We usually pronounce “there is” / dır iz / , not /der iz /.
There + is + singular noun + preposition of place There + are + plural noun + preposition of place | CONTRACTIONS There is = There’s There are = There’re |
AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENTS | |||
THERE | BE | SUBJECT | |
There | is | a book | on the table |
There | are | books | on the table |
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS | |||
THERE | BE | SUBJECT | |
There | isn’t | a book | on the table |
There | aren’t | books | on the table |
YES/NO QUESTIONS | SHORT ANSWERS | ||||
BE | THERE | SUBJECT | POSITIVE | NEGATIVE | |
Is | there | a book | on the table ? | Yes, there is. | No, there isn’t. |
Are | there | books | on the table? | Yes, there are. | No, there aren’t. |
Example sentences:
- There are four women at the bus-stop.
- There is a big spoon near the plate.
- There are five waitresses in the restaurant.
- There are beautiful houses on that street.
- There isn’t a loaf of bread in the basket.
- There isn’t a notebook in your bag.
- There isn’t an airport in Demirci.
- There aren’t ten pics on the wall.
- There are no people on the beach.
A: Is there a map on the wall?
B: Yes, there is.
A: Are there good cinemas in your town?
B: Yes, there are.
A: Is there a Chinese restaurant in your city?
B: No, there isn’t, but there is an Italian restaurant.
A: Is there a post office near here?
B: Yes, there is. It is next to the bank.
A: What is there on the shelf?
B: There is a notebook, three books and five CDs on the shelf.
A: Are there flights before 5 am?
B: No, there aren’t. All flights are after 5 am.
A: Are there high mountains in Switzerland?
B: Yes, there are.
NOTE: If the first noun in the list of things is singular, we must use “there is.”
- In my neighborhood, there is an outdoor swimming pool and two parks. (There are …)
