L
ook at the picture of a livingroom on the left. We can describe the existence of things in the room by using "there is" and/or "there are". The examples below talk about the existence or presence of things in the livingroom by using "there is" and "there are". Pay attention to them.- There is a window in the livingroom.
- There is a sofa next to the window.
- There is an orange carpet on the floor.
- There is a standing lamp next to the sofa.
- There is a wooden shelf beside the window.
- There are some books and a photograph on the shelf.
A. Using "There is" and "There are"
I. Countable Nouns
Singular Nouns:
+: There is (There's) + singular noun
?: Is there + singular noun?
-: There is not (There isn't) + singular noun
+: There is (There's) + singular noun
?: Is there + singular noun?
-: There is not (There isn't) + singular noun
Example sentences:
- There is (There's) a big tree in the garden.
- There is (There's) a book on that shelf.
- There is (There's) a car in the garage.
- There is (There's) the book you're looking for.
- A: Is there a book in the bag?
B: Yes, there is. / No, there isn't.
Plural Nouns
+: There are + plural noun
?: Are there + plural noun?
-: There are not (There aren't) + plural noun
+: There are + plural noun
?: Are there + plural noun?
-: There are not (There aren't) + plural noun
Example sentences:
- There are big trees in the garden.
- There aren't many books on that shelf.
- There are three cars in the garage.
- There are the books you're looking for.
- A: Are there many books on that shelf?
B: Yes, there are. / No, there aren't. - A: How many students are there in your class?
B: There are twenty.
II. Uncountable Nouns
+: There is (There's) + uncountable noun
?: Is there + uncountable noun?
-: There is not (There isn't) + uncountable noun
?: Is there + uncountable noun?
-: There is not (There isn't) + uncountable noun
Example sentences:
- There is (There's) some money in the drawer.
- There is some tea on the table.
- There is some ice in the fridge.
- There is not (There isn't) any money in the wallet.
- We can't go skiing. There is not (There isn't) any snow.
Note: "Some" is usually used with positive and interrogative sentences, while "any" is used with interrogative and negative sentences. To learn the difference between "some" and "any", read Some VS Any: What's The Difference?.
B. Example Dialogue
Practice the following dialogue. Pay attention to the italicized words.In the kitchen
An estate agent is showing Mr. and Mrs. Harris the kitchen.
Estate Agent: | There you are. A wonderful new kitchen. |
Mr. Harris: | It's very small. |
Estate Agent: | There's the cooker and there's the refrigerator. |
Mrs. Harris: | Where? |
Estate Agent: | Behind you. The refrigerator's behind you. |
Mrs. Harris: | I can't open it. |
Mr. Harris: | I can't put the table outside. Then you can open the refrigerator. |
Mrs. Harris: | What's that under the table? On the floor? |
Estate Agent: | It's a box. |
Mrs. Harris: | What's inside the box? |
Estate Agent: | There are spoons, knives, forks, .... |
Mr. Harris: | Plates .... |
Mrs. Harris: | And there are cups, too. Where will we put all these things? |
Estate Agent: | Put them in the cupboard. There's a cupboard behind the door. |
C. EXERCISE
A. Write sentences with "There is" or "There are" using the provided nouns. Look at the example.
- Example:
- a cup - the table.
Answer: There is a cup on the table. - a book - the shelf.
- a lot of cars - the parking lot
- so many ants - on the table
- some tea - the table
- some ice - the fridge
- a computer - the room
- few good restaurants - my town
- some money - my pocket
- a big lamp - the center of the room
- two English dictionaries - our library
B. Complete these sentences with "there is / there isn't / is there / there are / there aren't / are there".
- The fridge is empty. ... any food in it.
- Surabaya is a big city. ... many good hotels there.
- ... more than 17,500 islands in Indonesian archipelago.
- I like shopping here. ... a wide variety of products to choose from.
- The park is not crowded. ... many visitors that day.
- I don't think we need to eat out. ... enough rice for dinner.
- ... a new building next to the parking lot. It is the school auditorium.
- ... an ATM near here? I need to draw some money.
- ... komodo dragons in the zoo?
- How many computers ... in the office?