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there is and there are
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Saying what exists
- Outcome: describe what is present, form a negative or question, and give a short answer using the standard written agreement pattern here. Keep the supplied quantity. Start with a/an and plurals.
- Use there is / there are to introduce something present in a place: There is a park near my house. Starting check: “some water” is an amount, not a plural count noun. Use There is some water.
There is a cat on the chair. There are three cats. The chair is full.
there is / there are
- For these written models, use There is with a singular noun or an uncountable amount: There is a cat. There is some water. Use There are with a plural count noun: There are two cats.
- “There’s a problem” is a common contraction. “There’s two problems” also occurs in casual speech and some informal writing. For the standard written plural pattern here, use There are two problems.
- “There is some milk” describes an amount. “There are two bottles of milk” counts two containers. The second statement adds information, so it is not a correction unless those bottles are actually given.
- “There is a bag of apples” names one bag. The plural “apples” describes its contents; it does not turn one bag into several.
There is or There are?
In these written examples, there is goes with one thing or some water; there are goes with plural things. There’s + plural also occurs in casual speech.
Choose: There ___ a cat on the sofa.
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One cat (singular) → there is.
Use the present written agreement pattern. Complete with is or are: There ___ three books on the desk.
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Three books (plural) → there are.
Translate into English: 桌上有三本书。
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Plural → there are: “There are three books on the table.”
One bowl contains milk. Choose a present written there-sentence that names that one bowl.
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The named container is one bowl, so use “There is a bowl of milk”. The milk inside does not make bowl plural; two bowls would change the fact.
Negatives
- “There isn’t a bank here” uses a singular reference; “There aren’t any shops” uses a plural. An amount can use There isn’t any water.
- “any” is common, not compulsory in every negative: “There is no water” is another natural message.
- Zero nearby shops can be described with “There aren’t any shops nearby” or “There are no shops nearby”. Both keep the plural form.
- “There aren’t two shops nearby” only denies the count two; there could be one. Choose a negative that preserves the actual zero or quantity supplied.
Is this a correct negative? “There isn't any milk.”
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There isn’t any milk is a natural negative with milk as an uncountable amount. Any is common here, not compulsory in every negative; There is no milk is another natural message.
There are zero shops nearby. Choose a complete negative there-sentence explicitly saying none are present.
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“There aren’t any shops nearby” says there are none. “There aren’t two shops nearby” denies exactly two and could still fit one shop; it does not clearly give the supplied zero.
Questions
- For a neutral presence question, put is / are before there: Is there a bank? Are there any eggs?
- Short answers include Yes, there is. No, there aren’t. A positive short answer keeps the final be form full; “Yes, there’s” does not complete this pattern.
- “There are shops nearby” becomes “Are there any shops nearby?” Keep plural agreement while changing the order.
- If the question is “Is there any water?”, use “Yes, there is” when water is present, or “No, there isn’t” when none is present. The answer matches the amount use, not an imagined number of bottles.
Turn “There is a bank nearby” into a neutral yes/no question.
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Put is before there: “Is there a bank nearby?” Keep the bank and location; do not add does to this be question.
Someone asks “Are there any eggs?” There are none. Choose the matching negative short answer.
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The question uses plural eggs, so the short answer uses are. With zero eggs the negative answer is “No, there aren’t”.
Common mistakes
- “There are many people here” fits this presence pattern. “Here has many people” does not. But “The room has two windows” is grammatical in another pattern; do not ban every use of have.
- For the standard written plural target, use “There are two cats”. You may hear “There’s two cats” in casual speech; the task specifies which pattern to practise.
- Milk as a drink amount can use “There is some milk”. In a café, “two milks” can mean two servings. Count a container or serving only when the context supports that meaning.
Match these forms to the written present there-is/are models.
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These models use present there is/are. The room has two windows and There have been changes are also grammatical, but use different patterns. You may hear there’s with plurals in casual speech; use are for these written models.
In writing, describe water as an amount, not as bottles or servings. Which sentence fits?
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Some water is an uncountable amount in this context, so use There is some water. Two bottles of water counts containers, and two waters can refer to servings in a suitable ordering context; neither is the supplied message here.
Describe milk as a drink amount, with no servings or containers specified. Keep that information.
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“There is some milk” keeps an unspecified drink amount. Two milks can name two servings in an ordering context, and two bottles counts containers; neither count was supplied.
- For these standard written models, There is + singular/amount; There are + plural. Keep the fact that is supplied: an amount, one object, or several containers.
- Negative: there isn’t / there aren’t; neutral question: is / are before there. Choose the answer to match both the noun use and the actual presence or absence.
- Try the fresh practice below before moving to have got. These written checks and the later recall view are practice, not a proficiency assessment.
Usage guidance rechecked 21 October 2026: Cambridge, there is/there are. Local source checks; independent language, answer and learner review pending.
Describe your room or an imaginary room in one written English sentence. Practise there is with a singular/uncountable use or there are with a plural.
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Example: “There is a bed and there are two chairs.”
Count the named thing
- Read the full noun phrase in the next items. An amount, a single container and several containers can need different agreement even when they contain the same substance.
- Keep every supplied count and object. Fixing grammar must not change two things into one or invent a container for an unspecified amount.
Choose is or are for the present written pattern: There ___ one lift in this building.
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One lift is a singular countable reference, so use “There is one lift”.
Use standard written agreement in this present description: There ___ two bicycles outside.
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“two bicycles” is a plural reference. Use are in this written pattern; a singular verb does not match the supplied pair.
Bread here means an amount, with no loaves counted. Choose is or are: There ___ some bread in the kitchen.
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Bread is used as an uncountable amount here: “There is some bread”. Do not invent a count of loaves to change agreement.
Use standard written agreement: There ___ three cups on the shelf.
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The description counts three cups. Use are for that plural reference.
You mean one box containing pens. Choose is or are: There ___ a box of pens here.
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The named container is one box. Use is; the plural pens inside the box does not change the number of boxes.
You mean exactly two bottles containing juice. Choose the standard written form: There ___ two bottles of juice.
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The sentence counts bottles, and there are two. Use are even though juice names their contents as an amount.
Money here means an amount, not a number of coins or notes. Choose is or are: There ___ some money on the desk.
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Money is used as an uncountable amount in this sentence. Use is and keep the unspecified amount; a coin count was not given.
Use standard written agreement: There ___ some coats by the door.
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“coats” is plural, so use are. Some can accompany a plural count noun; it does not automatically require is.
Describe rice as an unspecified food amount. No bags or bowls are counted. Choose the sentence preserving that message.
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“There is some rice” keeps the supplied amount use. Three bags introduces an unsupported count; some rice is not a plural count noun here.
You mean exactly two clean cups. Choose the standard written there-sentence keeping that count.
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“There are two clean cups” keeps both the number and the countable plural. Do not turn the pair into one object or an uncountable amount.
Keep the question and answer together
- Decide whether the task requests a statement, a negative or a neutral presence question. Keep the number or amount use when changing its form.
- A short answer must also match what is true: present or absent. In positive short answers, keep the final be form full.
The town has zero hotels. Describe that with a standard written negative there-sentence.
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A negative singular reference uses “There isn’t a hotel”. The second option mismatches aren’t with a hotel; the last does not use the requested present there-be pattern.
The room has no free chairs. Choose a standard written there-negative saying none are present.
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The phrase “free chairs” is plural, so use aren’t. Any gives the zero meaning here; not two could still allow one chair and does not clearly express zero.
The kitchen has no rice. Describe rice as an amount using a standard written there-negative.
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“There isn’t any rice” gives the absence of the food amount. The third option denies a particular bag count rather than all rice and adds containers not supplied.
Choose is or are for the present written pattern: There ___ no bank in this village.
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“no bank” uses a singular noun, so the matching be form is is. No gives the negative meaning without adding not.
Choose the neutral question asking whether towels are available.
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Use are before there for plural towels in “Are there any towels?” A singular is does not match towels in this written target; do not add does to this be question.
Choose the neutral there-question about whether a pharmacy exists nearby.
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One pharmacy takes is, placed before there. Do not add does to this be question.
Juice means a drink amount, with no servings counted. Begin the neutral question with Is or Are: ___ there any juice?
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Juice is an uncountable amount in this use. Put is before there: “Is there any juice?”
Someone asks “Is there a printer here?” You know one is present. Choose a complete positive short answer.
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Keep is full at the end of this positive short answer: “Yes, there is”. There’s can begin “There’s a printer”, but does not complete the short answer by itself.
Someone asks “Are there any tables outside?” There are none. Choose the complete short answer for that plural question.
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The plural question uses are. Zero tables needs the negative “No, there aren’t”, not an affirmative answer or singular isn’t.
Choose the sentence following the standard written plural there-agreement practised here. Informal speech can use a different contraction pattern.
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Use are for the plural two people in this written target. There’s with a plural is common in informal speech and some informal writing; choosing the requested standard pattern does not make every other use universally ungrammatical.
Transfer: read a new room card
- Use the objects and counts on the supplied card, including the difference between containers and contents. Do not add facts to make a sentence easier.
- Write the three English sentences before revealing the model. Compare the quantities and forms; equivalent wording can fit the requested pattern.
A storage card lists two jugs containing water and one cup. Choose two standard written sentences preserving those objects and counts.
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Count the named containers: “two jugs” takes “are” and “one cup” takes “is”. The middle option loses the jug count and changes the number of cups.
You want to know whether the station has a waiting room. Choose a neutral there-question and a positive short answer confirming one room.
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One waiting room uses is before there, and the positive short answer keeps is full. Both parts must fit the requested pattern.
A room contains one lamp, two chairs and an unspecified amount of water. Write three English there-sentences, one for each fact.
Compare the presence, quantity and agreement. Repair a mismatch without inventing objects or containers. The model is one possible response, not automatic writing assessment.
Return with a different place
- Tomorrow, describe a new place: one object, a group of objects and an amount. Then ask a neutral there-question. Try recall before rereading; these are familiar practice items.
- Repair the final pair of English sentences, then continue with have got. Split study across sessions if useful; the planning range is provisional until learner timing is observed.
Two bags contain rice. Is “There are two bags of rice” a correct description using standard written there-agreement?
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Yes. The sentence counts the plural bags, so it uses are. Rice names the contents; treating rice as an amount does not make the two bags singular.
Repair these two English sentences while keeping soup as an amount and spoons plural: There are some soup. Is there any spoons?
Compare the presence, quantity and agreement. Repair a mismatch without inventing objects or containers. The model is one possible response, not automatic writing assessment.