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There is + singular noun

There are + plural noun

There is or there are: rules for countable and uncountable nouns

Making questions using is there and are there.

Negative sentences using there is not and there isn’t

Negative questions using isn’t there and aren’t there

We use there is and there are to talk about the existence of something or the presence of objects in a location.

There is + singular noun

We use there is with singular nouns as below:

  1. There is a phone on the counter.
  2. There is a hat on the coat rack.
  3. There is a bicycle in the driveway.
  4. There is a ball in the yard.
  5. There is a glass of water on the nightstand.
  6. There is a vase of flowers on the windowsill.
  7. There is a laptop on the desk.
  8. There is a pillow on the couch.
  9. There is a towel hanging in the bathroom.
  10. There is a plate of cookies on the kitchen table.

There are + plural noun

We use there are with plural nouns as below:

  1. There are several people waiting at the bus stop.
  2. There are five pencils in the pencil case.
  3. There are a few clouds in the sky.
  4. There are many flowers in the garden.
  5. There are ten chairs around the table.
  6. There are four dogs playing in the yard.
  7. There are a lot of cars in the parking lot.
  8. There are some children playing at the playground.
  9. There are a couple of birds sitting on the fence.
  10. There are several students in the library.

There is or there are: rules for countable and uncountable nouns

For singular countable nouns, we use "there is". For plural countable nouns, we use "there are". Uncountable nouns do not have separate singular or plural forms and cannot be easily counted individually. Uncountable nouns remain singular, and therefore we always use "there is" with them.

Nouns There is or there are sentences Types
apple There is an apple on the table. Singular, countable
books There are books on the shelf. Plural, countable
water There is water in the bottle. Uncountable
chairs There are chairs in the room. Plural, countable
sugar There is sugar in the bowl. Uncountable
milk There is milk in the fridge. Uncountable
children There are children playing outside. Plural, countable
bread There is bread on the counter. Uncountable
pen There is a pen on the desk. Singular, countable
clothes There are clothes in the closet. Plural, countable

Making questions using is there and are there.

Use Is there + singular noun? / Are there + plural noun? to make questions.

  1. Is there a grocery store nearby?
  2. Are there any restaurants around here?
  3. Is there an umbrella in the closet?
  4. Are there any tickets left for the concert?
  5. Is there a post office around here?
  6. Are there any interesting exhibitions at the museum?
  7. Is there a hospital in this town?
  8. Are there any vacancies at the hotel?
  9. Is there a playground in the park?
  10. Are there any public swimming pools in the city?

Negative sentences using there is not and there isn’t

Use There isn’t (is not) + singular noun / There aren’t (are not) + plural noun to form negative sentences.

  1. There isn’t a car in the garage.
  2. There isn’t any milk left in the fridge.
  3. There isn’t a pencil on the desk.
  4. There aren’t any cookies in the jar.
  5. There aren’t any birds in the tree.
  6. There aren’t any students in the classroom.
  7. There isn’t a supermarket near our house.
  8. There aren’t any buses coming soon.
  9. There isn’t a meeting scheduled for today.
  10. There aren’t any clean towels in the bathroom.

Negative questions using isn’t there and aren’t there

Use Isn’t there (Is there not) + singular noun? / Aren’t there (Are there not) + plural noun? to form negative questions.

  1. Isn’t there a car in the garage?
  2. Isn’t there any milk left in the fridge?
  3. Isn’t there a pencil on the desk?
  4. Aren’t there any cookies in the jar?
  5. Aren’t there any birds in the tree?
  6. Aren’t there any students in the classroom?
  7. Isn’t there a supermarket near our house?
  8. Aren’t there any buses coming soon?
  9. Isn’t there a meeting scheduled for today?
  10. Aren’t there any clean towels in the bathroom?

Test your understanding by completing our there is there are exercises in the next pages.

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