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:
- There is a phone on the counter.
- There is a hat on the coat rack.
- There is a bicycle in the driveway.
- There is a ball in the yard.
- There is a glass of water on the nightstand.
- There is a vase of flowers on the windowsill.
- There is a laptop on the desk.
- There is a pillow on the couch.
- There is a towel hanging in the bathroom.
- There is a plate of cookies on the kitchen table.
There are + plural noun
We use there are with plural nouns as below:
- There are several people waiting at the bus stop.
- There are five pencils in the pencil case.
- There are a few clouds in the sky.
- There are many flowers in the garden.
- There are ten chairs around the table.
- There are four dogs playing in the yard.
- There are a lot of cars in the parking lot.
- There are some children playing at the playground.
- There are a couple of birds sitting on the fence.
- There are several students in the library.
Making questions using is there and are there.
Use Is there + singular noun? / Are there + plural noun? to make questions.
- Is there a grocery store nearby?
- Are there any restaurants around here?
- Is there an umbrella in the closet?
- Are there any tickets left for the concert?
- Is there a post office around here?
- Are there any interesting exhibitions at the museum?
- Is there a hospital in this town?
- Are there any vacancies at the hotel?
- Is there a playground in the park?
- 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.
- There isn’t a car in the garage.
- There isn’t any milk left in the fridge.
- There isn’t a pencil on the desk.
- There aren’t any cookies in the jar.
- There aren’t any birds in the tree.
- There aren’t any students in the classroom.
- There isn’t a supermarket near our house.
- There aren’t any buses coming soon.
- There isn’t a meeting scheduled for today.
- 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.
- Isn’t there a car in the garage?
- Isn’t there any milk left in the fridge?
- Isn’t there a pencil on the desk?
- Aren’t there any cookies in the jar?
- Aren’t there any birds in the tree?
- Aren’t there any students in the classroom?
- Isn’t there a supermarket near our house?
- Aren’t there any buses coming soon?
- Isn’t there a meeting scheduled for today?
- 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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