There is / There are

There is / There are - Exercise and Quiz

We use there is and there are to say that something exists or something is in a place.

Examples:

• There is a café near my house.

• There are two parks in this town.

Explanation

1. Present (Now)

There is – singular (one thing)

Structure: There is + singular noun

Examples:

• There is a dog in the yard.

• There is a message on your phone.

• There is milk in the fridge.

Short form:

• There is → There’s

Example:

• There’s a book on the table.

There are – plural (more than one)

Structure: There are + plural noun

Examples:

• There are three students in the classroom.

• There are many shops on this street.

• There are two pictures on the wall.

2. Past (Before Now)

Singular

• There was a problem yesterday.

• There was a meeting in the office.

Plural

• There were many people at the concert.

• There were five cars outside.

3. Future

Use there will be for future situations.

Examples:

• There will be a test tomorrow.

• There will be many visitors this weekend.

• There will be a new restaurant here.

4. Negative Sentences

Add not after the verb.

Examples:

• There isn’t a bus today.

• There aren’t any chairs here.

• There wasn’t a mistake.

• There won’t be a meeting tomorrow.

5. Questions

Put the verb before "there".

Examples:

• Is there a bank nearby?

• Are there any taxis outside?

• Was there a problem?

• Will there be a party tonight?

Short answers:

• Yes, there is.

• No, there isn’t.

Important Tip

Use there is for one thing and there are for more than one thing.

Examples:

• There is a chair in the room.

• There are four chairs in the room.