16 There is and There are

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Introduction

There is/are are expressions used in sentences that want to confirm, deny or check that something exists.

Form

There is/are has the subject after the verb and we usually find them in their three forms:

Affirmative

Singular nouns: There is + singular noun/uncountable noun + …
Plural nouns: There are + plural noun + …

Negative

Singular nouns: There is + not + singular noun/uncountable noun + …
Plural nouns: There are + not + plural noun + …

Negative short forms are: there isn’t/aren’t (the same short forms of to be).

A more common negative expression is there are not any (there are no)/there aren’t any (there aren’t).

Interrogative

Singular nouns: Is there + singular noun/uncountable noun + …?
Plural nouns: Are there + plural noun + …?

Example

  • There is
    • There is a cat in the garden.
    • There is not a cat in the garden.
      There isn’t a cat in the garden.
    • Is there a cat in the garden?
  • There are
    • There are ten cats in the garden.
    • There are not ten cats in the garden.
      There aren’t ten cats in the garden.
    • Are there ten cats in the garden?

Use

There is/are is an expression used in sentences that want to confirm, deny or check, that something exists.

Summary

There is/are is used when we want to confirm (affirmative), deny (negative) or check (interrogative) that something exists.

  • Singular: there is;
  • Plural: there are.

For example:
— Affirmative: “There is a plate on the table.” / “There are plates on the table.”
— Negative: “There isn’t a plate on the table.” / “There aren’t plates on the table.”
— Interrogative: “Is there a plate on the table?“ / “Are there plates on the table?”

The more common negative forms are there is no/there are no.

For example:
— “There is no plate on the table.” / “There are no plates on the table.”

NOTE: Another common negative form is there are not any.

Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.

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