Explanation
Exercises

📌 There is / There are – Use

🔍 Existence

Use there is or there are to say that something exists:

  • There is a park near my house.

📍 Location

We often use there is or there are to say where something is:

  • There is a small shop next to the school.
  • There are some books on the table.

⏰ Events & Occurrences

Use there is or there are to talk about when something happens or occurs:

  • There is a football game today.
  • There are many festivals in summer.

➕ A, Some, Any

We often combine there is / there are with a/an, some or any:

  • There is a dog in the yard.
  • There are some cups in the sink.
  • There aren’t any bananas left.

📍 There Is/Are + A, Some, Any

Use “there is” or “there are” with a/an, some, or any to talk about existence or presence.

🔹 Countable Singular

There is + a/an + singular noun

  • There is a chair in the kitchen.

🔹 Countable Plural

There are + some/any + plural noun

  • There are some bikes outside.
  • There aren't any bikes outside.

🔹 Uncountable

There is + some/any + uncountable noun

  • There is some juice in the fridge.
  • There isn't any juice in the fridge.

💡 Tips

  • Use a/an with singular countables only.
  • Use some in positive statements.
  • Use any in negatives and questions.

🔢 There is + Singular / There are + Plural

Use there is with a singular noun and there are with a plural noun.

  • There is a new student in the class.
  • There are some pictures on the wall.

When listing multiple items, use there is if the first noun is singular:

  • In the living room, there is a sofa, a table and two chairs.

📋 There is/are & There was/were – Form & Examples

✅ Positive Form

  • Present: There is / There’s; There are
  • Past: There was; There were

Examples:

  • There is a book on the desk.
  • There are three apples on the table.
  • There was a small picnic yesterday.
  • There were many children in the park.

🚫 Negative Form

  • Present: There is not / There isn’t; There are not / There aren’t
  • Past: There was not / There wasn’t; There were not / There weren’t

Examples:

  • There isn’t any coffee left.
  • There aren’t any clean plates here.
  • There wasn’t a bus this morning.
  • There weren’t any tomatoes at the shop.

❓ Question Form

  • Present: Is there…? Are there…?
  • Past: Was there…? Were there…?

Examples:

  • Is there a toilet near here?
  • Are there any oranges?
  • Was there a test yesterday?
  • Were there many people at the museum?

🎯 Short Answers

  • Present: Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t.
    Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t.
  • Past: Yes, there was. / No, there wasn’t.
    Yes, there were. / No, there weren’t.

🕰️ There is/are – Present vs Past & Short Forms

🔄 Present and Past Forms

The past form of there is and there are is there was and there were.

  • There is a dog in the yard. ⇒ There was a dog in the yard.
  • There are some cookies on the plate. ⇒ There were some cookies on the plate.

✂️ Short Forms

The short form of there is is there’s. We do not shorten there are.

  • There’s a new café on this street.
  • There are two windows in this room.

🚫 Negative Short Forms

In negative sentences, we often use short forms:

  • There isn’t any water in the bottle.
  • There aren’t any eggs in the fridge.
  • There wasn’t enough light in the room.
  • There weren’t many chairs in the class.
Exercises:
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There is / There are – Use

Complete the conversation below with there’s, there are, there isn’t, there aren’t, is there, are there. Use SHORT FORMS when possible.
Anna: Hi Mark, do you know the area? Mark: A little. What’s on your mind?
1
Anna: a good coffee shop around here?
2
Mark: Yes, one just around the corner.
3
Anna: any banks nearby? I need to withdraw cash.
4
Mark: Sorry, any banks on this street. You’ll have to walk two blocks.
6
Mark: Actually, one next to the grocery store.
7
Anna: Great! And any pharmacies?
8
Mark: Yes, two—one on Elm St. and one on Pine St.
9
Anna: Perfect. Finally, a park close by?
10
Mark: No, a park until you pass the library.

There is / There are – Use

Choose the correct forms of there is, there are, it is, they are, to complete these sentences.
1
Yesterday afternoon, ____ a heavy thunderstorm.
A.
B.
C.
2
____ any messages for me when I got home?
A.
B.
C.
3
At the conference, ____ three guest speakers from different countries.
A.
B.
C.
4
Last week, ____ many tourists in the city center.
A.
B.
C.
5
In the museum gallery, ____ several paintings by Van Gogh.
A.
B.
C.
6
On Monday morning, ____ an important test in History class.
A.
B.
C.
7
____ two main routes to reach the summit of the mountain.
A.
B.
C.
8
Two days ago, ____ clearance sales at the shopping mall.
A.
B.
C.
9
In the toolbox, ____ only a hammer and a few nails.
A.
B.
C.
10
On the top shelf of the library, ____ several rare manuscripts.
A.
B.
C.

There is / There are – Use

Complete the sentences using the affirmative, negative or interrogative forms of there + be in present or past.
1
In the fridge this morning, any milk left?
2
Yesterday at the party, many people there?
3
Right now, a lot of noise outside.
4
Last night in the garden, a fox running around.
5
I looked in my bag, but my keys anywhere.
6
On our trip, two beaches we visited.
7
Tomorrow, a meeting at 10?
8
At the rehearsal, a big mistake in your part.
9
In my city, plenty of parks to relax.
10
At the conference last week, a guest speaker from NASA?