There is/There are

1.

4.1 There is/There are
1 We use there is/there are to say that someone or something exists, or to describe
places. We use there is/isn’t with singular nouns and there are/aren’t with plural.
1 There’s a bus stop but there isn’t a train station near my house.
2 There are some nice cafés, but there aren’t any good restaurants.
2 We form questions and short answers like this.
Question
Positive short
answer
Negative short
answer
Is there a tourist office near here?
Yes, there is.
No, there isn’t.
Are there any people who speak English? Yes, there are.
No, there aren’t.
3 Notice how we use contractions only in negative short answers.
4 In positive statements we can say there’s but we don’t use there’re.
© Oxford University Press

2.

4.1 There is/There are
1 We often use there is/there are the first time we describe something and it is/they
are the next time.
1 There is a big house in my village. It is a farm.
2 There are ten big houses in my road and they are all very expensive.
2 In a list of things we use there is if the first word is singular and there are if the
first word is plural.
singular
1 There is a shop, a swimming pool and two restaurants in our town.
2 There are three horses, a dog and some chickens on the farm.
plural
© Oxford University Press

3.

4.1 There is/There are
1 In positive sentences we usually use some or a number before plural nouns.
1 There are some good places to go out.
2 We use any before plural nouns in negative sentences and questions. We use
many in negative sentences when we want to say there are less than I want or need.
1 Are there any museums in your town? No, there aren’t any.
2 There aren’t many pencils, I’ll go and get some more.
© Oxford University Press

4.

4.1 There is/There are
Correct the wrong sentences. There is one correct sentence.
1 There is an international airport near your home town?
Is there an international airport near your home town?
2 A Is there a bank near here? B Yes, there’s.
A Is there a bank near here? B Yes, there is.
3 There’re four people at the bus stop.
There are four people at the bus stop.
4 There are a café, a post office and three shops in my village.
There is a café, a post office and three shops in my village.
5 There isn’t a hotel in my town.
6 There aren’t any tables. I’ll go and get some more.
There aren’t many tables. I’ll go and get some more. © Oxford University Press