A1 · Grammar
There is and there are
After this page you can say what there is and what there isn't in a place with there is and there are, and ask about it.
Rules
1.
there is + one thing
- There's a café opposite the station.
- There is a lift in our building.
- There's an email for you from Tom.
- In my street there's a small park.
Use there is to say that something is in a place. Use it with a singular noun: a or an + noun. The short form is there's.
there is
- there is + a / an + noun: There is a bank. There's an old church.
- short form: there is → there's
When you speak, there's is very common. In formal writing, write there is.
one thing → there is / there's
There's a bus stop near my flat.
2.
there are + two or more things
- There are two bedrooms in the flat.
- There are a lot of shops in Leeds.
- There are five people in the meeting room.
Use there are with a plural noun. Before the noun there is often a number or a lot of.
there are
- there are + number + plural: There are three cafés.
- there are + a lot of + plural: There are a lot of buses.
Write there are in full. It has no short form in writing.
two or more things → there are
Not: There is two cafés.
3.
Negatives: isn't, aren't, no
- There isn't a lift in the building.
- There aren't any shops in our street.
- There's no cash machine at the station.
- There are no buses on Sunday.
For the negative, use isn't a or aren't any. Or use no: no = not a, not any.
Two ways
- there isn't a lift = there's no lift
- there aren't any shops = there are no shops
- Long forms: there is not · there are not
Use not or no, not both. Not: There isn't no lift.
There aren't any … = There are no …
4.
Questions: Is there …? Are there …?
- Is there a chemist near here? – Yes, there is.
- Is there a meeting today? – No, there isn't.
- Are there any good hotels in Cardiff? – Yes, there are.
- Are there any tickets for tonight? – No, there aren't.
In a question, is or are comes first: Is there …? Are there …? The short answer repeats there is or there are.
Question → short answer
- Is there a …? → Yes, there is. · No, there isn't.
- Are there any …? → Yes, there are. · No, there aren't.
Yes: Yes, there is. (not: Yes, there's.)
Plural question: Are there any …?
5.
there is or it is?
- There's a new gym in town. It's very big.
- There's a hotel near the station. It's quite cheap.
- There are two parks here. They're lovely in autumn.
Use there is for new information: something is in a place. Then use it is (one thing) or they are (two or more) to say more about it.
Step by step
- 1. new thing: There's a market on Saturday.
- 2. more about it: It's in the main square.
there's = a new thing in a place · it's = more about the thing
Not: It is a bank near here. → There's a bank near here.
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