There is - There are

How to Use There is and There are

We use there is and there are to talk about the existence of the things or people.

Let's explain there is and there are with an example:

I want to make a cake, a carrot cake. I need eggs, butter and carrot to make the cake.

First, I need to check what I have in the fridge. These are the things I have in the fridge:

There is a packet of butter in the fridge.
There are five eggs in the fridge.
There is one carrot in the fridge.

I have the necessary ingredients in the fridge, so I can make the cake.

There is and There are with
Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Nouns can be countable or uncountable.

Countable nouns are the nouns that you can count and talk about the quantity by saying one,two,three,etc. Let's say the noun is 'apple.' You can say, one apple, two apples, three apples,etc.

Countable nouns can be singular or plural.

A singular countable noun means the quantity is one. (i.e. one apple, one banana, a car, a window, an orange, etc.)

Plural countable nouns mean the quantity is more than one. (i.e. two apples, five oranges, seven balls, four balloons,etc.)

We add an -s to the end of noun to make it plural (two apples).

Uncountable nouns are the nouns that you cannot count and talk about the quantity by saying one,two, three,etc. You can use some, little, etc. before the noun and talk about the amount. (i.e. some bread, a little sugar, etc.)

Uncountable nouns do not have a plural form. You cannot make an uncountable nouns plural by adding an -s to the end of the noun.(some breads, a little flours,etc.)

Let's learn how to use there is and there are with countable and uncountable nouns.

There is + singular countable nouns

Nouns can be countable like: pencil, window, carrot, dog…
You can count them and say: one pencil, two pencils, one window, four windows…
We use there is with singular countable nouns.

• There is one carrot in the fridge.
• There is a red car in front of the house.
• There is a baby in the car.
• There is an orange in the basket.
• There is one ball under the table.

There is + uncountable nouns

Nouns can also be uncountable like: rice, milk, cheese, fish…
You cannot count them and say: one rice, two rices, one milk, three milks…

You can use some, a little, a lot of, much with uncountable nouns and say: some milk, a little milk, a lot of money, some water, some tea, etc.

We use there is with uncountable nouns. 

• There is some sugar in the jar.
• There is a little water in the glass.
• There is some coffee in the cup.
• There is a little honey in the bowl.

When you want to count something uncountable, you can put it in a container, such as:a bag,a packet,a glass,a bowl,a bottle,etc. and you can count the container and say, a bottle, two bottles, a glass, six glasses,etc. When there is only one of the container, you use it with there is.

• There is a packet of butter in the fridge.
• There is a little honey in the bowl.
• There is a bowl of rice on the table.
• There is one bag of sugar in the kitchen cupboard.

NOTE:We usually use there’s as the short form of there is.

• There’s some money in my pocket.
• There’s a classical music concert tonight.

BUT we do not use there’re as the short form of there are! 

There are + plural countable nouns

Apple, cat, car, umbrella, etc. are countable nouns. When they are more than one, we add 's' at the end of the noun and make them plural (cats, cars, etc.)

We use there are with plural countable nouns.

• There are five eggs in the fridge.
• There are eleven players in a football team.
• There are three emails in my mailbox.
• There are ten computers in the office.
• There are fourteen girls in the class.

Form 

We need to learn how to use there is and there are with:

Singular nouns
Plural nouns and
Uncountable nouns  and

In positive – negative sentences and questions.

Let’s start with positive sentences.

Positive sentences   (+)

Singular noun:

There is + singular noun               There is a ball under the table.

Plural noun:          

There are + plural noun               There are two universities in the city.

Uncountable noun:

There is + uncountable noun        There is some bread in the basket.

Negative sentences (-)

There are two ways to make negative sentences with there is and  there are:

1. You add not after there is or there are to make the sentence negative. (there isn’t / there aren’t).
2. If there is none of something or someone, you add no after there is or there are.
3. If there is none of something or someone, use any before the plural or uncountable nouns in negative sentences.

Singular noun:

There isn’t + singular noun               There isn’t a ball under the table.
There is no + singular noun              There is no ball under the table.

Plural noun:

There aren’t + plural noun                There aren’t two universities in the city.
There are no + plural noun               There are no universities in the city.
There aren’t any + plural noun         There aren’t any universities in the city.

Uncountable noun:

There isn’t  any + uncountable noun   There isn't any bread in the basket.                There is no + uncountable noun          There is no bread in the basket.                                                                     

Questions    (?)

We use Is and Are before there to form the questions.
We use any with plural nouns or uncountable nouns in questions.

Singular noun:

Is there a + singular noun?                Is there a ball under the table?
                                             

Plural noun:

Are there any + plural noun?             Are there any universities in the city?

Uncountable noun:

Is there any  + uncountable noun?      Is there any bread in the basket?

How to answer the questions?

Positive and negative answers:

To give short answers to the questions with there is and there are, we say: 

Yes, there is or No, there isn't.

To give longer answers to the questions with there is and there are, we say:

• Yes, there is + rest of the sentence.

Yes, there is a post office next to the market. 

• No, there isn't + rest of the sentence.

No, there isn't a post office next to the market.

Examples:

• Is there a ball under the table? 

       + Yes, there is.
       - No, there isn’t.

• Are there any universities in the city?

      + Yes, there are. (OR Yes, there are two.)
       - No, there aren’t. (OR No, there aren’t any.)

• Is there any bread in the basket?

      + Yes, there is. (OR Yes, there is some.)
       - No, there isn’t. (OR No, there isn’t any.)

Ready to Practice?

Click here to try an exercise about there is and there are.

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