The expression there is there are rules. English turns There is and There are. English phrases There is and There are. Countable and uncountable nouns

29.06.2020

Understanding an unusual design

The construction there is and there are may seem complicated, especially for beginners, simply because there is no equivalent in Russian. The situation is also complicated by the fact that in some cases this construction is not translated in any way. We suggest you deal with this turnover once and for all and learn how to use it correctly.

To make it more interesting to learn, and you can see the practical use of this construction, we have added movie clips.

Why do you need there is / there in English

This construction means that something exists or is located in a particular place. Theoretically, it can be translated as “there is”, “there exists”, “there is”, but in practice it usually remains without translation. Let's look at an example:

The Englishman says:

There is a pencil on the table, you can take it.

We'll say:

There is a pencil on the table, you can take it.

As you can see, the sentence is not translated literally. Translation word for word would look very clumsy:

There is a pencil on the table, you can take it.

Now let's literally try to translate from Russian into English:

A pencil lies on the table.

It would seem that everything is correctly translated "the pencil is on the table." The only problem is that in English, when they say that an inanimate object is somewhere, they don’t use the word “lies” (lie).

As long as there is life, there is hope.

Or imagine a situation where you ordered a pizza and asked to add mushrooms to it. They bring you pizza, but without mushrooms, for which you paid extra. To complain to the waiter, you will need the construction that we are considering today. Here's what you can say:

We've ordered pizza with mushrooms, but there aren't any mushrooms in our pizza.

We ordered pizza with mushrooms, but our pizza has no mushrooms.

Of course you can say:

No mushrooms are in our pizza. / Mushrooms aren't in our pizza.

It's just that this one will sound like "no mushrooms on my pizza." That is, you will sound like a person who knows English very, very poorly. Such sentences will look unnatural, and the interlocutor will have to try very hard to solve your “puzzle” and understand what you mean from this set of words.

Or imagine that you want to say that there is a certain group of people. For example, you are discussing your dream job with someone. You say that you would like to make money traveling. And a person objects to you that this is not a job.

As an argument, you can cite the fact that there are many examples of people who make money by traveling. And for this you also need the there + be construct:

There are many examples of people who make a living as travelers.

There are many examples of people who make a living as travelers.

There are good people here.

How sentences are built with the construction there + be

From the examples above, above, you probably already guessed that we put “is” when we talk about an object in the singular, and “are” - when in the plural.

The structure of the affirmative sentence would look like this:

There is / there are + subject + circumstance of place or time.

There are two cats in the yard. There are two cats in the yard.

There is a bottle of milk in the fridge. — There is a bottle of milk in the fridge.

The construction is shortened as follows:

There is - there's

There are - there're

By the way, in informal speech you can sometimes find there's in cases when it comes to the plural. This is not very competent, but in a conversation with a friend it is permissible. Of course, you should never use there is with the plural in formal communication.

There is also used with uncountable nouns:

There is some water in that bottle. There is some water in that bottle.

Negation:

To form a negative sentence, it is enough to simply add a particle not after there is / there are a before the subject to put the pronoun any.

T here aren't any pencils on the table. There are no pencils on the table.

There isn't any milk in the fridge. — There is no milk in the refrigerator.

Okay, if there's no hope, why don't you leave?

The second way is to add a negative "no" before the subject.

There is no pencil on the table. — There is no pencil on the table.

No exceptions.

Interrogative sentences with there is and there are

To build interrogative sentences, we simply put the verb "be" in the correct form (is, are) at the beginning of the sentence:

Is there a pencil on the table? — Is there a pencil on the table?

Are there many people at the office? Are there many people in the office?

Okay, any questions?

If the question contains question words like what / how many, etc., then the sentence template will look like this:

Interrogative word + be + there + circumstance of place or time.

For example:

How many pencils are there on the table? How many pencils are on the table?

What is there behind the door? - What's behind the door?

There + be in different times

Of course, we can apply this construction in other times as well. To do this, you just need to put the verb "be" in the form of the tense in which we want to use the construction.

For example, for the past tense, the construction would look like this

Was there a doctor at the party? Was there a doctor at the party?

Was there someone?

There were many interesting people at the conference.

There were many interesting people at the conference.

For the future tense, we put the auxiliary verb will before the verb "be". In negations, the particle not is added to it, in questions it is brought forward.

There will be consequences!

will be there a boy who do you like? Will there be a boy you like there?

There will be no more games.

There is with modal verbs:

You can also use this construction with modal verbs. For example, you decide to make an omelette in the evening, and a friend tells you in the store that you forgot to take the milk. And you remember that you still had enough milk left at home. Then you can answer:

There should be some milk in the fridge.

There must be milk in the refrigerator.

There shouldn't be any problems, right?

There might be a mistake. - There may be a mistake.

Small but important features

Please note that with the definite article (the) this construction is practically not used.

Don't say:

There is the pencil on the table. This pencil "exists" on the table.

It would be correct to say:

The pencil is on the table. This pencil is on the table.

If we want to list several items, and we start with the plural, then we say there are.

There are two pencils and a pen in the box.

The box contains two pencils and a pen.

If, on the contrary, we start first talking about an object in the singular, and then we add objects in the plural - we use there is.

There is some milk and two eggs in the fridge.

There is some milk and two eggs in the refrigerator.

Although the construction of there is and there are may seem a little confusing at first glance, but with constant practice, you can easily bring it to automatism. The main thing is to remember the basic rules, read and listen a lot in English, and, of course, try to speak correctly.

turnover thereis/thereare in English it is used when it is necessary to indicate the presence of a person or phenomenon in a certain place. After turnover there is/there are the subject is set.

There is a lamp on the table. On the table (is) a lamp.

Therewas a storm last night. There was a storm last night.

The translation of sentences with this turnover usually begins with the circumstance of the place.

If the subject is expressed by a noun in the plural, then the verb to be after there is also in the plural.

There are two lamps on the table. On the table (are) the bottom of the lamp.

If there is/there are multiple subjects in the there is/there are clause, then the verb to be usually agrees in number with the subject immediately following it.

There is a pen and six pencils on the table.

There are six pencils and one pen on the table. There are six pencils and one pen on the table.

There is a tendency, however, to use this construction with the verb to be in the plural (there are) in cases where the second subject is in the plural.

There are a pen and six pencils on the table. There is a pen and six pencils on the table.

When the tense changes, the form of the verb to be changes:

After the formal subject there the verb to be can be used with modal verbs or with the verbs to seem, to appear in the meaning of "appear".

There must be somebody in the room. There seems to be someone in the room.

There seemedtobe a way out. It seemed that there was a way out (of the situation).

The negative form is formed by negation no, which is placed after the verb to be before the noun.

There is no lamp on the table. There is no lamp on the table.

If the noun is preceded by a definition expressed by the pronouns any, much, etc., then after the verb to be a particle is placed not.

There is not any lamp on the table. There is (no) lamp on the table.

There is not much snow in the street. There is not much snow outside.

The interrogative form when using the verb to be in Present Simple or Past Simple (or Present and Past Indefinite) is formed by putting the verb to be in the first place - before there.

Is there a lamp on the table? Is there a lamp on the table?

In the presence of a complex form of the verb (i.e., in the presence of auxiliary or modal verbs), the auxiliary or modal verb is placed before there, and the verb to be is placed after there.

Will there be an English lesson at 3 o'clock? Will there be an English lesson at three o'clock?

When posing a question to the subject with the turnover there is / there are, the interrogative word what is used, which is the subject of the sentence. The verb to be in these cases is always used in the singular, even if the question is raised in relation to the presence of several objects or phenomena.

What is there on the table? What is on the table?

BUT: In response to such a question, the verb to be is used in the plural if the fact of the presence of several objects or phenomena is stated (or, for example, in the case of listing them - as noted earlier).

What is there on the table? What is on the table?

There are some books. Some books.

Questions to other members of the sentence with this construction are built according to the general rule.

Short answers to the question containing the phrase "there is / there are" are also built according to the general rule.

Are there any books on the table? — Are there any books on the table? —

Yes, there are (some). Yes, I have.(No, there aren't.) (Not.)

The particle there in the turnover there is / there are does not matter, i.e. meanings of the adverb there - there, there. Therefore, if in a sentence with this turnover it is necessary to convey the meaning “there” (i.e., use the adverb there in the semantic meaning), then this second there is placed at the end of the sentence as an adverb of place.

But there are no lemons there. But there are no lemons.

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Turnaround ‘there be’ /‘there is/ there are’, …/ (* further in the text, the examples use the abbreviation - "THR") in terms of grammar is a deviation from the norm. However, like many other deviations in English, it is regularly used in speech. It can be equally applied both in oral and written speech, both in an informal setting and in formal communication.

The use of this turnover is associated with a number of semantic and, for example, semantic ones: identification with the impersonal sentence ‘it is ...’, or the adverb /there/; grammatical: incorrect use of forms of the verb ‘be’, adding a verbal compliment to the predicate, etc.

Vs. ‘there/there’

What is the difference between the phrase ‘there is/ there are’ and the adverb ‘there’?

‘There’ is often a common adverb of place, answering the question “Where?”, “Where?”, for example:

Are you comfortable there? / Are you comfortable there?

The book is there on the table / The book is there on the table.

In this case, semantic stress falls on it, because it reflects the main "intrigue" of the statement.

However, ‘there’ can also act as a relative subject, and not as an indication of place. This means that it becomes a pronoun that nominally assumes the role of the subject, while the semantic subject is located as the object of the predicate. The semantic subject can be put instead of ‘THR’ without prejudice to grammar and general meaning. The only thing is that some semantic connotation will be lost. In this turn, the pronoun ‘THR’ does not fall under stress and is pronounced casually.

Thus, /THR is/THR are/ is used to introduce new information and focus attention on it.

vs. ‘it is’

How is the phrase ‘there is/ there are’ different from the formal pronoun ‘it’ in the impersonal sentence ‘it is’? To do this, you need to briefly consider the theme and rheme. A topic is a background part that does not provide fundamental information; rheme is a key word (phrase) that plays a decisive role, which is emphasized. ‘it’ is a fictitious representative of a logically non-existent subject, or one that exists somewhere in the context, and the rheme here is what happens to it, or what state it is in, what features it has. Whereas ‘THR’ is a subject “warner”, which is semantically (logically) equivalent to the predicate object, and the rheme is, as a rule, someone or something. That is, the focus is on the presence, the presence, perhaps the number.

Not used with Continuous, as an object and in the passive voice (Passive V.)

In fact, the phrase 'there is/there are' in English is a paraphrase of 'smth is', 'many are', where the verb 'be' appears in its semantic meaning - "to have a place", "to be", "to be", "to be present", "to exist", "to occur". That is why it is not used with constructions of the Continuous aspect group (respectively, the Perfect Continuous), and with the passive voice. For the same reason, it is not customary to use it with personal pronouns - it would sound like /THR am I / I am /, /THR are they / They are /, which is already implied, and therefore does not carry fundamentally new information, and from a semantic point of view is meaningless.

The rule of using turnover ‘there is / there are’

It follows from this that the construction can be used with:

Nouns with dependent words;

In the following constructions (only in the active voice):

In all four times;

In the indefinite and perfect aspects.

The relative subject ‘There’ can be used in different tense-aspect constructions. in order to shorten the time, it is usually called simply the turnover ‘there is / there are’. The construction scheme for all constructions is as follows: the pronoun ‘There’ opens the sentence. It is followed by the auxiliary verb ‘be’ in one of its forms, depending on the situation; followed by a noun with dependent words (if any), i.e. noun group.

THR is work to be done

THR will be a party tonight

THR was no damage

THR have been two telephone calls

Turnover ‘there is/there are’ in singular and plural

When a noun group after a verb is in, you need to use the plural form of the verb:

THR are many reasons for this

THR were two men in the room / There were two people in the room.

We also use plural verbs before phrases denoting relative empirical remarks, such as 'a number (of)', 'a lot (of)', 'a few (of)':

THR were a lot of people camped there

THR are only a few left

If the noun in the group is in the singular or it is uncountable, then the verb is used in the same form, respectively:

THR is one point we must add here

THR isn't enough room in here

The verb in the singular is also placed if several objects or persons are mentioned in the sentence, but the first noun following the verb is in singular. number, or is uncountable:

THR was a man and a woman / There was a man and there was a woman.

THR was a sofa and two chairs / There was a sofa and two chairs.

Use cases

Turnaround ‘there be’ (‘there is / there are’, ...) we use when we say:

About the existence or presence of people, objects:

THR are two people who might know what happened.

About something that happened:

THR's a meeting every week / Every week there are meetings.

THR was a fierce battle / There was a fierce duel.

About number or quantity:

THR are forty of us, I think

Modal verbs

The turnover ‘there is/there are’ can also include followed by ‘be’, ‘have been’ (beyond those that are responsible for the future and the future in the past):

THR could be a problem

THR should be a change in government

THR can't have been anybody outside

THR must have been some mistake

Abbreviations

The 'there is/there are' in English in colloquial speech or informal situations allows the contraction of the verb 'be' or modal verb and adjoining it to 'there' through an apostrophe ("'s" - 'is' or 'has', " 're' 'are', ''ll' - 'shall' or 'will', ''ve' - 'have', ''d' - 'had', 'should' or 'would'):

THR's no danger / No danger.

THR'll always be a future for music / There will always be a future for music.

I knew THR'd be trouble / I knew that a problem would come out.

THR's been quite a lot of research into it

I didn't even know THR'd been a murder

‘Appear to be’

Also, in addition to the existential verb 'be' - that is, having the meaning "to be", "to occur", - less unambiguous "it seems to be the place to be", "it seems that it is happening ..." and similar phrases with verbs like 'appear' and 'seem':

THR appears to be a vast amount of confusion on this point

THR seems to have been some carelessness

Location construction there is (there are) refers to the most common constructions of English grammar and you need to know it already on. In this lesson, you will learn the basic rules on there is (there are). Consider the translation into English of a simple sentence from the example.

EXAMPLE. There is a cat in the box. — There is a cat in the box.

The there is / there are construction. rules

RULE 1. The there is construction used when we want to say that some object located in a specific place; respectively there are used if there are several objects, that is, in the plural.

There is a cat in the box. - There is a cat in the box.

There are cats in the box. — In a cat box.

General view of the construction there is / there are in the present tense

Pay attention to the articles highlighted in blue:

article a means that I have not seen this OBJECT before (some kind of cat)

article the means that this PLACE is familiar to me (this table, my table, etc.)

RULE 2(see diagram above).

Before the subject always put article (a, zero) , a cardinal number (one, two, three), or other indicators of quantity (many, much, some).

There is an apple on the apple tree.
There are three (many/some) apples on the apple tree.
There is some (much) milk in the glass.

We examined the construction there is (there are) in English in the present tense. You can complete multiple . Next, we'll look at:

1. Translation of a sentence from there is (are)

RULES for translation there is / there are:

1.Design there is (are) translates as is, is.

2. Verb is (are) in this construction, you can NOT translate or use other verbs denoting location when translating, for example: sits, hangs, lies, etc.

EXAMPLE. There is a cat in the tree. - Can be translated as On this tree is sitting cat.

3. In this construction, the word there lost its original meaning there. DO NOT start translating a sentence with the word THERE.

4. The translation of a sentence with this construction must begin with a word that answers the question where?(usually it costs at the end of a sentence).
EXAMPLE

Test yourself and translate affirmative sentences from English with the construction there is (are):

There is an owl in the tree.
There is a cup on the saucer.
There are some cups in the cuoboard.
There is a mouse under the sofa.
There are many rabbits in the woods.
There are many children in the yard.
There is some milk in the bottle.
There is a frog on the log.

2. Interrogative sentences with the construction there is (are)

EXAMPLE
There is a problem. - Is is there a problem?
EXAMPLES
1) — Is there a problem? - There is a problem?

Yes, there is.- Yes.

— no, there isn't. No.

2) Are there books in your bag? Are there any books in your portfolio?

Yes, there are. - Yes.

or
- No, there aren't. - Not.

3) What is there in the room? - What is in this room?

— There is furniture in the room. - AT this the room has furniture.

3. Negative sentences with the construction there is (are)

Most often in negative sentences no(translated in this case as No).
EXAMPLE

Note 1.
If after construction there is there are two or more words, then the verb is a link BE usually agrees with the first of them.

EXAMPLES
There is a lamp and some pencils on the table.
There are some pencils and a lamp on the table.

Note 2.
If a plural noun is preceded by a lot of, then the verb is used in the plural.

EXAMPLES
There are a lot of books on the table.

4. Forms of construction there is (are) in simple tenses

There is (are)- in present time
There was (were)- in the past time
There will be- in future tense

5. A poem with the construction there is (are):

This is the Key of the Kingdom.
in that Kingdom there is a city;
in that city there is a town;
in that town there is a lane;
in that lane there is a yard;
in that yard there is a house;
in that house there is a room;
in that room there is a table;
On that table there is a basket;
In that basket there are some flowers.
Flowers in the basket, Basket on the table,
Table in the room, Room in the house,
House in the yard, Yard in the lane
Lane in the street, street in the town,
Town in the city, City in the Kingdom.
Of that Kingdom this is the Key.

6. Exercises on there is (are) in the present tense

Exercise 1. Translate into English using the construction there is or there are and the noun determiner: some- a few, a little (indicator of an indefinite amount).

There's tea in a cup. => There is some tea in the cup.
Candy in a vase. =>
There are gifts in the box. =>
There is food on the table. =>
There is porridge in a bowl. =>

Exercise 2. Paraphrase the sentences using the construction there is or there are and noun determiners: some- a few, a little; many- lot, a- some.

SAMPLE The cherries are in the basket. => There are some cherries in the basket.

Please note that while the meaning (translation) of the sentence will change! See comment below.

The books are on the table. =>
The flowers are in the vase =>
The cheese is in the fridge. =>
The stories by A. Christie are in the book. =>
The kitten is under the bed. =>

Grammar comment. What is the difference between the sentences: The bird is in the tree and There is a bird in the tree. Answer: translation.

In a sentence "The bird is in the tree." It's about a specific bird. the = this), which is located in a specific place (in the tree) and the translation will be: This bird on the tree.
In the sentence "There is a bird in the tree." talking about a subject a bird), which is located in a specific place (in the tree) and the translation will be - Sitting on (this) tree ( some) bird.

Conclusion: If we rephrase a sentence, then its meaning will change! Now translate the sentences from exercise 2

Constructions There is and There are are used to indicate the presence of something in a certain place, the location of objects or their quantity. In this construction, the word there speaks formal subject and does not carry any meaning (it cannot be translated as " here», « there”), so such sentences are translated from the end.

There is a mouse in the kitchen!- There's a mouse in the kitchen!
There are some cookies in the box.- There are some cookies in the box.

There was a man in the room.- There was a man in the room.
There were men in the room waiting for you. There were men in the room waiting for you.

I think there will be a lot of people at tomorrow's concert. I think there will be a lot of people at tomorrow's concert.

Statement

In affirmative sentences, the formal subject always comes first. there, followed by the verb to be in the correct form and " present subject"(object or person). Verb form to be depends on the number of the noun and the tense in the sentence.

There is and there was used for items or concepts in the singular or uncountable nouns.

There are and there were used for plural items.

If in the statement after revolutions there is / there was / there will be the countable object is in the singular, it is used with the indefinite article a / an. Definite article the practically not used.

There is = There's (abbreviation)
There's a cat in our garden.- In our yard (some) cat.

If this is a set of objects, then a numeral is used indicating their number or word some(some). Also used before uncountable nouns some.

There are two cats in our garden.- There are two cats in our yard.
There are some cats in our garden.- In our yard (there are some) cats.

There's some milk in the fridge.– There is some milk in the fridge.
There was some food in this lunchbox. There was food in this lunch box.

In the statement after construction there is/ there was/ there will be pronouns can be used someone(someone) and something(something).

There was something strange in his room. There was something strange in his room.
There was someone asking for your phone number. Someone asked for your phone number.

Negation

Negative offer with there is /there are formed by a negative particle not after the verb to be in the correct form.

in denial with there is not/ there wasn't / there will not be singular nouns are used with the indefinite article a/ an(no negative pronouns, since there can only be one negative in English).

There wasn't a cat in our garden.
There won't be a party next week. There will be no party next week.

In a negative sentence, nouns in plural or uncountable nouns are used with a pronoun any(any, none).

There is not = there isn't (abbreviation)
There isn't any money in his wallet.

There are not = there aren't
There aren't any pencils on my desk.

In denial after there is not / there wasn't / there will not be pronouns can be used anybody, anyone(someone, no one) and anything(something, nothing, nothing).

There isn't anyone in the room.- There is no one in the room.
There wasn't anything interesting in that city. There was nothing interesting in that city.

Also, a negative sentence can be formed using a negative pronoun no before a noun, regardless of its number. In this case, the particle is not placed not after to be .

There was no cat in our garden. There was no cat in our yard.
There are no pencils on my desk. There are no pencils on my desk.
There is no money in his wallet. There is no money in his wallet.

In a negative sentence after there is /there was /there will be pronouns can be used nobody,no one(no one) and nothing(nothing, nothing).

There is no one in the room.- There is no one in the room.
There was nothing interesting in that city. There was nothing interesting in that city.

Question

Interrogative sentence with there is / there are is formed by placing the verb to be in the correct form at the beginning of the sentence.

As in negative sentences, singular nouns are used with the indefinite article in the question. a / an.

Is there a cat outside?- Is there a cat outside?
Will there be a party next week? Will there be a party next week?

In questions, plural nouns or uncountable nouns are used with the pronoun any(someone).

Were there any pencils on my desk? Were there (some) pencils on my desk?
Is there any money in your pockets? Do you have (any) money in your pockets?

In questions after is there / was there/ will there be pronouns can be used anybody, anyone(someone) and anything(something).

Is there anything I can do for you?- Can I help you?

Brief answers to general questions also use the construction there is/ there are in the affirmative or negative form at the right time.

Is there a cat outside?- Is there a cat outside?
yes, there is.- Yes, I have.
no, there isn't.- Not.

Was there anyone in my room? Was there someone in my room?
yes, there was.- Yes.
no, there wasn't.- Not.

In special questions, the question word comes first, followed by the word order of the general question. After interrogative expressions how many/ how much followed by the noun they refer to.

Who is there in my room?- Who is in my room?
Why are there so many people? Why are there so many people there?
How much money is there in your wallet?- How much money is in your wallet?

Features of use

There is / There are can be used with almost all tenses and modal verbs, as well as with the construction to be going to. In this case, only the verb is changed. to be.

There has been an accident this morning. I hope everything is alright now.“There was an accident this morning. Hope everything is fine now.
She said that there had been nothing to drink at Matt's party. She said that there were no drinks at Matt's party.

There must be some money in my pocket. There must be some money in my pocket.
There may be a dog in their garden. Perhaps there is a dog in their yard.
There should have been a letter from Craig in my mailbox. There should have been a letter from Craig in my mailbox.

There is going to be a charity concert next week. They are going to hold a charity concert next week.

Enumeration of items

When listing multiple items after a construct there is / there are the verb to be is put in the singular or plural form depending on the number of the noun that follows it.

There is one cat and one puppy in Jack's house. There is one cat and one puppy in Jack's house.
There is a cat and two puppies in Jack's house. There is one cat and two puppies in Jack's house.
There are two puppies and a cat in Jack's house. There are two puppies and one cat in Jack's house.

There with other verbs

The verb to be in construction there is / there are can be replaced by other verbs that express the meaning of presence, such as to exist(be, exist) to lie(lie), to live(live), to come(come, happen) to stand(stand) etc.

There was a big stature in this park. There was a big statue in this park.
There stood a big stature in this park. There was a big statue in this park.

There lives an old woman in this house.- An elderly woman lives in this house.
There came some noise from his room. There was (some) noise coming from his room.