Uses of There is /There are : positive, negative and question with practice

 There is / There are

There is and there are are very common in English since they are used almost every day by people to describe the existence of one or more things. So it is essentially important for specifically beginners to learn the structures to be able to communicate more fluently and grammatically correct. Now, let's explore the use of there is/ there are in positive, negative and question forms.

There is

Positive 

There is + a/an/one + singular noun. 

Singular noun refers one thing, person, place or animal. For example, one book, one student, one tiger, one country.

Example

• There is a computer on the table.
• There is an airplane in the sky.
• There is one teacher in the classroom
• There is a big park near my house.
• There is an egg in the fridge.

There is + (a little/ some/ a lot of/ much) + non-countable noun.

Non-countable noun refers the noun that we cannot count so it has no plural form that means we cannot add -s,-es or -ies. For example, water, oil, money, rice...etc.

Example

• There is a lot of salt water in the world.
• There is a little oil left.
• There is a lot of money in the bank.
• There is so much noise in the city.

Negative

There is + not + singular noun/non-countable noun. 

Example

• There isn't a computer on the table.
• There isn't an airplane in the sky.
• There isn't any oil left in the fridge.
• There isn't much fresh water in the world.

Yes/No Question

Is there + singular noun/non-countable noun? 

Short answers

• Yes, there is.
• No, there isn't. 

Example

• Is there a computer on the table?
• Is there an airplane in the sky?
• Is there any oil left in the fridge?
• Is there a lot of fresh water in the world? 

There are

Positive

There are + plural noun.

Plural noun refers two or more things, people, places or animals. For example, two books, ten students, a lot of tigers.

Example

• There are 20 students in the classroom.
• There are a lot of animals on the farm.
• There are many tall buildings in the city.
• There are some beautiful places. 

Negative

There are + not + any / many + plural noun.

• There are not many people living in this area.
• There are not any wild animals in this bush.
• There are not  any pens in my pencil case.
• There are not many books in this library. 

Yes/ No question

Are there + any / many / a lot of + plural noun?

Example

• Are there a lot of students in your class?
• Are there any tigers in this jungle?
• Are there many books in that library?
• Are there any people living in this place?

How much Vs How many

How many + plural noun + are there?

• How many students are there in your classroom?
• How many people are there in your family?
• How many books are there in this library?

How much + non-countable noun + is there?

• How much sugar is there in your coffee?
• How much fresh water in there in the world?
• How much oil is there in the bottle?

Note

In negative sentence instead of  using " not", we can also use " no".

• There is / are + no + singular or plural noun.
• There is no oil left in the bottle.
• There is no egg in the fridge.
• There are no people living here.
• There are no chairs chairs in this classroom.

Practice 1

Complete the following sentences using " is and are". 

Positive

There ________ a big tree in front of the house.

There ________ many cards on the table.

There ________ a dog in the yard.

There ________ some milk in the fridge.

There ________ a new student in our class.

There ________ a beautiful sunset today.

There ________ a lot of noise outside.

There ________ a good movie on TV.

There ________ two cats sleeping.

There ________ a funny clown at the birthday party.

Negative

There ________ no cookies left in the jar.

There ________ nobody at the door.

There ________ not any flowers in the garden.

There ________ a mistake in your answer.

There ________ no evidence to prove that.

There ________ not many people at the event.

There ________ a problem with the computer.

There ________ no milk in the cup.

There ________ nothing on the shelf.

There ________ no buses coming now.

Questions

________ there any bananas in the basket?

________ there many students in the classroom?

________ there a post office nearby?

________ there any water in the glass?

________ there a reason for the delay?

________ there any chairs in the room?

________ there a park you visit often?

________ there any sugar in the tea?

________ there a problem with your phone?

________ there any dogs in the park?

Practice 2 

Choose one correct answer and then click on submit to see your result.