There is / There are — English But Better

Positive: there is / there are

Use there is with singular nouns and there are with plural nouns:

Form	Contraction	Example
There is + singular	There's	There's a bank on the corner.
There are + plural	There are (no common contraction)	There are five students in the class.

Negative: there isn't / there aren't

Form	Example
There isn't + singular	There isn't a supermarket here.
There aren't + plural	There aren't any chairs.

Questions: is there / are there?

Question	Yes	No
Is there a hospital near here?	Yes, there is.	No, there isn't.
Are there any shops?	Yes, there are.	No, there aren't.

some and any

Word	When to use	Example
some	Positive sentences	There are some cars in the street.
any	Negatives and questions	There aren't any cafés. · Are there any hotels?

There is vs It is: Use there is/are to say something EXISTS: "There's a cat in the garden." Use it is to describe something already known: "It's a big cat." Don't say "It is a cat in the garden" — that's wrong.

Exercise

← Have got This / That / These / Those →