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B6 There

Lesson Six

There

Singular
There is a black cat.
There is a boy behind the tree.
There is a student in the classroom.

Questions:

  • Is there a boy behind the tree?
  • Is there a student in the classroom?
Plural
There are three football players.

There are two people and two dogs.

 

There are two little girls playing with blocks.

 

Questions:

  • Are there three football players?
  • Are there two little girls playing with blocks?

Remember: The word “there” can be singular or plural. It depends on the words that follow it.

  • There is a book on the table. (singular)
  • There are three books on the table. (plural)

When using “there” you must think ahead to the noun that follows it. This noun is the subject. “There” is a dummy subject.

“There” is used for information and facts. Sometimes “there” is singular, and sometimes “there” is plural.

Examples:

  • There is a clock on the wall. (singular)
  • There’s a rabbit in the backyard. (singular)

There is = There’s. Most Americans use the contraction, there’s

  • There are seven days in a week. (plural).
  • There are some flowers on the table. (plural)

There are = (no contraction) Some Americans say “there’s” even when the subject is plural. You shouldn’t do that.

write:

1. _________ ________ a restaurant on this street.

2. _________ ________ a lot of people here.

3. _________ ________ some water on the floor.

4. _________ ________ a police officer over there.

5. _________ ________ some flowers on the table.

(Answers: 1. There is; 2. There are; 3. There is; 4. There is; 5. There are)

Here is an additional writing exercise for “there.

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