Lesson Six
There
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There is a boy behind the tree.
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There is a student in the classroom.
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Questions:
- Is there a boy behind the tree?
- Is there a student in the classroom?
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Plural
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There are three football players.
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There are two people and two dogs.
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There are two little girls playing with blocks.
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Questions:
- Are there three football players?
- Are there two little girls playing with blocks?
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Remember: The word “there” can be singular or plural. It depends on the words that follow it.
When using “there” you must think ahead to the noun that follows it. This noun is the subject. “There” is a dummy subject.
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“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.
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write:  
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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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