There Is / There Are A1 Practice Test: Complete all three exercises. At the end, you can check your results for the “There Is” / “There Are” practice test.
Exercise 1
Choose the correct form, there is or there are, to complete each sentence.
Example: _____ a book on the desk.
Answer: There is a book on the desk.
There is, There Are A1 Grammar - Lesson/Explanation
Look at my kitchen. There is a table. There are four chairs. There is some water.
We use there is and there are to say that something exists or is in a place.
In this There is, There Are A1 Grammar lesson, you will learn how to talk about one thing, many things, negatives, questions, and short forms.
Rule Breakdown
First, learn three simple grammar words.
- Noun: a word for a person, animal, place, or thing. Examples: teacher, dog, school, table.
- Singular: one person, animal, place, or thing.
- Plural: two or more people, animals, places, or things. Many plural nouns end in -s: books, cats, cars.
There is = one thing.
There are = two or more things.
The word there starts the sentence. In this grammar, it does not mean a place like “over there”. It helps us introduce something.
There Is = One Thing
Mini-situation: I am Sara. This is my bedroom. My favourite colour is blue.
- There is a bed in my bedroom.
- There is a desk near the window.
- There is a blue bag on the chair.
Meaning: A bed exists in the bedroom. A desk exists near the window. A blue bag exists on the chair.
Rule
Use there is before one noun.
Pattern
There is + a/an + singular noun + place.
There is + a + singular noun
There is a cat in the garden.
There is a pen on the table.
There is + an + singular noun
There is an apple in the bag.
There is an egg on the plate.
There Are = Two or More Things
Mini-situation: This is my classroom.
- There are ten students.
- There are two windows.
- There are three pictures on the wall.
Meaning: Ten students exist in the classroom. Two windows exist in the classroom.
Rule
Use there are before two or more nouns.
Pattern
There are + number + plural noun + place.
There are + number + plural noun
There are two dogs in the park.
There are five books in my bag.
There are + some + plural noun
There are some shops near my home.
There are some pencils in the box.
There is, There Are A1 Grammar Rule Patterns
There is + a/an + singular noun
There is a book on the table.
There is an orange in the kitchen.
There are + number + plural noun
There are two books on the table.
There are three oranges in the kitchen.
There is + some + food or drink
There is some water in the glass.
There is some rice in the bowl.
There are + some + plural noun
There are some buses in the street.
There are some children in the park.
Negative Sentences with There is and There are
A positive sentence says something exists: There is a lamp.
A negative sentence says something does not exist: There is not a lamp.
Use not after is or are.
There is not + a/an + singular noun
There is not a TV in my room.
There is not an airport in this town.
There are not + any + plural noun
There are not any chairs in the kitchen.
There are not any students in the classroom.
There is not + any + food or drink
There is not any milk in the fridge.
There is not any bread on the table.
Questions with There is and There are
A question asks for information. Put is or are at the start.
Is there + a/an + singular noun?
Is there a bank near here?
Is there an apple in your bag?
Short answers
Yes, there is.
No, there is not.
Are there + any + plural noun?
Are there any shops near your home?
Are there any books on the desk?
Short answers
Yes, there are.
No, there are not.
How many + plural noun + are there?
How many bedrooms are there?
There are two bedrooms.
There is, There Are A1 Grammar Table
| Sentence type | One thing: there is | Two or more things: there are |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | There is a book. | There are two books. |
| Negative | There is not a book. | There are not any books. |
| Question | Is there a book? | Are there any books? |
| Yes answer | Yes, there is. | Yes, there are. |
| No answer | No, there is not. | No, there are not. |
Important Differences / Special Cases
A or An After There Is
Use a before one singular noun: a dog, a table, a bus.
Use an before one singular noun that starts with a vowel sound. Vowel letters are a, e, i, o, u: an apple, an egg, an orange.
Examples
There is a dog in the garden.
There is an egg on the plate.
Some and Any
Use some in positive sentences.
- There is some milk.
- There are some apples.
Use any in negative sentences and questions.
- There is not any milk.
- There are not any apples.
- Is there any milk?
- Are there any apples?
There Is with Water, Milk, Rice, and Money
Some nouns name things we do not count one by one, like water, milk, rice, and money. Use there is + some.
- There is some water in the glass.
- There is some rice on the plate.
- There is some money in my bag.
There Is or It Is?
Use there is to introduce a new thing. It says something exists.
Use it is to talk about one thing you already know.
Mini-story
There is a park near my house. It is big.
Lists with There Is and There Are
When you make a list, look at the first noun after there is or there are.
There is a sofa and two chairs in the room.
The first noun is a sofa, so we use there is.
There are two chairs and a sofa in the room.
The first noun is two chairs, so we use there are.
Easy A1 way: make two short sentences.
Example
There is a sofa. There are two chairs.
Common Mistakes
❌ There are a cat in the kitchen.
✅ There is a cat in the kitchen.
❌ There is two windows in my room.
✅ There are two windows in my room.
❌ There are not a chair in the hall.
✅ There is not a chair in the hall.
❌ Is there any shops near here?
✅ Are there any shops near here?
❌ There is not some milk in the fridge.
✅ There is not any milk in the fridge.
❌ There are some water on the table.
✅ There is some water on the table.
❌ It is a bank near my house.
✅ There is a bank near my house.
Contractions: There is, There are A1 Grammar
A contraction is a short form. It uses an apostrophe: '. We use contractions in speaking and friendly writing.
| Full form | Short form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| There is | There's | There's a dog in the park. |
| There is not | There isn't | There isn't a bank here. |
| There are not | There aren't | There aren't any eggs. |
| There are | There are | There are two buses. |
We usually write there are, not there're, in beginner English.
Do not use there's before plural nouns in careful English.
❌ There's two dogs in the garden.
✅ There are two dogs in the garden.
There is, There Are A1 Grammar: Quick Summary
- Use there is for one noun: There is a pen.
- Use there are for two or more nouns: There are two pens.
- Use there is + some for water, milk, rice, and similar nouns: There is some water.
- For negatives, use not: There is not a pen. There are not any pens.
- For questions, put is or are first: Is there a pen? Are there any pens?
- Short forms: There is = There's, There is not = There isn't, There are not = There aren't.
Now practise There is, There Are A1 Grammar in the exercises below.
