The rule for using the phrase there is (there are). Introductory construction there is, there are
Turnover ‘there be’ /‘there is/ there are’, …/ (* Further in the text in the examples the abbreviation “THR” is used) from a grammatical point of view is a deviation from the norm. However, like many other deviations in English language, it is regularly used in speech. It can be equally used both in oral and written speech, both in informal settings and in formal communication.
The use of this phrase is associated with a number of semantic ones, such as, for example, semantic ones: identification with the impersonal sentence ‘it is ...’, or the adverb /there/; grammatical: incorrect use of forms of the verb ‘be’, adding a verbal compliment to the predicate, etc.
Vs. 'there/there'
What is the difference between the phrase ‘there is/ there are’ and the adverb ‘there’?
‘There’ is often a common adverb of place, answering the question “Where?”, “Where?”, for example:
Are you comfortable there? / Are you comfortable there?
The book is there on the table/ The book is there, on the table.
In this case, the semantic emphasis falls on it, because it reflects the main “intrigue” of the statement.
However, ‘there’ can also act as a relative subject rather than as a place indication. This means that it becomes a pronoun, which nominally takes on the role of the subject, while the semantic subject is positioned as the object of the predicate. A semantic subject can be substituted for 'THR' without affecting grammar or overall meaning. The only thing is that some semantic connotation will be lost. In this turn, the pronoun 'THR' is not stressed and is pronounced casually.
Thus, /THR is/THR are/ is used to introduce new information and focus attention on it.
Vs.'it is'
How does the phrase ‘there is/ there are’ differ from the formal pronoun ‘it’ in the impersonal sentence ‘it is’? To do this, you need to briefly consider the topic and rheme. The theme is a background part that does not provide fundamental information; rhema is keyword(phrase) that plays a decisive role and is emphasized. ‘it’ is a fictitious representative of a logically non-existent subject, or existing somewhere in the context, and the rheme here is what happens to it, or what state it is in, what characteristics it has. Whereas ‘THR’ is a “warning” of the subject, which is semantically (logically) equivalent to the object of the predicate, and the rheme is, as a rule, someone or something. That is, the focus is on presence, presence, perhaps numbers.
Not used with Continuous, as an object or in passive voice (Passive V.)
In fact, the phrase 'there is/ there are' in English is a periphrasis of 'smth is', 'many are', where the verb 'be' appears in its semantic meaning - “to take place”, “to be”, “to be”, “to be present”, “to exist”, “to occur”. That is why it is not used with constructions of the Continuous aspect group (respectively, Perfect Continuous), and with the passive voice. For the same reason, it is not customary to use it with personal pronouns - it would sound like /THR am I/I am/, /THR are they/They are/, which is already implied, and therefore does not fundamentally convey new information, and from a semantic point of view is meaningless.
The rule for using the phrase ‘there is/ there are’
It follows from this that the construction can be used with:
Nouns with dependent words;
In the following constructions (only in active voice):
In all four times;
In the indefinite and perfect aspects.
The relative subject ‘There’ can be used in different tense-aspect constructions. However, in order to shorten the time, it is usually called simply the phrase ‘there is/ there are’. The construction scheme for all constructions is as follows: the pronoun ‘There’ opens the sentence. It is followed by the auxiliary verb ‘be’ in one of its forms, depending on the situation; followed by a noun with dependent words (if any), i.e. noun group.
THR is work to be done/ There is work that needs to be done.
THR will be a party tonight / Today there will be a party.
THR was no damage/ There was no danger.
THR have been two telephone calls/ Two telephone calls have been received.
Turnover ‘there is/there are’ in singular and plural
When a noun group after a verb is in, you need to use the plural form of the verb:
THR are many reasons for this/There are many reasons for this.
THR were two men in the room/There were two people in the room.
We also use verbs plural before phrases denoting relative empirical remarks, such as ‘a number (of)’, ‘a lot (of)’, ‘a few (of)’:
THR were a lot of people camped there.
THR are only a few left/ There are only a few left.
If the noun in the group is singular or uncountable, then the verb is used in the same form:
THR is one point we must add here/ There is one point that we must add here.
THR isn’t enough room in here/ There isn’t enough space here.
The verb is also used in the singular if several objects or persons are mentioned in the sentence, but the first noun following the verb is in the singular. number, or is uncountable:
THR was a man and a woman.
THR was a sofa and two chairs/There was a sofa and two chairs.
Cases of use
We use the phrase ‘there be’ (‘there is/ there are’, …) when we say:
About the existence or presence of people and objects:
THR are two people who might know what happened/ There are two people who may know what happened.
About something that happened:
THR’s a meeting every week/Meetings are held every week.
THR was a fierce battle/There was a fierce duel.
About number or quantity:
THR are forty of us, I think.
Modal verbs
The phrase ‘there is/there are’ can also be followed by ‘be’, ‘have been’ (in addition to those for the future and the future in the past):
THR could be a problem.
THR should be a change in government/There must be a change in government.
THR can’t have been anybody outside/ Nobody could be on the street.
THR must have been some mistake.
Abbreviations
The phrase ‘there is/there are’ in English is colloquial speech or informal situation allows shortening the verb 'be' or a modal verb and joining it to 'there' through an apostrophe ('s' - 'is' or 'has', 're' 'are', 'll' - 'shall' ' or 'will', ''ve' - 'have', ''d' - 'had', 'should' or 'would'):
THR's no danger/No danger.
THR'll always be a future for music/There will always be a future for music.
I knew THR’d be trouble/I knew there would be a problem.
THR's been quite a lot of research into it.
I didn’t even know THR’d been a murder/I didn’t even know that a murder had been committed.
‘Appear to be’
Also, in addition to the existential verb 'be' - that is, meaning “to be”, “to happen” - the less unambiguous “seems to be taking place”, “there is a feeling that is happening...” and similar phrases with verbs like 'appear' and 'seem':
THR appears to be a vast amount of confusion on this point.
THR seems to have been some carelessness.
It is difficult to overestimate the role played by the construction there is/there are in the English language. Before starting, we advise you to memorize prepositions of place. We will talk about the arrangement of things in different rooms or parts of them, so we will need words such as in, at, in front of, etc..
The special word order for the English language is preserved in these sentences. Let's start with the affirmative form, since we usually talk about word order in English sentence judged by it.
Usually, the construction there is (are) itself comes first, then the object whose location needs to be described. The sentence completes, with the exception of some cases, the adverbial adverbial place. Less often, the adverbial adverbial place is placed at the beginning of the sentence.
Here are simple classic examples:
There is a bird in the cage.
Since a direct translation will look a little ridiculous (there is a bird in a cage), it is better to translate this sentence from the end. "There's a bird sitting in a cage." The word “sits” is also “invented”, and the sentence will sound completely Russian.
There are birds in the cages.
“Birds are sitting in cages.” Most likely, you and I went to a pet store.
According to the rules, when in one sentence we describe several different objects or their groups, the placement of the there is / there are constructions depends on the number of the first mentioned objects. Examples:
There is a table, two chairs, and three armchairs in the room. The room has a table, two chairs and three armchairs.
There are two chairs, three armchairs, and a table. The room has two chairs, three armchairs and a table.
Negations
Making sentences with the construction there is are negative is as easy as shelling pears. It is necessary after one of the forms of the verb be (that is, is, are) to put the words no or not, which express negation.
Language learners sometimes worry about what to give them. We hasten to reassure you: there is practically no difference, except perhaps ‘ no’ makes the denial a little stronger. It stands out more with its voice. One nuance - after the word “ no» article ‘a’ is not used. Examples:
There is not a brick house in the area. There is no brick house in the area. There is no brick house in the area.
There are not any brick houses in the area. There are no brick houses in the area. There are no brick houses in the area. In a sentence with not, the negative pronoun any is often used.
Questions
Interrogative sentences differ in word order, and in them, as in negatives, an indefinite pronoun is used any Unlike some in affirmative sentences. Examples:
Is there petrol in the tank? Is there gasoline in the tank?
Are there any nails in the box? Are there any nails in the box?
Conversational forms
We considered only classic full forms sentences with there is/ are. It is very important to note that in spoken English it is preferable to use shortened forms of affirmative or negative sentences. Examples:
There's an apple in the vase. There is an apple in the vase.
There aren't any apples in the vase. There are no apples in the vase.
There isn’t an apple in the vase. There's no apple in the vase. There is no apple in the vase.
Table
Now let's work with a traditional table. We think that it will not be difficult to supplement it with your own examples. Use dictionaries more actively. Use an internet search. First, you can write the sentences given in this article into the table.
The construction there is and there are may seem difficult, especially to beginners, simply because there is no equivalent in Russian. What complicates the situation is that in some cases this construction is not translated in any way. We invite you to understand this phrase once and for all and learn to use it correctly.
To make learning more interesting and you could see the practical use of this design, we added inserts from films.
Why is there is / there in English?
This construction means that something exists or is located in a specific place. Theoretically, it can be translated as “there is”, “there exists”, “there is there”, but in practice it usually remains untranslated. Let's look at an example:
The Englishman will say:
There is a pencil on the table, you can take it.
We will say:
There is a pencil on the table, you can take it.
As you can see, the sentence is not translated literally. Translation word for word would look very clumsy:
There is a pencil on the table, you can take it.
Now let's literally try to translate from Russian into English:
A pencil lies on the table.
It would seem that everything is correctly translated “the pencil is on the table.” The only problem is that in English, when they say that an inanimate object is somewhere, they don’t use the word “lie”.
As long as there is life, there is hope.
Or imagine a situation where you ordered a pizza and asked to add mushrooms to it. They bring you pizza, but without the mushrooms, for which you paid extra. To complain to the waiter, you will need the design we are looking at today. Here's what you can say:
We’ve ordered pizza with mushrooms, but there aren't any mushrooms in our pizza.
We ordered pizza with mushrooms, but our pizza didn't have mushrooms.
Of course you can say:
No mushrooms are in our pizza. / Mushrooms aren’t in our pizza.
But this one will sound like “there are no mushrooms on my pizza.” That is, you will sound like a person who knows English very, very poorly. Such sentences will look unnatural, and the interlocutor will have to try very hard to solve your “puzzle” and understand from this set of words what you mean.
Or imagine that you want to say that there is a certain group of people. For example, you are discussing your dream job with someone. You say that you would like to earn money by traveling. And the person objects to you that this is not work.
As an argument, you can cite the fact that there are many examples of people who make money by traveling. And for this you will also need the there + be construction:
There are many examples of people who make a living as travelers.
There are many examples of people who make a living as travelers.
There are good people here.
How are sentences constructed with the construction there + be?
Based on the examples above, you probably already guessed that we put “is” when we talk about an object in the singular, and “are” when we talk about it in the plural.
Structure affirmative proposal will look like this:
There is / there are + subject + adverbial place or time.
There are two cats in the yard. — There are two cats in the yard.
There is a bottle of milk in the refrigerator. — There is a bottle of milk in the refrigerator.
The construction is abbreviated as follows:
There is - there's
There are - there're
By the way, in informal speech you can sometimes find there’s in cases where we are talking about the plural. This is not very literate, but in a conversation with a friend it is acceptable. Of course, you should never use there is with the plural in formal communication.
WITH uncountable nouns also used there is:
There is some water in that bottle. — There is some water in that bottle.
Negation:
To form a negative sentence, just add the particle not after there is/ there are a and put the pronoun any before the subject.
T here aren't any pencils on the table. — There are no pencils on the table.
There isn't any milk in the fridge. — There is no milk in the refrigerator.
Okay, if there's no hope, why don't you leave?
The second way is to add a negative particle "no" before the subject.
There is no pencil on the table. — There is no pencil on the table.
- No exceptions.
Interrogative sentences with there is and there are
For building interrogative sentences we simply place the verb “be” in the required form (is, are) at the beginning of the sentence:
Is there a pencil on the table? — Is there a pencil on the table?
Are there many people at the office? — Are there many people in the office?
Okay, any questions?
If the question contains question words like what / how many etc., then the sentence pattern will look like this:
Question word + be + there + adverb of place or time.
For example:
How many pencils are there on the table? — How many pencils are on the table?
What is there behind the door? -What is there behind the door?
There + be at different times
Of course, we can use this construction in other tenses as well. To do this, we simply need to put the verb "be" in the form of the tense in which we want to use the construction.
For example, for the past tense the construction would look like this
Was there a doctor at the party? — Was there a doctor at the party?
Was there someone there?
There were many interesting people at the conference.
There were a lot of interesting people at the conference.
For the future tense, we put the auxiliary verb will before the verb "be". In negatives, the particle not is added to it; in questions, it is brought forward.
There will be consequences!
Will be there a boy who do you like? —Will there be a boy you like there?
- There will be no more games.
There is with modal verbs:
You can also use this construction with modal verbs. For example, you decide to cook an omelette in the evening, and at the store a friend tells you that you forgot to take milk. Do you remember that you still had enough milk left at home? Then you can answer:
There should be some milk in the refrigerator.
There should be milk in the refrigerator.
There shouldn't be any problems, right?
There might be a mistake. — There may be a mistake.
Small but important features
Please note that with definite article(the) this design is practically not used.
Don't say:
There is the pencil on the table. — This pencil “exists” on the table.
It would be correct to say:
The pencil is on the table. — This pencil is on the table.
If we want to list several items, and we start with the plural, then we say there are.
There are two pencils and a pen in the box.
The box contains two pencils and a pen.
If, on the contrary, we first talk about an object in the singular, and then add objects in the plural - we use there is.
There is some milk and two eggs in the refrigerator.
There is some milk and two eggs in the refrigerator.
Although the construction there is and there are may seem a little confusing at first glance, with constant practice you can easily bring it to automaticity. The main thing is to remember the basic rules, read and listen a lot in English, and, of course, try to speak correctly.
In English, the phrase there is/are is very common. This construction has no analogue in the Russian language, which makes it difficult to understand and use. What makes it special?
How and when to use there is/ there are? You can be sure that you have asked yourself this question more than once. Let's figure out what the difficulties of using this phrase are.
Semantic side
Construction there is (there are) reports the location of a particular object or person, information about which is still unknown. The rule of phonetics says that the phrase must be pronounced together, the main emphasis in the sentence should be on the subject.
There is a man in the window. There (is) a person in the window.
There are flowers in the garden. There (are) flowers in the garden.
Let’s give two sentences that are identical in meaning at first glance and look at what the main difference is:
The cup is on the table. The cup (is) on the table. – This proposal emphasizes place, where the object is already known to the interlocutor.
There is a cup on the table. There (is) a cup on the table. – This proposal emphasizes precisely item, located in a certain place already known to the interlocutor (on the table).
Thus, turnover there is/there are used to convey new information about an object located in a known location.
Translation
Sentences according to the rule with the construction there is/there are are translated from the end, that is, from the adverbial place or time. Moreover, the word there is omitted, but in some cases it can be used twice if it makes sense to indicate the meaning “there”.
There are some mistakes in the test. – There are several errors in the work.
There are nobody there. - There is nobody there.
Subject
1. Before a countable noun in singular. The article a is used in number.
2. Before an uncountable noun or noun. in plural number is used some, any, many, a lot, much, few, little, two, three.
There are some roses in the garden.
There isn't any juice in the box.
There were many pupils in the camp.
Constructing a sentence with turnover
There + to be + subject + adverbial of time or place.
There + is + a book + on the table.
There + are + many happy days + in summer.
Are or Is?
Are used if the subject - noun is in the plural:
Is used if the subject - noun is singular:
There are chairs at the table. - There are chairs near the table.
There is a chair at the table. - There is a chair near the table.
Tense forms of the verb to be in there is/there are!!!:
Present Indefinite: there is/there are – there is, located;
Past Indefinite: there was/there were – was, was;
Future Indefinite: there will be (one form for plural and singular) – will be located;
Present Perfect: there has been/there have been – was, was;
Past Perfect: there had been (one form for plural and singular) - was, was;
There were many people in the meeting. — There were a lot of people at the meeting.
There have been a lot of pears in the garden this year. – There were a lot of pears in the garden this year.
Different types of sentences with the construction there are/there is.
The phrase we are studying is often used in question phrases. various types. The construction of a negative sentence with this construction also has a special feature. Let’s consider each separately.
General question:
To be + there + subject + adverbial of time or place?
Is + there + a phone + in mother’s room? – Is there a telephone in mom’s room?
Short answers with there is/there are
a) Yes/No, there + is/isn’t.
Is + there + a phone + in mother’s room? – No, there isn’t
b) Yes/No, there + auxiliary verb (was, were, will, has, have, had)/ auxiliary. verb+ not
Were there many people in the class? – Yes, there were.
Special question:
Special question word (what) + to be + there + circumstance of time or place?
What are there on the bed? -What's on the bed?
Separated question:
To be + there + subject + or + alternative subject + adverbial of time or place?
Is there tea or milk in the cup? Is there tea or milk in the cup?
Negative sentence:
1. There + to be + not + subject + adverbial of time or place.
There aren’t any photos in the box. – There are no photographs in the box.
There isn’t a pen in the pencil-case. - There is no pen in the pencil case.
2. There + to be + no + subject + adverbial of time or place (this is a more common option).
There are no people in the street. - There are no people on the street.
There was no juice in the bottle. - There is no juice in the bottle.
Substitutes to be
Instead of to be, other verbs can be used that do not change the meaning of the construction, but give a different meaning to the entire sentence. Substitutes can be modal or intransitive verbs, close in meaning to to be (live, exist, stand, lie, come):
There mustn’t be any mistakes in your work. – There should be no mistakes in your work.
There lived a model in the village. — A model lived in the village.
If you use this element correctly English grammar, then your speech will be more lively and interesting. Follow the rule there is (there are) and you will easily master all the features of this design.
Here you can take a lesson on the topic: English phrases There is and There are. English phrases There is and There are.
In English there is a special form of expressing the arrangement of things. For these purposes they are used rpm there is And there are. In this lesson we will look at in what cases and how to use these phrases correctly, as well as some of their distinctive features.
In Russian, we literally translate the phrase there is/ there are - there is, but it is believed that sentences starting with such a phrase are better translate from the end omitting the word "there". For example:
There is one chair in the room. - There (is) one chair in the room.
There are some chairs in the room. - There (are) several chairs in the room.
1. The English quite often use the phrase there is/there are, mainly to mark where and what is located, so the location is present in the sentence. The phrase itself there is/ there are is customary to put at the beginning of a sentence. Let's look at examples:
There is a knife on the table. - There (is, lies) a knife on the table.
There are five balls in the box. - There (are) five balls in the box.
Please note that the phrase there is is used before subjects singular, and there are - in front of the subjects in plural. Order affirmative proposals next: Subject (There) - Predicate (to be) - Object (Object) - Circumstance (Adverbial modifier).
Often in sentences with the phrase there is/ there are used in addition numerals, articles or indefinite pronouns. For example:
There is a cup of tea on the table. - There (is) a cup of tea on the table.
There is one stove in the kitchen. - There (is) one stove in the kitchen.
There is some furniture in the hall. - There (are) some furniture in the hall.
There are six couples in the game. - There (are, participate in) six pairs in the game.
There are some houses nearby. - There (are) several houses nearby.
As can be seen from the examples, with singular countable objects, you can use the numeral one, or indefinite article a/an; with uncountable nouns (for example, furniture) the indefinite pronoun some is usually used; and with countable objects in the plural - any other numerals, or the indefinite pronoun some (also several - several).
Negative sentences with the phrase there is/ there are formed by adding the negative particle “not” to the verb to be. As a result, we get negative phrases there is not/ there are not, which can be reduced to the forms there isn't/ there aren't. Let's look at examples:
There isn't a door in this room. - There is no door in the room.
There isn't any milk in the refrigerator. - There is no milk in the refrigerator.
There aren't any people at the store. - There are no people in the store.
From the examples it is clear that in negative sentences, the pronoun some is replaced by the pronoun any. The same change occurs in interrogative sentences.
In many sentences with the phrase there is/there are, the word “no” is also often used to give the sentence a negative connotation. However, abbreviations in such phrases are not allowed. For example:
There is no ham on this sandwich. - There is no ham on this sandwich.
There are no palyers in this team. - There are no players in this team.
For creating questions with the phrase there is/ there are, it is enough to apply inversion, i.e. swap the subject with the predicate. For example:
Is there one TV in the bedroom? - Yes, there is. -No, there isn't. -Is there a TV in the bedroom? -Yes. -No.
Is there any sugar in the tea? -Yes, there is. -No, there isn't. -Is there sugar in tea? -Yes. -No.
Are there any windows in the castle? -Yes, there are. -No, there aren't." - Are there windows in the castle? - Yes. - No.
As can be seen from the examples, short answers to general questions also contain the phrase there is/there in the affirmative or negative form.
With the revolutions there is/ there are you can also build special questions with question words who? what? why? etc. (everything except the word where?). In such questions, question words are put in first place, and then the sentence is constructed as in general issue. Let's look at examples:
What is there in your bag? - What (is) in your bag?
Why are there so many policemen in the bank? - Why are there so many police officers in the bank?
Who is there in your car? -Who's there in your car?
How many students are there in the classroom? - How many students are there in the class?
2. Should be given Special attention phonetic side turn there is/ there, since it contains some of the most complex English sounds for pronunciation. These are the sounds /ð/ and /зə/. Try reading the following sentences, paying attention to pronunciation:
There is /ðзəiz/ a leather jacket in the car. - There (is) a leather jacket in the car.
There are /ðзəa:/ some bird feathers on the hat. - The hat (has) several bird feathers.
There isn't /ðзəiznt/ any water in the kitchen. - There is no water in the kitchen.
There aren't /ðзəa:nt/ any toothbrushes in the bathroom. - There are no toothbrushes in the bathroom.
Is there /izðзə:/ a book on the table? - Is there a book on the table?
Are there /a:ðзə:/any glasses in the cupboard? - Are there glasses in the kitchen cabinet?
3. The phrase there is/ there are is also used in past tense. Since the main verb in the phrase is the verb to be, then in the past tense the singular phrase is - there was, and the plural phrase is there were. Let's consider different shapes offers:
There was a supermarket in this area of the city. - There was a supermarket in this part of the city.
There were some interesting pistures in the gallery. - There were several interesting paintings in the gallery.
There wasn't a computer in the study. - There was no computer in the office.
There weren't any horses in the village. - There were no horses in the village.
Was there any food in the refrigerator? - Was there food in the refrigerator?
Were there any Italian restaurants in the city? - Were there any Italian restaurants in the city?
4. The phrases there is/ there are are often found in English proverbs and sayings.
There are none so blind as those that will not see. - There are none more blind than those who do not want to see.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat. - There is more than one way to skin a cat. / Not by washing, but by rolling.
There’s no bad weather, there are bad clothes. - No bad weather, there are bad clothes.
There's no smoke without fire. - There is no smoke without fire.
There's no place like home. - No better place than at home./ It’s good at a party, but at home it’s better.
There's no time like the present. - There is no better time than now. / Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. - There are no free lunches./ Free cheese is only in a mousetrap.
Thus, we got acquainted with one of the most frequently used English phrases there is / there are, its general characteristic, as well as some grammatical and phonetic properties. Since the phrase there is/ there are is mainly used to indicate the location of various objects, you can practice composing your own sentences. Take a look around. What do you see? Where are the things you are used to? etc. The more examples you have, the better!
