English A1

Difference between There is and There are

We use There is and There are to say that something exists (or doesn't). Here is how to construct positive, negative, and interrogative sentences using these expressions:

Positive Sentences

Rule 1: You should use There is with singular countable nouns.

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Rule 2: You should use There are with plural countable nouns.

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Rule 3: You should use There is with uncountable nouns.

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Negative Sentences

Rule 4: To construct a negative sentence (to say that something doesn't exist), you should add not after is or are.

English 2

Rule 5: You should use There are not any with countable nouns and There is not any with uncountable nouns to indicate that a zero quantity of something exists.

English 2

Contractions

You can use contractions in spoken and written informal English. Here is how to contact There is and There are:

Long formContraction
There is There's
There is not There's not / There isn't
There are
There are not There aren't

Note: You cannot contract There are.

Questions

Rule: To construct a question, you should place Is or Are in front of there.

English 2

Quiz

1/4

Complete the sentence. ___ a blanket on the bed.