There Is and There Are: A1 English Guide and Practice

A1 English grammar

There Is and There Are

Learn how to describe places and things with a simple rule, clear examples, and a short practice activity.

The basic rule

There is

Use there is with one person or thing.

There is a book on the table.

There is a café near my house.

There are

Use there are with two or more people or things.

There are three books on the table.

There are two cafés near my house.

Negative sentences

Use there is not or there isn’t for one thing. Use there are not or there aren’t for more than one.

  • There isn’t a bank on this street.
  • There aren’t any students in the classroom.

Questions and short answers

Is there a supermarket nearby? Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t.

Are there any parks nearby? Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t.

Practice

Choose is or are.

  1. There ___ a new student in our class.
  2. There ___ two windows in the room.
  3. ___ there a bus stop near here?
  4. ___ there any restaurants on this street?
  5. There ___ not any milk in the fridge.
  6. There ___ not a computer on the desk.
Check your answers

1. is   2. are   3. Is   4. Are   5. is   6. is

Continue practising

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