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How a sentence is built · CEFR A1 · Starting
Use “there is” with a singular noun or an uncountable amount: “There is a chair.” “There is some water.” Use “there are” with plural nouns: “There are two chairs.” These forms introduce something that exists or is present.
Rebuild this lesson’s reference sentence. Other tasks can have other valid word orders.
Tap words to add or remove them. Drag words into the answer, or use the buttons. Arrow keys move a selected word.
There is a table in the room.
There is + one thing · There are + many things
Question 1 of 1
Choose an answer, then check why it fits.
This is a check of this example, not an English level assessment.
Example 1 of 4
कमरे में एक मेज है।
There is a table in the room.
Use there is or there are to say something exists. Is or are matches the thing that follows, not the word there.
There is a book on the table.
Use there is or there are to say something exists. Is or are matches the thing that follows, not the word there.
There is water in the bottle.
Use there is or there are to say something exists. Is or are matches the thing that follows, not the word there.
There is food in the kitchen.
Use there is or there are to say something exists. Is or are matches the thing that follows, not the word there.
The shape
There is + one thing · There are + many things
Say that something exists, or that a place has something in it.
In Hindi
कोई चीज़ मौजूद है, यह बताने के लिए there is या there are। is या are उस चीज़ से मिलता है जो बाद में आती है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The word “there” does not tell you whether to choose “is” or “are”. The following noun does. An uncountable noun such as “water” normally uses “is”.
There is some rice. There are three plates.
Put “is” or “are” before “there”. A short answer can use the same verb.
Are there any buses? — Yes, there are.
“There is not” and “there are not” can be shortened to “there isn’t” and “there aren’t”. Use “any” when it fits the meaning.
There isn’t any milk. There aren’t any clean cups.
Answer first, then open the explanation. No login needed.
Choose the verb: There ___ two shops near my home.
There are two shops near my home.
“Two shops” is plural.
Choose the verb: There ___ some tea in the pot.
There is some tea in the pot.
“Tea” is uncountable in this sentence.
Further reading: British Council: There is, there are
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
There is many people outside. | There are many people outside. People is plural, so it takes are. |
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
There is a table in the room.
कमरे में एक मेज है।
There is a book on the table.
मेज पर एक किताब है।
There is water in the bottle.
बोतल में पानी है।
There is food in the kitchen.
रसोई में खाना है।
There are children in the park.
पार्क में बच्चे हैं।
There is milk in the shop.
दुकान में दूध है।
There are two chairs in the room.
कमरे में दो कुर्सियाँ हैं।
There is a car outside the house.
घर के बाहर एक कार है।
There is some money in the bag.
बैग में कुछ पैसे हैं।
There are a lot of people on the road.
सड़क पर बहुत लोग हैं।
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
There is / There are is a CEFR A1 structure — the starting band — and it belongs to how a sentence is built. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
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