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How a sentence is built · CEFR A2 · Everyday
The same pattern moves through time by changing only be: there was, there will be, there has been.
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 was nobody at home.
There was / were · There will be · There has been
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
घर पर कोई नहीं था।
There was nobody at home.
The same pattern moves through time by changing only be: there was, there will be, there has been.
My phone was ringing in my bag.
The same pattern moves through time by changing only be: there was, there will be, there has been.
There was nobody in the room.
The same pattern moves through time by changing only be: there was, there will be, there has been.
There were a lot of people yesterday.
The same pattern moves through time by changing only be: there was, there will be, there has been.
The shape
There was / were · There will be · There has been
Say what existed before, or what will exist.
In Hindi
यही ढाँचा समय के साथ बदलता है — सिर्फ़ be बदलती है: there was, there will be, there has been।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
There will have a meeting tomorrow. | There will be a meeting tomorrow. The pattern is always there + be, never there + have. |
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
There was nobody at home.
घर पर कोई नहीं था।
My phone was ringing in my bag.
मेरा फोन बैग में बज रहा था।
There was nobody in the room.
कमरे में कोई नहीं था।
There were a lot of people yesterday.
कल बहुत लोग थे।
There was a meeting yesterday.
कल एक बैठक थी।
There was no class yesterday.
कल कोई कक्षा नहीं थी।
There will be an exam tomorrow.
कल एक परीक्षा होगी।
There used to be a shop here.
यहाँ पहले एक दुकान थी।
also correct: There was a shop here before.
There will be a programme in the evening.
शाम को एक कार्यक्रम होगा।
These come first. The rest of this makes more sense once they are automatic.
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
There was / There will be is a CEFR A2 structure — the everyday 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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