When it is written it is there is. When is it written, and when is there? The meaning of the construction There is \ There are

Have you ever heard about the situation with a fly in a bowl of soup? If (God forbid) this happens to you, then you should complain to the waiter and demand a replacement of the dish immediately! Waiter! There's a FLY in my soup! Woop!

The construction of the sentence seems quite simple, but, oddly enough, in English the phrase “there is” / “there are” often causes many difficulties both in construction and in translation and, accordingly, in use. So when is there is and when are there?

But since you"re with us! There"ll be no problems! You will forever remember this phrase and be on friendly terms with it, carefully reading and remembering this article, of course. So, check it out!

What does there is/there are mean?

The phrase “there” + “be” is translated, starting with the circumstances of the place, which usually comes at the end of a sentence:

There is a cat in the box.
There (is) a cat in the box.

If there is no circumstance, then during translation the sentence begins with the words “is”, “there is”, “exists”, “happens”, “is located”, etc. In principle, often “there is / there are” is not translated at all . Like this
“invisible”, but extremely necessary turnover.

When to use there is and there are

« There is" And " there are"is used when they want to say that something exists (does not exist) or is (is not) located in a specific place.

« There is" indicates the presence in a certain place of some kind one object (person). Also used with indefinite subjects (this is when the indefinite article ("a", "an") is used when there is no article, or the words "some", "any", "no" are used), and with indefinite pronouns like "somebody", "nothing"

There's something that makes me feel worried. - Something is bothering me.

« There are» indicates availability at a specific location several(many) objects (persons).

There are two cats on the couch. - There (are) 2 cats on the sofa.

note: the word “there” (there) in the phrase “there is/there are” has no independent meaning and forms an inseparable whole with “is/are”. If, according to the meaning, it is necessary to express the circumstance of place with the word “there” - “there”, then “there” is repeated at the end of the sentence.

There are so many boxes there. - There (are) so many boxes.

Sentence structure with there is and there are

To make everything clearer, we present you with a simple formula and below is an example with numbers for clarity:

(1) " There is/there are" + (2) subject + (3) circumstance of place or time.

(1) There are (2) a lot of flowers (3) in the garden.

Affirmative sentences

There is one table in the classroom.
There are three cats on the couch.
There is a spider in the bath.
There are many sinners in Hell.

« There is» also used with uncountable nouns(uncountable nouns):

There is milk in the fridge.
There is some sugar on the table.
There is ice cream on your shirt.

The number of the verb “be” is determined by the number of the first noun after this phrase:

There is a table and two chairs in the room.
There are two cats and a midget in the car.

Abbreviations (contractions). “There is” in a simplified version becomes “ there's" Almost always, in informal correspondence or in colloquial speech, this particular version of the phrase is used.

There's a good song on the radio.
There's only one chocolate bar left in the box.

As you know, shortening can be done in different ways, but pay attention to the option with “are”:

there is not = there's not = there isn't/ there are not = there aren't. There's no contraction of “there are”. Pay attention!

There are nine cats on the roof.
There are only five weeks until my birthday.

When talking about informal communication, we can use "there's" even when talking about the plural. But don't try to use it in formal correspondence or in an exam. This is forbidden.

There's three other people who are still to come.
There's lots of cars in the car park.

Usually " there» not used with a definite subject.

The door was open. - The door is open. (Error: “There was the door open.”)

Interrogative sentences

Questions are formed by the usual rearrangement (subject “ there" changes places with the predicate " be»):

Is there Anyone at home?
Are there any cats on the floor?

When posing a question to define the subject, question words are used “ how many», « how much"how much and interrogative pronoun" what", which precede the subject:

How many cats are there on the couch?
How much water is there in the bottle?
What is there in the box?

In the answer to the last question, the verb “to be” can also be used in the plural if the fact of the presence of several objects or phenomena is stated (or, for example, in the case of their listing):

« How many" With " are there" If we want to find out the number of existing objects, then we use “how many” according to the following structure:

« How many» + plural noun + « are there» (+ addition).

How many dogs are there in the park?
How many students are there in your class?
How many gangsters are there in Chicago?
How many horror movies are there in your collection?

"There" can also be used in " question tags» (short general question, affirmative question).

There'll be enough boxes for everyone, won't there?

Negative sentences

In negative sentences after the verb " to be" is used either " not"(when the noun following the negation is preceded by pronoun or numeral), or " no" (in other cases).

There is not(isn't) any money in the wallet. — There is no money in the wallet.
There is no money in the wallet. — There is no money in the wallet.

A short negative answer consists of the word “ no", followed by " there" and the verb " to be" in the appropriate form with a negative particle " not»:

Are there any cats on the couch? No,there are not(aren't).
Is there a dog in the supermarket? - No, there isn't.

There "aren't" with "any". When we want to talk about zero quantity of something, we use " there aren't any».

There aren't any people at the party.
There aren't any trees in my street.

The same goes for uncountable nouns:

There isn't any water in the swimming pool.
There isn't any sugar in my coffee.

« There" can also be used in sentences where " be" is an auxiliary verb in the form progressive or passive. Pay attention to the word order:

There have been more Americans killed in road accidents than in all the wars since 1900.
There'll be somebody meeting you at the airport.

The construction can also be used with modal verbs:

There must be somebody inside - ring again.
There may be a mistake - check again.
There might be some prey running around — I should be attentive.

This structure should also be translated into Russian from the end.

Temporal forms there + be

What about other temporary forms? Or is it only the Present who is in charge here? Not at all!

"There" is used with different forms of "be" in a variety of tenses. Use it for your health!

There were fire-breathing dragons in the streets. ( Past Simple)
I think there"ll be loads of people at the festival. ( Future Simple)
There hasn't been many entries for the competition. ( Present Perfect)
The examination concluded that there had been no ill-treatment during detention. ( Past Perfect)
By the time he hopes that there will have been full consultation with the human rights bodies. ( Future Perfect Continuous).

It should be noted that in the question in the future tense before « there» is put « will", and the verb " to be" is put after him.

Will there be are your friends there? - Will your friends be there?

Difference between there is/there are and it/they

Take a look at the following suggestions. First, we become familiar with the essence of the proposal using “ there is / there are", and then we refer to what was mentioned using " it" or " they».

There's a good movie on channel 2. It starts at 10 o"clock (it = the movie).
There are 3 new students in our class. They"re from Brazil (they = the students).

The constructions “there is” and “there are” are used only in relation to new information. If anything already mentioned in context, then you should use “it is” or “they are”.

We also use " it» + « to be» + adjective + infinitive phrases ( infinitive clauses). In such sentences the emphasis falls on the infinitive phrase:

It's nice to meet you.
It's hard to hear anything with this noise.
Was it easy to understand him?
It"ll be difficult to fit into the box.

Conclusion

Today we repeated/studied the main nuances of using the construction “there is” / “there are” in different tenses and types of sentences.

We hope you won’t have any more questions on this topic!

Keep going forward like there's no tomorrow!

And stay classy!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

Largest of all. It is... nice light room There are... pictures on... walls. There is ... round are table ... in the middle of ... Room. There is... sofa... at ...wall with ... Large thick carpet in ...front of it. ... Study and ... bedroom small, but very comfortable table

sheep 23. It is a cigarette. 24. It is a cat. 25. It is not a girl. 26. It isn't a bag. 27. It isn't a tree. 28. It is not a bad egg. 29. It is a good egg. 30. Is that a flower?

and also this

1. This man is an engineer. 2, That woman is my sister. 3. This child is my son, 4. That goose is big. 5. This mouse is white. 6. This man is a doctor. 7. That woman is my cousin. She is a teacher 8. That girl is my niece. She is a pupil. 9. This girl has a blue sweater. 10. This boy has a good coat. 11. My uncle has a large flat. 12. There is a table in the room. 13. I have a good pen. My pen is in my pocket. 14. There is a flower in the vase. 15. This child's foot is sore.

million people. 2. In the West End there are many famous museums, theatres, palaces and parks. The British Museum is one of the most famous museums in the world. Is contains the most important collection of things from Greece and Egypt, including the famous Egyptian mummies. The West End includes Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and the main shopping areas of Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street. 3. The Houses of Parliament built in the 19th century, are the place where the English Government sits. Big Ben is the name given to the clock and the bell of the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. The great bell weighs thirteen and a half tons. Buckingham Palace is the home of Britain Kings and Queens. Every day a lot of tourists come to see the ceremony of Changing the Guard in front of Buckingham Palace. 4. The East End grew with the spread of industries to the east of the City, and the growth of the port of London. It is one of those areas of London where people from abroad have come to find work. The East End is especially famous as the center of the clothing industry in London; compose special questions for this text))

smoke. 3. I was (angry, angrily) at what he did. 4. He stormed (angry, angrily) out of the room. 5. It isn’t (bad, badly). 6. To the parent’s disgust, the child behaved very (bad, badly) at the table. 7. He dreamed of acting (brave, bravely) in emergency. 8. Hi is a (brave, bravely) man. 9. This is quite (clear, clearly). 10. I can see (clear, clearly) what you mean. 11. She looked at them (cold, coldly). 12. The weather is (cold, coldly) today. 13. This is a (comfortable, comfortably) desk. 14. The English like to live (comfortable, comfortably). 15. He is (dangerous, dangerously) calm. 16. This road is (dangerous, dangerously). 17. Let’s look at it from (different, different) angles. 18. The two sisters reacted (different, differently). 19. This definition is not quite (exact, exactly). 20. Can you tell me (exact, exactly) when he will come. 21. He seems to be not very (happy, happily) about it. 22. They smiled (happy. happily). 23. The girl was (heavy, heavily) painted. 24. The case is too (heavy, heavily), 25. She signed (helpless, helplessly). 26. She is quite (helpless, helplessly) with the child. 27. The work was done (perfect, perfectly). 28. The weather during the last few days has been (perfect, perfectly). 29. Walk (quiet, quietly) or you will wake the patient. 30. His voice was (quiet, quiet). 31. It is (sad, sadly) that you have been ill such a long time. 32. She looked at me (sad, sadly). 33.The answer was not (satisfactory, satisfactorily). 34.You performed (satisfactory, satisfactorily). 35. Do you (seriously, seriously) wish to go there? 36. Are you (serious, seriously)about going there? 37. The examination was quite (simple, simply). 38. The problem can be solved quite (simple, simply).

I received a letter:

I have a question for you. When I write various essays, I often have problems with the use of phrases “there is” and “it is”. I don't catch the difference between them.

For example,
There is a big deforestation in Europe, it is 10 per cent.
or
There is a big deforestation in Europe, there is 10 per cent.
or
It is a big deforestation in Europe, it is 10 per cent.
or
It is a big deforestation in Europe, there is 10 per cent.

How to say it correctly? Or if you can say it differently, which option is most preferable?

Natalia Litvinenko

Answer:

There is always means “there is, there is.” Please note: the word “there” in this phrase is NOT translated by the word “there”. The whole turn means “there is, there is.”

For example: Look, honey! There is a fly in your soup! - Look, dear! In your soup(there is, there is) a fly.
There are six yellow tractors in my new garage. - In my new garage(There is) six yellow tractors.

Please note: if we need to say WHERE exactly there is a fly or tractors, then we indicate this immediately after the turn itself:

There's a green alien in the room. - There is a green alien in the room.

And according to this logic, the phrase “THERE is a green alien” will look like this:

There's a green alien there.

The first there is part of the phrase “there is” and is translated “there is, there is”, and the second there is, in fact, the word “there”.

But it is can mean two things:

1) the usual pronoun “he”, “she” or “it” - if it does not mean a person.

For example: Nokia 1200 is my favorite phone. It has a very long battery life. - Nokia 1200 is my favorite phone. It has a long battery life (literally: He has a long battery life).

Gorilla is my favorite animal. It weighs 500 kilograms. - Gorilla is my favorite animal. She weighs 500 kilograms.

2) It’s may be the beginning of the so-calledimpersonal offers- that is, when there is no subject, and instead of it there is a short adjective “warm”, “cold”, “strange”. Here is an example of such a sentence:

It's very warm in Tenerife in January. - In Tenerife in January it is very warm.
It's very cold in the Yellow Fish shop in summer. - The store “Yellow Fish” in the summer is very Cold .
It is well known that the English don’t like sour cream. - Known that the British do not like sour cream.
It's strange that the wife has shredded all the pillows in the house. - Strange that the wife tore all the pillows in the house.

Thus, the answer to Natalya’s question is: it’s correct to say There is a big deforestation in Europe. - In Europe now the number the forest is coming on the decline (and literally - “In Europe(available) reduction in the number of forests”). It is 10 per cent. - it is 10 percent.

See you soon!
Anton Brejestovski

- this is one of the cases when there is no direct, one hundred percent equivalent in Russian English design, so its use often causes difficulties for beginners.

Meanwhile, turnover there is \there are is used quite often not only in business or scientific language, but also in ordinary everyday speech. This is one of the constructions that you need to use and understand without the slightest difficulty, fully automatically. Fortunately, its use is not difficult; the most important thing is to understand the meaning of this construction.

The meaning of the construction There is \ There are

Literally there is translates as “is/is present here”, and there are as “there are/are present” (plural). But it would be more accurate to say that the phrase there + to be is used to denote the presence or presence of something or someone.

For example:

There is an old church in this town. – There is an old church in this city.

There are ten or eleven kids in the classroom. – There are ten or eleven children in the class.

There is always a way out. – There is always a way out.

There are two ways out of this tunnel. – There are two exits from this tunnel.

What is the difficulty of saying There is \ There are?

The difficulty is that, as can be seen in the examples above, this construction is not translated into Russian in some unique correct way - you need to select a translation according to its meaning. The words themselves there is \there are, as a rule, are not translated literally (“there is here”), their meaning is conveyed by other means.

This can be the verb “to be”, “to appear”, “to be present”.

There is a nice pizza place in this mall. - In this shopping center There is good pizzeria.

There is only one player. Where are the others? - Here present only one player. Where are the others?

But in Russian, verbs like “to be” are often omitted.

Good, now there are all four players. Deal the cards. - Okay, here now (There is) all four players. Deal the cards.

What other door? There is only one door. -What other door? Here (There is) only one door.

In general, you need to remember that if you want to say something about presence/absence object or person in some place, then you can often use the phrase there is \ there are.

There is a chair here. – There is an armchair.

There are many mirrors in this house. – There are many mirrors in this house.

Just don’t confuse presence/absence with possession, with the case when we say that a certain person possesses something. In this case, the meaning of the verb (to have) is appropriate:

I have a chair. –I have an armchair.

I have many mirrors in my house. –I have many mirrors in my house.

Using the phrase There is \ There are in tables with examples

The phrase there is \ there are can be used in the affirmative (as in the examples above), negative and interrogative forms. It can also be used in different tenses: present, past and future. The tables below provide examples of the use of there is \ there are in tenses Simple(Indefinite),

This phrase is also used in tenses Perfect(in Continuous and Perfect Continuous not used), however much less frequently than in Simple, especially in colloquial speech. Examples are given in the table at the end of this article, however, this topic refers to “advanced”, and the phrases themselves are rarely used, some are practically not used at all, even in written speech.

Affirmative form

In the affirmative form, the phrase there is \ are is used as follows:

Sometimes a sentence lists several items, with the first being singular and the second plural (or vice versa). In this case, the turnover there + to be agrees in number with the noun that comes after it.

For example:

There is a small box and two bigger boxes. – There is a small box and two larger boxes.

The noun comes first in the singular, so the verb is also singular – there is.

There are two big boxes and one bag. – There are two large boxes and one bag.

The first in the list is the plural noun, the verb takes the corresponding form - there are.

Negative form

The negative form can be constructed in two ways:

1. Using the particle not.

In this case, abbreviations are usually used: there is not = there isn’t, there was not = there wasn’t, there were not = there werent’, there will not be = there won’t be.

There isn't a chair here. - There is no chair here.

If after not If there is a plural countable noun or an uncountable noun, then the pronoun is added - not any.

There aren't any chairs here. - There are no chairs here.

There isn't any oil here. – There is no oil here.

After no goes a noun without an article or pronoun any.

There is no chair (chairs) in the room. – There is no chair(s) in the room.

There is no oil here. – There is no oil here.

There is a slight stylistic difference between these variants, which is understandable to native speakers. In addition, some set expressions are used either with no, or with not simply because it is customary.

There is no point in doing this! – There is no point in doing this!

It is generally believed that negation with not more categorical, but in fact everything depends heavily on the context and situation. In my opinion, no matter how you say it no or not, you will be understood in any case.

Interrogative form

To construct an interrogative form, you need to move the verb to be to the beginning of the sentence.

Video lesson on the topic There is \ There are

The topic There is \ There are is explained in sufficient detail and very clearly in the video tutorial on Puzzle English. Let me remind you that on this service for learning English you can not only watch free video lessons, but also go through exercises (composing phrases).

Turnover There is \ There are in Perfect tenses (for advanced level)

Attention: this topic is very difficult, advanced and full of nuances. It is by no means for beginners. I provide a general overview of it for informational purposes only.

This phrase is sometimes used in Perfect tenses, although much less often than in Simple tenses, especially in colloquial speech. To complete the picture, I will add a table of the use of there is \ there are in Perfect. It makes sense to study it only if you already know what it is:, and understand what the features of their meaning are.

As in the above types of tense forms, in constructions like There has been we are talking about an action that took place before the moment of speech, the result of which is relevant at the time of speech.