🗺️ GRAMMAR MIND MAP: THERE IS / THERE ARE

1. THERE IS — Singular

Use it with one countable person or thing, or an uncountable noun.

There is + a/an + singular noun

There is a cat under the table.

💡 One cat → “there is”.

There is + uncountable noun

There is some water in the bottle.

💡 “Water” is uncountable.

2. THERE ARE — Plural

Use it with two or more countable people or things.

There are + plural noun

There are three books on the desk.

💡 “Three books” is plural.

There are + some/many + plural noun

There are some students outside.

💡 “Students” is plural.

3. NEGATIVES & QUESTIONS

Add not after is/are; put is/are before there in questions.

Negative

There isn’t a TV here.

💡 “Isn’t” means “is not”.

Question

Are there any chairs? — Yes, there are.

💡 Use “are” before “there” to ask.

📖 1. Four Essential Rules

Rule 1: Match is/are with the following noun

There is + singular or uncountable noun; There are + plural countable noun.

There is an apple on the plate.

💡 One apple → “is”.

There are four apples on the plate.

💡 Four apples → “are”.

Rule 2: Make negatives with isn’t / aren’t

Patterns: There isn’t + singular/uncountable noun; There aren’t + plural noun. Use any naturally in negatives.

There isn’t any milk in the fridge.

💡 “Milk” is uncountable.

There aren’t any pencils in my bag.

💡 “Pencils” is plural.

Rule 3: Put is/are before there in questions

Ask Is there ...? / Are there ...?. Answer Yes, there is/are or No, there isn’t/aren’t.

Is there a library nearby? — Yes, there is.

💡 A library → singular.

Are there any windows? — No, there aren’t.

💡 Windows → plural.

Rule 4: Choose a/an, some and any

Use a/an with one countable noun; some commonly in affirmative statements; any commonly in questions and negatives.

There is a lamp and there are some chairs.

💡 One lamp; several chairs.

Is there any rice? — No, there isn’t any.

💡 “Rice” is uncountable.

📊 Quick Sentence Pattern Chart

Form	Singular / uncountable	Plural
Affirmative	There is a chair.	There are two chairs.
Negative	There isn’t a chair.	There aren’t any chairs.
Question	Is there a chair?	Are there any chairs?
Short answer	Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t.	Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t.

🎯 2. Real-Life Situations

🏠 Situation A: Describing a Bedroom

“There is a bed next to the window.”

💡 Use “is” for one bed.

“There are two pillows on the bed.”

💡 Use “are” for two pillows.

🏫 Situation B: Exploring a Classroom

“Is there a clock on the wall? — Yes, there is.”

💡 Ask about one clock.

“Are there any computers? — No, there aren’t.”

💡 Ask about computers, plural.

⚠️ 3. Common Mistakes (Wrong ❌ vs Right ✅)

1. Using is with a plural noun

❌ There is three dogs.

✅ There are three dogs.

💡 “Three dogs” is plural, so use “are”.

2. Using are with an uncountable noun

❌ There are some milk.

✅ There is some milk.

💡 “Milk” is uncountable, so use “is”.

3. Wrong word order in questions

❌ There is a bank near here?

✅ Is there a bank near here?

💡 Move “is” before “there” in a yes/no question.

4. Using some in a standard negative

❌ There aren’t some books.

✅ There aren’t any books.

💡 “Any” is the usual choice in this negative.

5. Confusing there is with it is

❌ It is a park near my house.

✅ There is a park near my house.

💡 Use “there is” to introduce the existence of a park.

❓ 4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between “there is” and “it is”?

There is introduces something: There is a dog outside. It is describes a known thing: It is friendly.

Can I use “there is” with milk or water?

Yes. Uncountable nouns such as milk, water, rice normally use there is.

Can “Is there any ...?” refer to one thing?

With one countable item, usually say Is there a/an ...?. With uncountable nouns, say Is there any water?.

Can I shorten “there is”?

Yes: There’s a cat on the sofa. For plural nouns, beginners should normally use There are.

🗺️ GRAMMAR MIND MAP: THERE IS / THERE ARE

1. THERE IS — Singular

Use it with one countable person or thing, or an uncountable noun.

There is + a/an + singular noun

There is a cat under the table.

💡 One cat → “there is”.

There is + uncountable noun

There is some water in the bottle.

💡 “Water” is uncountable.

2. THERE ARE — Plural

Use it with two or more countable people or things.

There are + plural noun

There are three books on the desk.

💡 “Three books” is plural.

There are + some/many + plural noun

There are some students outside.

💡 “Students” is plural.

3. NEGATIVES & QUESTIONS

Add not after is/are; put is/are before there in questions.

Negative

There isn’t a TV here.

💡 “Isn’t” means “is not”.

Question

Are there any chairs? — Yes, there are.

💡 Use “are” before “there” to ask.

📖 1. Four Essential Rules

Rule 1: Match is/are with the following noun

There is + singular or uncountable noun; There are + plural countable noun.

There is an apple on the plate.

💡 One apple → “is”.

There are four apples on the plate.

💡 Four apples → “are”.

Rule 2: Make negatives with isn’t / aren’t

Patterns: There isn’t + singular/uncountable noun; There aren’t + plural noun. Use any naturally in negatives.

There isn’t any milk in the fridge.

💡 “Milk” is uncountable.

There aren’t any pencils in my bag.

💡 “Pencils” is plural.

Rule 3: Put is/are before there in questions

Ask Is there ...? / Are there ...?. Answer Yes, there is/are or No, there isn’t/aren’t.

Is there a library nearby? — Yes, there is.

💡 A library → singular.

Are there any windows? — No, there aren’t.

💡 Windows → plural.

Rule 4: Choose a/an, some and any

Use a/an with one countable noun; some commonly in affirmative statements; any commonly in questions and negatives.

There is a lamp and there are some chairs.

💡 One lamp; several chairs.

Is there any rice? — No, there isn’t any.

💡 “Rice” is uncountable.

📊 Quick Sentence Pattern Chart

Form	Singular / uncountable	Plural
Affirmative	There is a chair.	There are two chairs.
Negative	There isn’t a chair.	There aren’t any chairs.
Question	Is there a chair?	Are there any chairs?
Short answer	Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t.	Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t.

🎯 2. Real-Life Situations

🏠 Situation A: Describing a Bedroom

“There is a bed next to the window.”

💡 Use “is” for one bed.

“There are two pillows on the bed.”

💡 Use “are” for two pillows.

🏫 Situation B: Exploring a Classroom

“Is there a clock on the wall? — Yes, there is.”

💡 Ask about one clock.

“Are there any computers? — No, there aren’t.”

💡 Ask about computers, plural.

⚠️ 3. Common Mistakes (Wrong ❌ vs Right ✅)

1. Using is with a plural noun

❌ There is three dogs.

✅ There are three dogs.

💡 “Three dogs” is plural, so use “are”.

2. Using are with an uncountable noun

❌ There are some milk.

✅ There is some milk.

💡 “Milk” is uncountable, so use “is”.

3. Wrong word order in questions

❌ There is a bank near here?

✅ Is there a bank near here?

💡 Move “is” before “there” in a yes/no question.

4. Using some in a standard negative

❌ There aren’t some books.

✅ There aren’t any books.

💡 “Any” is the usual choice in this negative.

5. Confusing there is with it is

❌ It is a park near my house.

✅ There is a park near my house.

💡 Use “there is” to introduce the existence of a park.

❓ 4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between “there is” and “it is”?

There is introduces something: There is a dog outside. It is describes a known thing: It is friendly.

Can I use “there is” with milk or water?

Yes. Uncountable nouns such as milk, water, rice normally use there is.

Can “Is there any ...?” refer to one thing?

With one countable item, usually say Is there a/an ...?. With uncountable nouns, say Is there any water?.

Can I shorten “there is”?

Yes: There’s a cat on the sofa. For plural nouns, beginners should normally use There are.

There Is / There Are

📖 1. Four Essential Rules

Rule 1: Match is/are with the following noun

Rule 2: Make negatives with isn’t / aren’t

Rule 3: Put is/are before there in questions

Rule 4: Choose a/an, some and any

🎯 2. Real-Life Situations

🏠 Situation A: Describing a Bedroom

🏫 Situation B: Exploring a Classroom

⚠️ 3. Common Mistakes (Wrong ❌ vs Right ✅)

❓ 4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

There Is / There Are

📖 1. Four Essential Rules

Rule 1: Match is/are with the following noun

Rule 2: Make negatives with isn’t / aren’t

Rule 3: Put is/are before there in questions

Rule 4: Choose a/an, some and any

🎯 2. Real-Life Situations

🏠 Situation A: Describing a Bedroom

🏫 Situation B: Exploring a Classroom

⚠️ 3. Common Mistakes (Wrong ❌ vs Right ✅)

❓ 4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Other Sentence Structure lessons

Practice Exercises

There Is & There Are Practice: Describing Existence

There Is & There Are Practice: Describing Existence

There Is / There Are: Existence Sentences with Singular & Plural Nouns

THERE IS THERE ARE: Practice Exercise 4

THERE IS THERE ARE: Practice Exercise 5

THERE IS THERE ARE: Practice Exercise 6