English — There is / There are (Describing Places and Quantities) — Grammar, Examples and Exercises — 1st Year Middle School — Algerian Curriculum

There is / There are — Describing Places and Quantities

Lesson Objectives

• Learn how to use “There is” and “There are” correctly
• Distinguish between singular and plural forms
• Form affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences
• Describe places and quantities in English

What is “There is / There are”?

We use There is and There are to say that something exists or doesn’t exist somewhere. It is used to describe places, rooms, cities, and quantities.

Form	Use	Example
There is (There’s)	Singular nouns (one thing)	There is a book on the table.
There are	Plural nouns (two or more things)	There are three pens in my bag.
There isn’t	Negative singular	There isn’t a computer in the room.
There aren’t	Negative plural	There aren’t any chairs.
Is there…?	Question singular	Is there a supermarket near here?
Are there…?	Question plural	Are there any students in the class?

When do we use “There is” and “There are”?

1. Describing a place (وصف مكان):

• There is a big garden behind my house.
• There are many trees in the park.
• There is a library in my school.

2. Talking about quantity (الحديث عن الكمية):

• There is some milk in the fridge. (uncountable — غير قابل للعد)
• There are five apples on the table. (countable — قابل للعد)

3. Talking about existence (الوجود):

• There is a man at the door.
• There are some problems to solve.

Structure (التركيب)

Type	Structure	Example
Affirmative	There is/are + noun + place	There is a cat under the table.
Negative	There isn’t/aren’t + noun + place	There isn’t any water in the glass.
Question	Is/Are there + noun + place?	Are there any chairs in the room?

Exercises with Answers

Exercise 1: Complete with “There is” or “There are”.

1. ___ a pencil on the desk. → There is
2. ___ two dogs in the garden. → There are
3. ___ a hospital in this street. → There is
4. ___ many books in the library. → There are
5. ___ some coffee in the cup. → There is

Exercise 2: Make negative sentences.

1. There is a supermarket. → There isn’t a supermarket.
2. There are three chairs. → There aren’t three chairs.
3. There is a problem. → There isn’t a problem.

Exercise 3: Ask questions.

1. ___ a restaurant near here? → Is there
2. ___ any apples in the basket? → Are there
3. ___ a bank in this town? → Is there

Summary

• Use There is (There’s) for one thing (singular) — There is a book.
• Use There are for two or more things (plural) — There are two books.
• Negative: There isn’t / There aren’t
• Question: Is there…? / Are there…?
• Use “some” in affirmative and “any” in negative and questions for uncountable nouns

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