There is & There are | Rules, Examples, Common Mistakes

If you’ve ever paused mid-sentence on “is” vs “are,” you’re not alone. These two tiny forms show up in emails, essays, captions, and test answers, so a small slip can make a line feel off.

Once there is & there are feel steady, your writing reads smoother and your speaking sounds more natural.

What “There” Is Doing In These Sentences

In “there is” and “there are,” the word “there” doesn’t point to a location. It works like a starter that introduces something new. The real subject comes after the verb.

So, in “There is a book on the table,” the subject is a book, not “there.” That’s why you match the verb to the noun that follows.

Core Rules That Stay Consistent

Use these rules as your base. Once they feel natural, the tricky cases become much easier.

• Singular countable noun: use “there is” (There is a reason.)
• Plural countable noun: use “there are” (There are reasons.)
• Uncountable noun: use “there is” (There is water.)
• With numbers: one → “there is,” two or more → “there are.”
• With lists: the first item after the verb often controls the choice in casual writing.

Fast Patterns For “There Is” And “There Are”

Pattern	When It Fits	Sample Sentence
There is + a/an + singular noun	One countable thing	There is a note on your desk.
There are + number + plural noun	Two or more countables	There are three tabs open.
There is + uncountable noun	Mass noun	There is traffic on the main road.
There isn’t + singular/uncountable	Negative, singular/mass	There isn’t time for a second try.
There aren’t + plural	Negative, plural	There aren’t any clean cups left.
Is there + singular/uncountable?	Yes/no question	Is there a charger nearby?
Are there + plural?	Yes/no question	Are there seats by the window?
There has been + singular	Present perfect, singular	There has been a change in plans.
There have been + plural	Present perfect, plural	There have been two updates.
There will be + noun	Later time reference	There will be a quiz on Friday.

There is & There are In Real Sentences

Once you match the verb to what follows, most sentences write themselves. Here are the main buckets you’ll use every day.

Singular Countable Nouns

Use “there is” when the noun that follows is singular and countable. You can usually put “a,” “an,” “the,” or “one” in front of it.

Try these: There is a folder on the desktop. There is one seat left. There is the answer in the last paragraph.

Plural Countable Nouns

Use “there are” when the noun is plural. You’ll often see a number, “many,” “few,” or “several” in front of it.

Try these: There are two options. There are several steps in the process. There are many ways to format a citation.

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns don’t take a plural “-s” in standard use: water, advice, furniture, information, homework. With these, stick with “there is.”

Try these: There is advice on the help page. There is furniture in the storage room. There is homework due tonight.

There Is And There Are With Numbers And Lists

Numbers make the choice simple: one thing uses “there is,” more than one uses “there are.”

There is 1 message in your inbox. There are 4 messages. In formal writing, keep the noun after the number plural: “4 messages,” not “4 message.”

Mixed Lists In One Sentence

Mixed lists can feel weird because you may start with a singular noun and then add plural items.

In everyday writing and speech, many people match the verb to the first noun after it: “There is a pen and two markers on the table.” Switch the order and the verb often switches too: “There are two markers and a pen on the table.”

In careful writing, you can avoid the debate by rewriting: “A pen and two markers are on the table,” or “On the table, a pen and two markers are laid out.”

Quantifiers That Look Plural But Act Singular

Phrases like “a lot of,” “plenty of,” and “some” depend on the noun that follows.

• There is a lot of water in the bottle. (uncountable)
• There are a lot of cups on the shelf. (plural)
• There is plenty of space on page two. (uncountable)
• There are plenty of examples in the table above. (plural)

If you want a second reference point, both the British Council there is/there are grammar note and the Cambridge Grammar page on there is/there are show the same core agreement rule.

Questions, Negatives, And Short Replies

Once you know the base form, questions and negatives are just small flips in word order.

Yes No Questions

Put the verb first, then “there,” then the noun.

• Is there a meeting today?
• Are there any updates?
• Was there a problem with the file?
• Were there errors in the report?

Negatives

Use “not” after the verb, or use the short forms “isn’t/aren’t.” In formal writing, “is not/are not” can sound cleaner.

There isn’t a simple fix. There aren’t enough seats. There is not enough time. There are not many options.

Short Replies

Short replies copy the verb form. Match it to the original question.

• Is there a printer? Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t.
• Are there deadlines? Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t.

Contractions And Register

In speech and casual writing, “there’s” is common. It can stand for “there is” and, in informal speech, it also shows up with plural nouns: “There’s two seats left.” Many teachers and editors prefer “There are two seats left” in writing.

“There’re” exists, but it looks odd on the page and many readers skip it. If you want a contraction for plural, it’s often better to keep the full form.

There Be Across Tenses

You can use the same structure with different verb forms. The trick stays the same: match the verb to the noun that follows.

Past Forms

Use “there was” with singular or uncountable nouns, and “there were” with plural nouns.

There was a power cut last night. There were two mistakes in my first draft. There was noise in the hallway.

Perfect Forms

Perfect forms show a link between earlier time and now. Use “there has been” for singular, “there have been” for plural.

There has been a change in the schedule. There have been three updates since morning.

With “Will”

“There will be” works for both singular and plural, since “will” stays the same. Still, keep the noun form right after it.

There will be a test on Friday. There will be two quizzes next month.

When “There Is” Sounds Weak And How To Rewrite

“There is/there are” is fine when you’re introducing something. Still, if you start too many sentences this way, your writing can feel flat.

A quick fix is to move the real subject to the front and use a stronger verb.

Simple Rewrites

• There is a problem with the link. → The link has a problem.
• There are many reasons for the rule. → Many reasons explain the rule.
• There is a note on the screen. → A note sits on the screen.

When To Keep The “There” Form

Keep it when the focus is existence or availability, not action. This is common in directions, announcements, and checklists.

There are seats in the back. There is a form at the front desk. There are no open slots today.

There Is Versus It Is

Writers mix these when describing places. “There is” introduces something. “It is” describes something already known.

There is a café on the corner. (You’re introducing the café.) It is quiet inside. (You’re describing the café.)

Common Mix-Ups You Can Fix Fast

Most errors fall into a small set of patterns. If you learn these, you’ll spot them in seconds.

Common Errors With “There Is” And “There Are”

Mix-Up	Why It Happens	Clean Fix
There is many reasons	Verb matched to “there,” not the noun	There are many reasons
There are a water bottle	Plural verb used before a singular noun	There is a water bottle
There is informations	Uncountable noun forced into plural	There is information
There are furniture	Uncountable noun treated as plural	There is furniture
There’s two options (formal text)	Speech pattern copied into writing	There are two options
There are 1 reason	Number and noun not aligned	There is 1 reason
Is there any questions?	Question form used with plural noun	Are there any questions?
There is less people	Countable noun used with “less”	There are fewer people

Practice Drills That Take Five Minutes

Do these once, then read your answers out loud. Your ear will start catching the match between verb and noun.

Pick “Is” Or “Are”

1. _____ there a link in the document?
2. _____ there any seats left?
3. _____ there homework for Monday?
4. _____ there three files attached?
5. _____ there a reason this page loads slowly?
6. _____ there many ways to phrase this?

Rewrite To Remove A Mixed List Problem

Rewrite each line so the verb agreement feels clean and the sentence stays short.

1. There is a laptop and two notebooks on the desk.
2. There are two posters and a frame on the wall.
3. There is a spoon and forks in the drawer.

Check Your Work

Answers for the first drill: 1) Is 2) Are 3) Is 4) Are 5) Is 6) Are.

For the rewrite drill, many rewrites work. One clean option is to remove “there”: “A laptop and two notebooks are on the desk.” Do the same pattern for the other lines.

Quick Self-Check Before You Submit Or Publish

Use this list when you’re proofreading an assignment, a post, or a message that needs a clean tone.

• Circle the noun after the verb. That noun controls “is” vs “are.”
• If the noun is uncountable (advice, information, furniture), use “there is.”
• If you see a number greater than one, use “there are” and a plural noun.
• If you wrote “there’s” with a plural noun, decide if your context is casual or formal.
• In a mixed list, reorder the items or rewrite the sentence to avoid a shaky match.
• In questions, start with “is/are/was/were,” then add “there.”
• In negatives, pick “isn’t/aren’t” or “is not/are not,” then keep the noun match.
• Read the sentence once out loud. If you stumble, check the noun after the verb.

When you use these patterns, “there is” and “there are” stop feeling like rules you memorized and start feeling like normal English. Run the checklist once, then reread the noun after the verb; that single step catches most slips before anyone else sees them.