There is in the middle of a sentence. Turnover There is \ There are in English. Small but important features

- this is one of the cases when in Russian there is no direct, one hundred percent equivalent of the English construction, 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 everyday everyday speech. This is one of the constructions that you need to use and understand without the slightest difficulty, on full automatic. Fortunately, its use is not difficult, the most important thing is to understand the meaning of this construction.

Meaning of the construction There is \ There are

Literally there is translates as “there is / is present”, and there are as “there is/are present” (plural). But it would be more accurate to say that there + to be is used to indicate 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 the turnover 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 single right way - you need to select a translation according to the meaning. The words themselves there is \ there are, as a rule, are not translated literally (“there is”), their meaning is conveyed by other means.

It can be the verb "to be", "to be", "to be present".

There is a nice pizza place in this mall. - In this mall 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. Hand over 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 often you can use the turnover 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 verb (to have) fits the meaning:

I have a chair. – I have an armchair.

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

The use of the turnover There is \ There are in tables with examples

The turn 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 show examples of the use of there is \ there are in tenses Simple(Indefinite)

This turnover is also used in times Perfect(not used in Continuous and Perfect Continuous), but much less often than in Simple, especially in colloquial speech. Examples are given in the table at the end of this article, but this topic is “advanced”, and the turns themselves are of little use, some are practically not used at all even in written speech.

affirmative form

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

Sometimes several items are listed in a sentence, with the first being in the singular and the second in the 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. Here is a small box and two larger boxes.

The noun in the singular comes first, so the verb is also in the 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 a plural noun, the verb takes the corresponding form - there are.

negative form

The negative form can be built 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 there is a countable noun in the plural 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 a 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 options, understandable to native speakers. In addition, some set expressions are used either with no, or with not simply because it is the way it is.

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

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

Interrogative form

To build an interrogative form, you need to rearrange the verb to be at 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 is very accessible in the video tutorial on Puzzle English. I 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 turnover is sometimes used in Perfect times, though much less often than in Simple times, especially in colloquial speech. To complete the picture, I will add a table of use 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 temporary 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 moment of speech.

Even if you have just started learning English, you probably met a sentence that would begin with a turnover there is or there are. We know from experience that even intermediate students have difficulty using there + be. Not because this construction is difficult to understand, but because there is no direct equivalent to the phrase in Russian. That is why students often forget to use it. In this article, we'll talk about possible use cases. there + be, we will give examples and a small test at the end of the article.

What does there + be mean

So what does turnover mean? there is / there are in English and when should we use them? you know what the word is there translates as "there", and the verb to be- to be. If you combine two words, you get "there is." Hence the function of this construction follows: when we want to report that something is somewhere, is, then we use there + be.

There is a new shopping center in that village. There is a new shopping center in that village.

There are many books in room 145. - There are many books in room 145.

Note that the turnovers themselves there is / there are are not translated into Russian. Conventionally, they can be translated into Russian with the words “there is”, “there is”, “exists”, “is located”. That's why we want to start translating literally from Russian it exists , it there. But you can't do that. Also, sentences that start with there+be, we start translating from the end, that is, first we report the place where this something is located.

How to use the there is / there are construction in English

Statement

We can use there + be in all times: present, past and future. Accordingly, for this we need to change the form of the verb be.

There is there is bottle of milk. (now there is, therefore the present tense and the form of the verb to be “is”)

There was a bottle of milk in the fridge. - In a refrigerator was bottle of milk. (used to be, so the past tense and the form of the verb to be “was”)

There will be a bottle of milk in the fridge. - In a refrigerator will be bottle of milk. (will be in the future, so the future tense and the form of the verb to be “will be”)

And also to be is unique in that it can be both singular and plural. If after there + be there is a noun in the singular, then take is or was. And if it goes in the plural - are or were. BUT will be- universal, and it can be used with both singular and plural.

And now let's give a plate in which everything is clearly shown:

Negation

A negative sentence can be formed in two ways: either using a negative pronoun no, or with the help of a negative particle not and pronouns any. And thus you will say that something is missing somewhere.

There is no table in the room. = There is not(isn't) any table in the room. - There is no table in the room.

There are no souvenirs on the shelf. = There are not(aren't) any souvenirs on the shelf. There are no souvenirs on the shelf.

Question

The question is built easily: take the right form be and put it at the beginning of the sentence.

Is there a table in the room? – Is there a table in the room?

Were there many people at the party? – Were there many people at the party?

Features of using there + be

1. If we list objects and the first word is in the singular, then we should take to be in the singular ( is/was):

There is a lamp and four tables in the room. – There is a lamp and 4 tables in the room.

2. If we list items and start with the plural, then the plural should be taken ( there are):

There are four tables and a lamp in the room. There are four tables and a lamp in the room.

3. It is important to pay special attention to countable and uncountable nouns.

There is a lot of sugar in coffee. - There is a lot of sugar in coffee. (sugar is an uncountable noun, it does not have a plural form, so we use the verb is, despite the word “a lot” - a lot)

There are a lot of oranges in the box. - There are a lot of oranges in the box. (we can count oranges, the word is plural so we use are)

As you can see, from a grammatical point of view, this construction is not difficult to use. It is important not to forget to do this. In conclusion, as always, we invite you to take the test and download our plate. So you will always have access to this information.

The there is / there are construction is used to report the location of objects and persons. Remember a simple rule: if the Russian sentence begins with the adverb of place (the first word of the Russian sentence answers the question "where?"), then we will start the English sentence with there is / there are. For example: "There is a mouse in the box" - There is a mouse in the box. In this case, the circumstance of the place itself (in the box - in the box) must be placed at the end of the sentence. English sentences with the construction there is / there are are translated from the end (while There is ... there are not translated). For example: There is a bench in the garden - There is a bench in the garden.

If the sentence begins with the subject (“who?” Or “what?”) This construction is not used, we translate it as it is: the car is on the street - the car is in the street.

Google shortcode

Let's compare two sentences "a vase is on the table" and "a vase is on the table". The first one begins with the adverb of the place, and the second with the subject, respectively, to translate the first sentence, we use There is a .... - “there is a vase on the table”, and the second sentence is translated without this construction - “the vase is on the table”. If the subject (the subject referred to in the sentence) is singular, then there is is used, and if it is plural, then there are.

• Please note that (is, are) in such sentences can be translated as “lies”, “stands”, “hangs”, “grows”, “is”: There are toys in the box lie toys, there is a big tree in front of my house - In front of my house growing a big tree.
• When listing items, use There is, if the first item listed is singular (There is a copy book, three pencils and a ruler on the table) and there are if the first item listed is plural (There are three pencils, a copy book and a ruler on the table).

Word order in affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences with the construction there is / there are

Prepositions of place are functional words that connect the members of a sentence and are closely related to the use of the there is / there are construction, so we consider them in this post. First, remember the prepositions of place and direction in English.

• On - on: there is an apple on the plate - there is an apple on the plate
• In - inside: there are pens in the bag - there are pens in the bag
• Above / over - above: there is a picture above the fireplace - a picture hangs above the fireplace
• At - y: at the wall - against the wall
• Near - near, about, nearby: near my house - near my house
• Under - under: under the table - under the table
• Below - below, under: below the window - under the window
• Behind - behind: behind the tree - behind the tree
• To - indicates movement towards the subject: to school - to school, to work - to work, to a friend - to a friend
• Into - inside: into the room - into the room
• From - indicates movement from the subject: from school - from school, from work - from work, take the cup from that boy - take the cup from that boy, take the book from the table - take the book from the table
• Out of - from (from inside): out of the bag - from the bag
• In front of - before: in front of my house - in front of my house
• Between - between: between the cupboard and the sofa - between the cupboard and the sofa
• Up - up: up the street - up the street
• Through - through, through: through the window - through the window
• Across - through (crossing): across the street - across the street
• Beside / next to - next (next in a row): sit next to me - sit next to me

• We recommend paying attention to the difference between the prepositions in and into. Phrases with the preposition in answer the question "where?" - in the cupboard - in the closet, in the bag - in the bag, in the box - in the box. Phrases with the preposition into answer the question “where?” - into the cupboard - into the closet, into the bag - into the bag, into the box - into the box.

More about the offer into see our video:

• Remember the exceptions: on the tree - in the tree, on the street - in the street, in the picture - in the picture.

Prepositions in English perform many functions, act as case endings that are absent in English, are an integral part of an uncountable number of expressions and should never be neglected.

Location construction there is (there are) refers to the most common constructions of English grammar and it is necessary to know it already at the basic level of learning English. In this lesson, you will learn the basic rules on there is (there are). Consider the translation into English of a simple sentence from the example.

EXAMPLE. There is a cat in the box. — There is a cat in the box.

The there is / there are construction. Rules

RULE 1. The there is construction used when we want to say that some object located in a specific place; respectively there are used if there are several objects, that is, in the plural.

• There is a cat in the box. - There is a cat in the box.
• There are cats in the box. — In a cat box.

General view of the construction there is / there are in the present tense

Pay attention to the articles highlighted in blue:

article a means that I have not seen this OBJECT before (some kind of cat)

article the means that this PLACE is familiar to me (this table, my table, etc.)

RULE 2(see diagram above).

Before the subject always put article (a, zero) , a cardinal number (one, two, three), or other indicators of quantity (many, much, some).

Before the place always put the article the.

1. There is an apple on the apple tree.
2. There are three (many/some) apples on the apple tree.
3. There is some (much) milk in the glass.

We examined the construction there is (there are) in English in the present tense. You can complete multiple . Next, we'll look at:

1. Translation of a sentence from there is (are)

RULES for translation there is / there are:

1.Design there is (are) translates as is, is.

2. Verb is (are) in this construction, you can NOT translate or use other verbs denoting location when translating, for example: sits, hangs, lies, etc.

EXAMPLE. There is a cat in the tree. - Can be translated as On this tree sits cat.

3. In this construction, the word there lost its original meaning there. DO NOT start translating a sentence with the word THERE.

4. The translation of a sentence with this construction must begin with a word that answers the question where?(usually it costs at the end of a sentence).
EXAMPLE

Test yourself and translate affirmative sentences from English with the construction there is (are):

1. There is an owl in the tree.
2. There is a cup on the saucer.
3. There are some cups in the cuoboard.
4. There is a mouse under the sofa.
5. There are many rabbits in the woods.
6. There are many children in the yard.
7. There is some milk in the bottle.
8. There is a frog on the log.

2. Interrogative sentences with the construction there is (are)

Yes, there is.- Yes.

— no, there isn't. No.

2) Are there books in your bag? Are there any books in your portfolio?

Yes, there are. - Yes.

or
- No, there aren't. - Not.

3) What is there in the room? - What is in this room?

— There is furniture in the room. - AT this the room has furniture.

3. Negative sentences with the construction there is (are)

Most often in negative sentences no(translated in this case as No).
EXAMPLE

Note 1.
If after construction there is there are two or more words, then the verb is a link BE usually agrees with the first of them.

EXAMPLES
There is a lamp and some pencils on the table.
There are some pencils and a lamp on the table.

Note 2.
If a plural noun is preceded by a lot of, then the verb is used in the plural.

EXAMPLES
There are a lot of books on the table.

4. Forms of construction there is (are) in simple tenses

1. There is (are)- in present time
2. There was (were)- in the past time
3. There will be- in future tense

5. A poem with the construction there is (are):

This is the Key of the Kingdom.
in that Kingdom there is a city;
in that city there is a town;
in that town there is a lane;
in that lane there is a yard;
in that yard there is a house;
in that house there is a room;
in that room there is a table;
On that table there is a basket;
In that basket there are some flowers.
Flowers in the basket, Basket on the table,
Table in the room, Room in the house,
House in the yard, Yard in the lane
Lane in the street, street in the town,
Town in the city, City in the Kingdom.
Of that Kingdom this is the Key.

6. Exercises on there is (are) in the present tense

Exercise 1. Translate into English using the construction there is or there are and the noun determiner: some- a few, a little (indicator of an indefinite amount).

1. There's tea in a cup. => There is some tea in the cup.
2. Candy in a vase. =>
3. There are gifts in the box. =>
4. There is food on the table. =>
5. There is porridge in a bowl. =>

Exercise 2. Paraphrase the sentences using the construction there is or there are and noun determiners: some- a few, a little; many- a lot of, a- some.

SAMPLE The cherries are in the basket. => There are some cherries in the basket.

Please note that while the meaning (translation) of the sentence will change! See comment below.

1. The books are on the table. =>
2. The flowers are in the vase =>
3. The cheese is in the fridge. =>
4. The stories by A. Christie are in the book. =>
5. The kitten is under the bed. =>

Grammar comment. What is the difference between the sentences: The bird is in the tree and There is a bird in the tree. Answer: translation.

1. In a sentence "The bird is in the tree." It's about a specific bird. the = this), which is located in a specific place (in the tree) and the translation will be: This bird on the tree.
2. In the sentence "There is a bird in the tree." talking about a subject a bird), which is located in a specific place (in the tree) and the translation will be - Sitting on (this) tree ( some) bird.

Conclusion: If we rephrase a sentence, then its meaning will change! Now translate the sentences from exercise 2

Hello dear students and seekers!

Today we’ll talk about the fact that there is bread in the bread box, and there is still some pasta in the tube. Do not wonder! This is directly related to our grammatical theme "There is / There are". After all, we often have to look for things and ask our relatives where everything is, or in turn report to others where their lost umbrella or watch is.

This simple construction and the rule of its use will help us in this. It is used when we talk about something for the first time, that it exists. Let's analyze:

There is some toothpaste in the tube. There is a book on the table. (there is used for the singular).

There are five slices of bread in the bread bin. There are a lot of pens in my bag. (there are- for plural).

Such offers are often translated into Russian from the end, i.e. circumstances (first we say "where", and then "what"). This often has to be explained to children, since the habit of Russian thinking is very disturbing here.

Back to our suggestions:

There is some paste in the tube. There is a book on the table.

There are five slices of bread in the breadbasket. There are a lot of pens in my bag.

Word there in this design is formal(i.e. according to the rules it should be, but it is not translated). The design itself corresponds in the Russian version to such words as to be, to be, to be etc., and may not be translated at all.. When translating, you need to look at the context, choose what sounds right to the Russian ear.

Let's say

There is her hand lotion on the bedside table.

In this case, we can easily say that on the nightstand "lies" or "costs" hand cream, although in reality there are no such words in the English version.

Additionally

In sentences with there is / are, there is not necessarily an indication of the place or time at the end, i.e. such a proposal simply says about the presence of an object or phenomenon(this means, it doesn’t matter to us where, but the very fact of the existence of something is important). For example:

I'm sorry I'm late. There was a lot of traffic.- Sorry, I'm late. The movement was difficult (literally: there was a lot of movement).

Thereisacoldwind.- (Cold wind is blowing.

negative form is formed in the standard way for the verb to be, i.e. just added not . Shall we practice?

There isn't (= isn't) any toothpaste in the tube.

Note: in this sentence some changed to any. Who knows the rule, well done. Who does not know, then you can read about him.

Well, with the rest of the proposals, I think you can handle it yourself!

Besides, instead of not possible use no . However, after no the article or any is not required, no placed before a noun:

There is no life on the planet.

Interrogative form formed by putting the verb in first place:

Is there a book on the table? Is there any toothpaste in the tube?

Are there five slices of bread in the bread bin? Are there many pens in my bag?

Note : mention should be made of the use of the construction for uncountable nouns, which often causes difficulties. For - the construction is used in the singular, i.e. we just mean a certain amount of something that we cannot count (keep in mind the word "quantity" - it's just in the singular), for example:

There is some water in the bottle.

There was/There were

There was / There were- this is still the same construction, only in the simple past tense (Past Simple).

I hope the examples in the table have clearly explained what's what. But if suddenly you still have questions, be sure to ask them in the comments - they will not remain unanswered!