Turnover ‘there be’ /‘there is/ there are’, …/ (* Further in the text in the examples the abbreviation “THR” is used) from a grammatical point of view is a deviation from the norm. However, like many other deviations in the English language, it is regularly used in speech. It can be equally used both in oral and written speech, both in informal settings and in formal communication.
The use of this phrase is associated with a number of semantic ones, such as, for example, semantic ones: identification with the impersonal sentence ‘it is ...’, or the adverb /there/; grammatical: incorrect use of forms of the verb ‘be’, adding a verbal compliment to the predicate, etc.
Vs. 'there/there'
What is the difference between the phrase ‘there is/ there are’ and the adverb ‘there’?
‘There’ is often a common adverb of place, answering the question “Where?”, “Where?”, for example:
Are you comfortable there? / Are you comfortable there?
The book is there on the table/ The book is there, on the table.
In this case, the semantic emphasis falls on it, because it reflects the main “intrigue” of the statement.
However, ‘there’ can also act as a relative subject rather than as a place indication. This means that it becomes a pronoun, which nominally takes on the role of the subject, while the semantic subject is positioned as the object of the predicate. A semantic subject can be substituted for 'THR' without affecting grammar or overall meaning. The only thing is that some semantic connotation will be lost. In this turn, the pronoun 'THR' is not stressed and is pronounced casually.
Thus, /THR is/THR are/ is used to introduce new information and focus attention on it.
Vs.'it is'
How does the phrase ‘there is/ there are’ differ from the formal pronoun ‘it’ in the impersonal sentence ‘it is’? To do this, you need to briefly consider the topic and rheme. The theme is a background part that does not provide fundamental information; rhema is a key word (phrase) that plays a decisive role and is emphasized. ‘it’ is a fictitious representative of a logically non-existent subject, or existing somewhere in the context, and the rheme here is what happens to it, or what state it is in, what characteristics it has. Whereas ‘THR’ is a “warning” of the subject, which is semantically (logically) equivalent to the object of the predicate, and the rheme is, as a rule, someone or something. That is, the focus is on presence, presence, perhaps numbers.
Not used with Continuous, as an object or in passive voice (Passive V.)
In fact, the phrase 'there is/ there are' in English is a periphrasis of 'smth is', 'many are', where the verb 'be' appears in its semantic meaning - “to take place”, “to be”, “to be”, “to be present”, “to exist”, “to occur”. That is why it is not used with constructions of the Continuous aspect group (respectively, Perfect Continuous), and with the passive voice. For the same reason, it is not customary to use it with personal pronouns - it would sound like /THR am I/I am/, /THR are they/They are/, which is already implied, and therefore does not carry fundamentally new information, and from a semantic point of view is meaningless.
The rule for using the phrase ‘there is/ there are’
It follows from this that the construction can be used with:
Nouns with dependent words;
In the following constructions (only in active voice):
In all four times;
In the indefinite and perfect aspects.
The relative subject ‘There’ can be used in different tense-aspect constructions. in order to shorten the time, it is usually called simply the phrase ‘there is / there are’. The construction scheme for all constructions is as follows: the pronoun ‘There’ opens the sentence. It is followed by the auxiliary verb ‘be’ in one of its forms, depending on the situation; followed by a noun with dependent words (if any), i.e. noun group.
THR is work to be done/ There is work that needs to be done.
THR will be a party tonight / Today there will be a party.
THR was no damage/ There was no danger.
THR have been two telephone calls/ Two telephone calls have been received.
Turnover ‘there is/there are’ in singular and plural
When a noun group after a verb is in, you need to use the plural form of the verb:
THR are many reasons for this/There are many reasons for this.
THR were two men in the room/There were two people in the room.
We also use plural verbs before phrases denoting relative empirical remarks, such as ‘a number (of)’, ‘a lot (of)’, ‘a few (of)’:
THR were a lot of people camped there.
THR are only a few left/ There are only a few left.
If the noun in the group is singular or uncountable, then the verb is used in the same form:
THR is one point we must add here/ There is one point that we must add here.
THR isn’t enough room in here/ There isn’t enough space here.
The verb is also used in the singular if several objects or persons are mentioned in the sentence, but the first noun following the verb is in the singular. number, or is uncountable:
THR was a man and a woman.
THR was a sofa and two chairs/There was a sofa and two chairs.
Cases of use
We use the phrase ‘there be’ (‘there is/ there are’, …) when we say:
About the existence or presence of people and objects:
THR are two people who might know what happened/ There are two people who may know what happened.
About something that happened:
THR’s a meeting every week/Meetings are held every week.
THR was a fierce battle/There was a fierce duel.
About number or quantity:
THR are forty of us, I think.
Modal verbs
The phrase ‘there is/there are’ can also be followed by ‘be’, ‘have been’ (in addition to those for the future and the future in the past):
THR could be a problem.
THR should be a change in government/There must be a change in government.
THR can’t have been anybody outside/ Nobody could be on the street.
THR must have been some mistake.
Abbreviations
The phrase 'there is/there are' in English in colloquial speech or an informal situation allows for the abbreviation of the verb 'be' or a modal verb and its adjoining to 'there' through an apostrophe ("'s" - 'is' or 'has', " 're' 'are', ''ll' - 'shall' or 'will', ''ve' - 'have', ''d' - 'had', 'should' or 'would'):
THR's no danger/No danger.
THR'll always be a future for music/There will always be a future for music.
I knew THR’d be trouble/I knew there would be a problem.
THR's been quite a lot of research into it.
I didn’t even know THR’d been a murder/I didn’t even know that a murder had been committed.
‘Appear to be’
Also, in addition to the existential verb 'be' - that is, meaning “to be”, “to happen” - the less unambiguous “seems to be taking place”, “there is a feeling that is happening...” and similar phrases with verbs like 'appear' and 'seem':
THR appears to be a vast amount of confusion on this point.
THR seems to have been some carelessness.
Turnover there + be ( there is / there are) is used when it is necessary to indicate the presence or absence of a person/object in a certain place. There is / There are translated into Russian as “is available”, “is”, “is located”, “exists”.
Scheme of construction of turnover
Sentences with the phrase there is/there are are constructed according to the following scheme:
There is (are) + subject + adverbial place
Sentences with the grammatical phrase there+be mainly indicate the presence/absence of a phenomenon or object in a certain place.
The turnover is used in the following cases
When they want to emphasize the presence or absence of an object, rather than the place in which it is located:
There are many games for children. - There are many games for children.
When they want to emphasize the location of an object in space
There is a student in the classroom. - There is a student in the classroom.
The word there is a theoretical element of this grammatical phrase, and it is not necessary to translate it into Russian. A revolution is considered an introductory particle. If in a sentence the adverbial adverbial place is expressed by the pronoun “there”, then the sentence is translated into English as follows:
There were many children there. - There were a lot of children there.
The phrase there is/there are is not used in answers to the question “where?”, since the answer concerns the location of the object, and not the object itself:
Where is my book? Where's my book?
It is in my bag. It's in my bag.
But if the sentence sounds like:
There is some book in my bag;
then we use turnover -
There is a book in my bag.
Modal verbs with there is / there are
The construction of the phrase also uses modal verbs together with the verb to be:
There must be many interesting books in the library. The library should have many interesting books.
There can be problems for him. He might have problems.
The phrase there + be translates Russian sentences that begin with the words “exist” or “exist” and words that do not indicate space:
There are different school subjects. There are different school subjects.
There are different books for children. There are different books for children.
Also can be used in circulation and other words instead of to be:
to happen,
to exist,
to remain
to come,
to appear
There comes our train. Here comes our train.
There exist different animals. There are different animals.
Construction of interrogative sentences with turnover
If there is a revolution, the verb to be comes first, and after there comes the subject:
Are there books in your bag? Are there books in your bag?
If the word any is used in such a question, then the answer to it will contain the words some (affirmative answer), not any or none (negative answer):
Are there any books in your bag? Are there any books in your bag?
Yes, there are some.
No, there are not any/none.
Negative sentences with a turn are made using the word no, using the negative particle not or the pronoun any.
There is no food for you. There is no food for you.
There isn`t any money in his pocket. There is no money in his pocket.
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Here you can take a lesson on the topic: English phrases There is and There are. English phrases There is and There are.
In English there is a special form of expressing the arrangement of things. For these purposes they are used rpm there is And there are. In this lesson we will look at in what cases and how to use these phrases correctly, as well as some of their distinctive features.
In Russian, we literally translate the phrase there is/ there are - there is, but it is believed that sentences starting with such a phrase are better translate from the end omitting the word "there". For example:
There is one chair in the room. - There (is) one chair in the room.
There are some chairs in the room. - There (are) several chairs in the room.
1. The English quite often use the phrase there is/there are, mainly to mark where and what is located, so the location is present in the sentence. The phrase itself there is/ there are is customary to put at the beginning of a sentence. Let's look at examples:
There is a knife on the table. - There (is, lies) a knife on the table.
There are five balls in the box. - There (are) five balls in the box.
Please note that the phrase there is is used before subjects singular, and there are - in front of the subjects in plural. Order affirmative proposals next: Subject (There) - Predicate (to be) - Object (Object) - Circumstance (Adverbial modifier).
Often in sentences with the phrase there is/ there are used in addition numerals, articles or indefinite pronouns. For example:
There is a cup of tea on the table. - There (is) a cup of tea on the table.
There is one stove in the kitchen. - There (is) one stove in the kitchen.
There is some furniture in the hall. - There (are) some furniture in the hall.
There are six couples in the game. - There (are, participate in) six pairs in the game.
There are some houses nearby. - There (are) several houses nearby.
As can be seen from the examples, with countable objects in the singular, you can use the numeral one, or the indefinite article a/an; with uncountable nouns (for example, furniture) the indefinite pronoun some is usually used; and with countable objects in the plural - any other numerals, or the indefinite pronoun some (also several - several).
Negative sentences with the phrase there is/ there are formed by adding the negative particle “not” to the verb to be. As a result, we get negative phrases there is not/ there are not, which can be reduced to the forms there isn't/ there aren't. Let's look at examples:
There isn't a door in this room. - There is no door in the room.
There isn't any milk in the refrigerator. - There is no milk in the refrigerator.
There aren't any people at the store. - There are no people in the store.
From the examples it is clear that in negative sentences, the pronoun some is replaced by the pronoun any. The same change occurs in interrogative sentences.
In many sentences with the phrase there is/there are, the word “no” is also often used to give the sentence a negative connotation. However, abbreviations in such phrases are not allowed. For example:
There is no ham on this sandwich. - There is no ham on this sandwich.
There are no palyers in this team. - There are no players in this team.
For creating questions with the phrase there is/ there are, it is enough to apply inversion, i.e. swap the subject with the predicate. For example:
Is there one TV in the bedroom? - Yes, there is. -No, there isn't. -Is there a TV in the bedroom? -Yes. -No.
Is there any sugar in the tea? -Yes, there is. -No, there isn't. -Is there sugar in tea? -Yes. -No.
Are there any windows in the castle? -Yes, there are. -No, there aren't." - Are there windows in the castle? - Yes. - No.
As can be seen from the examples, short answers to general questions also contain the phrase there is/there in the affirmative or negative form.
With the revolutions there is/ there are you can also build special questions with question words who? what? why? etc. (everything except the word where?). In such questions, interrogative words are put first, and then the sentence is constructed as in a general question. Let's look at examples:
What is there in your bag? - What (is) in your bag?
Why are there so many policemen in the bank? - Why are there so many police officers in the bank?
Who is there in your car? -Who's there in your car?
How many students are there in the classroom? - How many students are there in the class?
2. Special attention should be paid phonetic side there is/ there, as it contains some of the most difficult sounds in English to pronounce. These are the sounds /ð/ and /зə/. Try reading the following sentences, paying attention to pronunciation:
There is /ðзəiz/ a leather jacket in the car. - There (is) a leather jacket in the car.
There are /ðзəa:/ some bird feathers on the hat. - The hat (has) several bird feathers.
There isn't /ðзəiznt/ any water in the kitchen. - There is no water in the kitchen.
There aren't /ðзəa:nt/ any toothbrushes in the bathroom. - There are no toothbrushes in the bathroom.
Is there /izðзə:/ a book on the table? - Is there a book on the table?
Are there /a:ðзə:/any glasses in the cupboard? - Are there glasses in the kitchen cabinet?
3. The phrase there is/ there are is also used in past tense. Since the main verb in the phrase is the verb to be, then in the past tense the singular phrase is - there was, and the plural phrase is there were. Let's look at different forms of proposals:
There was a supermarket in this area of the city. - There was a supermarket in this part of the city.
There were some interesting pistures in the gallery. - There were several interesting paintings in the gallery.
There wasn't a computer in the study. - There was no computer in the office.
There weren't any horses in the village. - There were no horses in the village.
Was there any food in the refrigerator? - Was there food in the refrigerator?
Were there any Italian restaurants in the city? - Were there any Italian restaurants in the city?
4. The phrases there is/ there are are often found in English proverbs and sayings.
There are none so blind as those that will not see. - There are none more blind than those who do not want to see.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat. - There is more than one way to skin a cat. / Not by washing, but by rolling.
There’s no bad weather, there are bad clothes. - There is no bad weather, only bad clothes.
There's no smoke without fire. - There is no smoke without fire.
There's no place like home. - There is no better place than home./ It’s good when visiting, but at home it’s better.
There's no time like the present. - There is no better time than now. / Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. - There are no free lunches./ Free cheese is only in a mousetrap.
Thus, we have become familiar with one of the most frequently used English phrases, there is/ there are, its general characteristics, as well as some grammatical and phonetic properties. Since the phrase there is/ there are is mainly used to indicate the location of various objects, you can practice composing your own sentences. Take a look around. What do you see? Where are the things you are used to? etc. The more examples you have, the better!
Hello, dear students and seekers!
Today we’ll talk about the fact that there is bread in the breadbox, and there is still a little paste in the tube. Do not be surprised! This is directly related to our grammar topic “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 design and the rule for its use will help us with 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 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 most often translated into Russian from the end, i.e. with circumstances (first we say "Where", and then "What"). This often has to be explained to children, since the habit of Russian thinking gets in the way.
Let's return to our proposals:
There is some paste in the tube. There is a book on the table.
There are five pieces of bread in the bread box. 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 and 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 place or time at the end, i.e. such a sentence simply communicates about the presence of an object or phenomenon(this means that we don’t care 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. Traffic was heavy (literally: there was a lot of traffic).
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 is not (=isn’t) any toothpaste in the tube.
Note: in this sentence some changed to any. Who knows the rule, well done. For those who don’t know, you can read about him.
Well, I think you can handle the rest of the suggestions yourself!
Besides, instead of not possible use no . Moreover, after no no article or any required, no placed before a noun:
There is no life on the planet.
Interrogative form is 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 how many pens in my bag?
Note: It is worth mentioning the use of the construction for uncountable nouns, which often causes difficulties. For - the construction is used in the singular, i.e. we simply mean a certain amount of something that we cannot count (keep in mind the word “quantity” - it is 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).
| Sg. (units) | Pl. (plural) | |
| + | There was some toothpaste in the tube. There was a book on the table. | There were There were a lot of pens in my bag. |
| — | There was not (=wasn’t) any toothpaste in the tube. There wasn't a book on the table. | There were not (weren’t) five slices of bread in the bread bin. There were not many pens in my bag. |
| ? | Was there any toothpaste in the tube? Was there a book on the table? |
Were there five slices of bread in the bread bin. Were there how many pens in my bag? |
I hope the examples in the table clearly explained to you what’s what. But if you still have questions, be sure to ask them in the comments - they will not go unanswered!
In English, the phrase there is/are is very common. This construction has no analogue in the Russian language, which makes it difficult to understand and use. What makes it special?
How and when to use there is/ there are? You can be sure that you have asked yourself this question more than once. Let's figure out what the difficulties of using this phrase are.
Semantic side
Construction there is (there are) reports the location of a particular object or person, information about which is still unknown. The rule of phonetics says that the phrase must be pronounced together, the main emphasis in the sentence should be on the subject.
There is a man in the window. There (is) a person in the window.
There are flowers in the garden. There (are) flowers in the garden.
Let’s give two sentences that are identical in meaning at first glance and look at what the main difference is:
The cup is on the table. The cup (is) on the table. – This proposal emphasizes place, where the object is already known to the interlocutor.
There is a cup on the table. There (is) a cup on the table. – This proposal emphasizes precisely item, located in a certain place already known to the interlocutor (on the table).
Thus, turnover there is/there are used to convey new information about an object located in a known location.
Translation
Sentences according to the rule with the construction there is/there are are translated from the end, that is, from the adverbial place or time. Moreover, the word there is omitted, but in some cases it can be used twice if it makes sense to indicate the meaning “there”.
There are some mistakes in the test. – There are several errors in the work.
There are nobody there. - There is nobody there.
Subject
1. Before a countable noun in singular. The article a is used in number.
2. Before an uncountable noun or noun. in plural number is used some, any, many, a lot, much, few, little, two, three.
There are some roses in the garden.
There isn't any juice in the box.
There were many pupils in the camp.
Constructing a sentence with turnover
There + to be + subject + adverbial of time or place.
There + is + a book + on the table.
There + are + many happy days + in summer.
Are or Is?
Are used if the subject - noun is in the plural:
Is used if the subject - noun is singular:
There are chairs at the table. - There are chairs near the table.
There is a chair at the table. - There is a chair near the table.
Tense forms of the verb to be in there is/there are!!!:
Present Indefinite: there is/there are – there is, located;
Past Indefinite: there was/there were – was, was;
Future Indefinite: there will be (one form for plural and singular) – will be located;
Present Perfect: there has been/there have been – was, was;
Past Perfect: there had been (one form for plural and singular) - was, was;
There were many people in the meeting. — There were a lot of people at the meeting.
There have been a lot of pears in the garden this year. – There were a lot of pears in the garden this year.
Different types of sentences with the construction there are/there is.
The turnover we are studying is often used in interrogative phrases of various types. The construction of a negative sentence with this construction also has a special feature. Let’s consider each separately.
General question:
To be + there + subject + adverbial of time or place?
Is + there + a phone + in mother’s room? – Is there a telephone in mom’s room?
Short answers with there is/there are
a) Yes/No, there + is/isn’t.
Is + there + a phone + in mother’s room? – No, there isn’t
b) Yes/No, there + auxiliary verb (was, were, will, has, have, had)/ auxiliary. verb+ not
Were there many people in the class? – Yes, there were.
Special question:
Special question word (what) + to be + there + circumstance of time or place?
What are there on the bed? -What's on the bed?
Separated question:
To be + there + subject + or + alternative subject + adverbial of time or place?
Is there tea or milk in the cup? Is there tea or milk in the cup?
Negative sentence:
1. There + to be + not + subject + adverbial of time or place.
There aren’t any photos in the box. – There are no photographs in the box.
There isn’t a pen in the pencil-case. - There is no pen in the pencil case.
2. There + to be + no + subject + adverbial of time or place (this is a more common option).
There are no people in the street. - There are no people on the street.
There was no juice in the bottle. - There is no juice in the bottle.
Substitutes to be
Instead of to be, other verbs can be used that do not change the meaning of the construction, but give a different meaning to the entire sentence. Substitutes can be modal or intransitive verbs close in meaning to to be (live, exist, stand, lie, come):
There mustn’t be any mistakes in your work. – There should be no mistakes in your work.
There lived a model in the village. — A model lived in the village.
If you use this element of English grammar correctly, your speech will be more lively and interesting. Follow the rule there is (there are) and you will easily master all the features of this design.
