Unit 24: Using There is / There are

In this lesson , we shall learn the use of  THERE IS /  THERE ARE:

Video Tutorial in English

Video Tutorial in Urdu

 

to show the presence of anything at a particular place in English language we start our sentences with there is (for singular) and there are (for plural) .

For example you want to tell  that 2 boys are in the classroom, so you can not say  Two boys are in the classroom instead you should say There are two boys in the classroom.

The above sentence shows the location or presence of Two boys in the classroom. So , it is quite easy to understand. Just remember that whenever you want  to tell the existence of anything at a particular location, start your sentence with There is / There are.

e.g.     Moon / in the sky.   (There is a moon in the sky)

           Two rooms / in my apartment.  (There are two rooms in my apartment)

Don't try to find out meaning  of  There is / There are in your own mother tongue, it is quite possible that there may be no translation to this thing at all. And one more thing is that you will be facing a lot of difficulties if you follow the method of translation to learn English.

Now, we shall  learn how to make AFFIRMATIVE, NEGATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE sentences with THERE IS / THERE ARE.

AFFIRMATIVE

THERE    +    BE    +    SUBJECT    +    LOCATION

There             is                a cat                    on the tree.

There             are              4 cows         &nbsnbsp;  in the farm

NEGATIVE

THERE    +     BE    +    NOT    +    ANY    +    SUBJECT   +   LOCATION

There              is              not            any cat                on the tree.                 

        There            are             not            any cows            in the farm

 

INTERROGATIVE

BE    +    THERE    +  ANY    +    SUBJECT    +    LOCATION    ?

Is            there                any                cat                    on the tree?  

Are        there                any                 cows                in the farm?

 

Short Replies :

    Is there any milk in the refrigerator?                Yes, there is    or    No, there isn't.

    Are there any apples in the refrigerator?          Yes, there are    or     No, there aren't.

 

Oral Exercise No.1: Make sentences with there is or there are. Use given phrases in your sentences.

 

 e.g.     A book / on my bed.

            There is a book on my bed.

1. on the wall / a map

2. some pictures / on the wall.

3. in this room / three windows

4. fifteen students / in this room

5. in the refrigerator / some milk

6. a bus stop / at the corner of  Tariq Road

7. in Canada / ten provinces

8. on television / a good program

 

Exercise No 1: Complete the sentences with is or are.

1. There  is     a book on Ali's desk.
2. There    many grammar books in this library.
3. There    three pens on Salma's desk.
4. There    a pen on your desk.
5. There    31 days in January.
6. There    only one student from Dubai in our class.
7. There    four students from America.
8. There    10 sentences in this exercise.
9. There    a new restaurant in F.B. Area.
10. There    many problems in the world today.

 

Check Answers

1. is
2. are
3. are
4. is
5. are
6. is
7. are
8. are
9. is
10. are

 

Asking Questions with How Many :

HOW MANY      +    SUBJECT     +     ARE    +    THERE    +LOCATION

  How many          lessons                   are             there         in this website?  

    There are 24 Lessons in this website.

    How many        provinces               are               there             in Pakistan?  

     There are  4 provinces in Pakistan.

Oral Exercise No. 2: Ask and answer questions yourself about your room.

Example:    chairs    (How many chairs are there in this room?)    There are 2 chairs in this room.

1. windows.

2. doors.

3. teachers

4. women.

5. men.

6. grammar books

7. students.

8. beds.

9. fans

10. tubelights.

 

Oral Exercise No. 3: Ask and answer questions yourself about your city.

 

Example:    a zoo        (Is there any zoo in this city?     Yes , there is     or    No, there isn't)

1. an airport.

2. an aquarium shop.

3. any lakes.

4. a train station.

5. a subway.

6. any good restaurants.

7. a good Chinese restaurant.

8. an art museum.

9. a good public transportation

10. 10 provinces.