The expression there is there are rules. The rule for using the turnover there is (there are)

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 is translated into Russian as "there is", "is", "is", "exists".

Scheme of building a turnover

Sentences with turnover there is/there are are built according to the following scheme:

There is (are) + subject + circumstance of place

Sentences with a grammatical turnover there + be mainly indicate the presence / absence of a phenomenon or object in a particular place.

Turnover is used in the following cases

When they want to emphasize the presence or absence of an object, and not 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 exact 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 turnover, and it is not necessary to translate it into Russian. The turnover is considered an introductory particle. If in a sentence the circumstance of place is expressed by the pronoun "there", then the sentence is translated into English as follows:

There were many children there. - There were many children there.

The turn there is / there are is not used in answers to the question "where?", since the answer concerns the location of the object, and not itself:

Where is my book? Where's my book?

It is in my bag. She'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

Modal verbs are also used in the turnover construction along with the verb to be:

There must be many interesting books in the library. There should be many interesting books in the library.

There can be problems for him. He may have problems.

The turn there + be translates Russian sentences that begin with the words “exists” or “exist” and words that do not have an indication of 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

In the presence of a turnover, the verb to be comes first, and after there the subject is:

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 (yes), not any, or none (no):

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 turnover are formed 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.

Need help with your studies?

Previous topic: The neither nor construct: usage rules and examples with translation
Next topic:   Special Questions: Interrogative Words and Word Order in Special Questions

The more you begin to appreciate and love your usual native Russian language. It seems to us that in Russian there are no confusing tenses, no regular/irregular verbs, no articles. Everything is simple and clear. But this, of course, is not the case. And the Russian language has enough of its complex rules and confusing definitions. In this article, we will look at the slightly confusing there is/are construction, which is rather unusual because it appears at the beginning of a sentence and is usually not translated in any way.

How and when to use there is/there are?

We use this construction when we need to say about the location any subject. That is, about what something (someone) somewhere located. We must immediately remember that we always put it at the beginning suggestions. I think you have already guessed that we use there is when we are talking about one subject, and there are about several.

Literally, we translate the first sentence as follows: "There is (is) book on the shelf. Of course, in Russian it sounds ugly, and in real life no one speaks like that. But at the first stage it is important to understand meaning what we say .

This literal translation will help you speak correctly and, most importantly, understand the logic of this construction. But when you say this turnover many times and you don’t have to translate it verbatim, then you can move on to a beautiful literary translation: There are two books on the shelf.

Order of words in a sentence
with there is/are

Don't forget to put "there is/there are" at the beginning when you talk about the location of something. This will help your interlocutor to understand from the very beginning that it is about finding something somewhere. In such a sentence, each word is in its specific place. Let's look at the word order in a sentence.

1 place 2nd place 3rd place 4th place
There be (in the correct form) What (who) is Where is
There is a cat in the room
There are cats in the street

Negative form c there is/are

The negative form is formed by adding a particle not. It is used when you want to say that something no / was not / will not be anywhere. We can cut there is not = there isn't and there are not = there aren't.

Also with the construction there is / there are the word is often used no (No). But abbreviations are not allowed in such phrases, because not is a particle that can be reduced, and no is already a word that cannot be reduced.

How to ask questions with there is/are?

The construction of questions with this construction is subject to the standard rules of the English language. To ask a question, it is enough to move the words is / are to the beginning of the sentence, before the word there. Consider an example of how to make an interrogative sentence from an affirmative sentence.

Statement

Question

Positive answer will look like this.

At no answer we add the not particle.

Let's look at one more example to confirm.

How to ask questions using question words?

With the turns there is / there are, you can also build sentences using question words. Here is some of them:

  • what - what
  • which - which,
  • why - why,
  • how long - how long,
  • when - when.

In such questions, we put these words in the first place, and then the sentence is built as in a simple question.

There is/are in past and future tenses

If you want to say about something that was or will be somewhere, then for this it is enough to change word form is/are (verb be). How this verb changes, we will consider in great detail in the next article. For now, just remember that to change the time using the there is / are construction, you need to change the verb.

Since the phrase there is/ there are is mainly used to say where is this or that object, then you can easily practice using this construction. Take a look around. What do you see? Where are the things you are used to? So there is…

INTRODUCTORY CONSTRUCTION THERE IS/ARE

As a rule, it stands at the beginning of a sentence and means "there is something somewhere, lies, hangs, is, stands" or, conversely, "there is no something." The word order in an English sentence with a similar construction is usually this:
1. Yes.
2. What/who.
3. Where (nothing/whom where).

When translating sentences with an introductory construction into Russian, in most cases it is better to start with the circumstances (a) of the place (or time), i.e. where when? is/will be that/who.

!! Do not confuse the introductory construction with the adverb there- there. A fairly common mistake: they try to translate sentences with such a construction into Russian in the same word order and use the word there:
There are many places of interest in London. - (Incorrect: There are many attractions in London) There are many attractions in London.

look! There is a cafe over there. - Look! There's a cafe over there.

At the beginning of a sentence, the word There is part of the present singular introductory construction There is. At the end of the sentence there is an adverb, a circumstance of the place: over there - over there:

Who is there? - Who's there? (there - adverb)
What is there in the fridge? - What is (is) in the refrigerator?

There is part of the introductory singular construction. present tense There is in interrogative form, i.e. is there.

The interrogative-negative form expresses surprise: Aren't there any shops here? - Aren't there shops here?

Compare:
Is there any paper in the table? - Is there paper in the table?
Isn't there any paper in the table? - Isn't there paper in the table? What, there's no paper on the table?

Currently, the structure is used There is/are… For the past tense, the construction will be There was/were
In the future tense use the form There will be

!! They are not different designs. These are different forms of the same design.

Behind the introductory construction of any time (in the affirmative sense) singular. the indefinite article often follows, unless, of course, the noun that follows can be used with this article (see the topic “Article”):

There is a combo in your bag. - There is (is) a comb in your bag;
There are flowers in the vase. - There are flowers in a vase;
There was a young man in the room. - There was (was, stood, sat) a young man in the room;
There was milk (you can say some milk) in the jug. - There was milk in the jug;
There will be fine weather tomorrow. - The weather will be fine tomorrow.

Variants of the negative form of the introductory construction:
There is no - there is not any = there isn't any(for units)
There are no = There aren't any(for plural)

In the interrogative form, the components of the introductory construction are interchanged: Is there…? Was there…? Are there…? Were there…? Will there be…?

There is a carpet on the floor in his room. - There is a carpet on the floor in his room;
Are there any pictures on the walls? - Are there paintings on the walls?
There is no ticket in my pocket. - I don't have a ticket in my pocket,
Were there any problems with the documents? - Were there any problems with the documents?
There isn't any water in the glass, is there? - There is no (no) water in the glass, is there?
There are some chairs in the room, aren't there? - Yes, there are. - There are some chairs in the room, right? - Yes there is;
Was there a shelf on this wall? Was there a shelf on this wall?
Will there be dancers at the party? - Will there be dancers at the celebration (at the party)?
There is no snow in the street - There is no snow on the street (there is no snow);
How many people are there in the house? - How many people (are) in the house?
How much money is there in the folder? - How much money (is) in the wallet?
There is not a single cloud in the sky. - There is not a cloud in the sky (not one, not a single one);
What is there in her bag? - What (is, lies) in her bag?

Source: English cheat sheet / E. Gritsay.

related posts:

  • Verbitskaya M. V. Forward. English for 8…
  • Verbitskaya M. V. Forward. English for 8…

The turnover there is there are in English is studied at the stage of the basic course. The Russian language does not have such equivalents, so students experience difficulties in understanding, pronunciation and use of the construction. In fact, the rule is simple, it is easy to master.

Essence and structure of turnover

The construction there is there are is used to describe the location of an object (refers to the present time); and upcoming events (future tense).

Translation into Russian is made according to the scheme:
end of the sentence - then the beginning (where there is a turnover) - then the middle of the sentence


There is (sitting) a parrot in the cage.

Structure: turnover + verb to be (to be), which has the forms:

· is/are- for the present;
· was/were- for the past tense;

To convey the meaning of future events, the auxiliary verb will (will, will be) is used.

Is is used when talking about a single object or event (the subject is singular). Are is used when talking about the location of several items, about upcoming events, events in the plural. There is/there are sentences can be affirmative or negative. Grammatically, the construction of a turnover can be displayed as follows:

Affirmative constructions

Let's give examples of affirmative sentences of revolutions.

There is a TV set in my room. - In my room there is (there is a TV);
· There is some salt in the cupboard. There is some salt in the cupboard. Note: some translates as a certain amount of something and is often placed before uncountable nouns (those that cannot be counted). Other examples of such nouns are: milk, sugar, tea, coffee, porridge;

· There are some sweets in the vase. – There are some sweets in the vase;
· There will be examinations at the end of the school year. There will be (expected) exams at the end of the school year.

Note: if the sentence contains a list of several items (that is, the plural), we must also use the turnover in the plural. But if there is a singular noun immediately after it, you should start with there is.

· There is a table, four chairs, cupboards and two fridges in the dining-room. The dining room has a table, four chairs, cupboards and two refrigerators.

Negative sentences

To refute the fact, after the verbs is, are, was, were, the particle not or no is put (translated: not, no). For the future tense, not/no is placed between will and the verb to be (to be). It is easier to write a negative expression with no, because when using not, it is necessary to add the particle any (none, none, etc.):

· There is no pencil on my table. There is no pencil on my desk.
· There are not any students in the class. — There are no students in the class.

Using an Expression in Short Form
Colloquial speech involves simplified forms of expressions. The use of turnover in the present and future tense is possible, both in full and in abbreviated form. The following colloquial variants are available: there`s, there aren`t any, there won`t any.

Question options

There are four types of question:

1. When posing a general question, the verb to be comes first - Is there a table in my room? Is there a table in my room?

2. An alternative question is constructed in a similar way. The interlocutor is asked to choose: Is there a table or wardrobe in my room? Is there a table or wardrobe in my room?

3. The disjunctive question is posed using the sentence itself + "tail": There are books on the shelf, aren't there? There are books on the shelf, aren't there?

4. A special question consists of a general question + a question word is put in front according to the meaning of the sentence: What is there on the table? – There is a book on the table.

In order to master the turnover well, there is there are recommended to perform exercises not only in English, but also try to translate sentences from Russian into English. You should start practicing with sentences in the singular, then the plural. Further, it is advisable to move on to negative expressions and posing questions.

It is difficult to overestimate the role played by the construction there is / there are in English. Before proceeding with it, we advise you to memorize the prepositions of place. We will talk about the arrangement of things in different rooms or parts of them, so we will need words such as in, at, in front of, etc..

The special word order for English is preserved in these sentences. Let's start with the affirmative form, since word order in an English sentence is usually judged by it.

Usually, the there is (are) construction itself comes first, then the object whose location needs to be described. Completes the sentence, with the exception of some cases, the circumstance of place. Less often, the adverb of place is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

Here are some simple classic examples:

There is a bird in the cage.

Since a direct translation would look slightly ridiculous (there is a bird in a cage), it is better to translate this sentence from the end. "There is a bird in the cage." The word “sits” is also “invented”, and the sentence will sound completely in Russian.

There are birds in the cages.

"Birds are in cages." Most likely, you and I went to a pet store.

According to the rules, when in one sentence we describe several different objects or their groups, the setting of the there is / there are constructions depends on the number of the first mentioned objects. Examples:

There is a table, two chairs, and three armchairs in the room. The room has a table, two chairs and three armchairs.

There are two chairs, three armchairs, and a table. The room has two chairs, three armchairs and a table.

negatives

It is easy to make sentences with the construction there is are negative. It is necessary to put the words no or not after one of the forms of the verb be (that is, is, are), which express negation.

Language learners sometimes worry about what to deliver to them. We hasten to reassure you: there is practically no difference, except perhaps ‘ no’ makes the negation a little stronger. It also has more voice. One nuance - after the word " no» article ‘a' is not used. Examples:

There is not a brick house in the area. There is no brick house in the area. There are no brick houses in the area.

There are not any brick houses in the area. There are no brick houses in the area. There are no brick houses in the area. In a sentence with not, the negative pronoun any is often used.

Questions

Interrogative sentences differ in word order, and in them, as in negations, an indefinite pronoun is used any Unlike some in affirmative sentences. Examples:

Is there petrol in the tank? Is there gasoline in the tank?

Are there any nails in the box? Are there nails in the box?

Conversational forms

We have considered only the classic full forms of sentences with there is / are. It is very important to note that in spoken English, the use of abbreviated forms of affirmative or negative sentences is preferable. Examples:

There's an apple in the vase. There is an apple in the vase.

There aren't any apples in the vase. There are no apples in the vase.

There isn't an apple in the vase. There's no apple in the vase. There is no apple in the vase.

Table

Now let's work with the traditional table. We think that it will not be difficult to supplement it with our own examples. Make more use of dictionaries. Use an internet search. First, you can enter the sentences given in this article into the table.