Grammar in focus
Form
| Singular / uncountable | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | There is a book. · There is some milk. | There are two books. |
| Negative | There isn't a book. · There isn't any milk. | There aren't any books. |
| Question | Is there a book? · Is there any milk? | Are there any books? |
| Short answers | Yes, there is. / No, there isn't. | Yes, there are. / No, there aren't. |
Use
There is / are says that something exists or is in a place: There is a park near my house. How many people are there in your family?
Past
there was (singular, uncountable) · there were (plural): Yesterday there was a party.
Watch out
- The verb agrees with the noun that comes first: There is a pencil and two pens. There are two pens and a pencil.
- there's = there is · there're = there are. Don't confuse there (place), their (possessive), they're (they are).
- Not
It is a bank near here→ There is a bank near here.
En español
There is / there are = hay. There is para singular e incontables, there are para plurales. Negativo: there isn't / aren't any. Pregunta: Is there…? / Are there…?
US vs UK
This book teaches American English. These are the differences you will notice with British English on this topic.
In casual speech both varieties use there's with plurals, but American speakers do it very often. In exams, use there are.
En el habla informal se usa there's con plurales, muy frecuente en EE. UU. En exámenes usa there are.
Same grammar; different words for places.
Misma gramática; distintas palabras para lugares.
Same structure with US and UK vocabulary.
Misma estructura con vocabulario de EE. UU. y Reino Unido.
Exam practice
- Five parts, like a certification exam: multiple choice, open cloze, error identification, sentence transformation and US vs UK.
- Typed answers accept American spelling and contractions (don't = do not).
- Every item has feedback in English and Spanish. Items and options change order on every attempt.
- Only Exam mode saves your score to your progress. You pass with 70%.
Practice mode
No timer. Check each part as you go and read the feedback.
Exam mode
25 minutes. Feedback at the end. Your best score is saved.