If you’re an English as an additional language learner, you’ve probably already seen the phrases “there is”, “there are”, “there was”, “there were”, and “there will be” out there. They’re forms of the phrase “there be”. But what do they mean? How can you use them properly? Let’s find out right now!
What Does ‘There Be’ Mean?
This phrase expresses the idea of existence. In this sense, we use it when we want to say that something exists, or happens.
All of the variations of this phrase you’ve seen are due to the tense in which they’re being used: past, present, and future.
There Is/Are
There is and there are are used for the present. There is is used for singular nouns, and there are is used for plural nouns. Negative sentences are formed by adding not after the verb be (is or are), and questions are formed with the inversion of there and the verb be (is or are). Examples are:
Singular
- There is a ball in the backyard
- There isn’t a ball in the backyard
- Is there a ball in the backyard?
Plural
- There are 4 chairs in the dining room
- There aren’t 4 chairs in the dining room
- Are there 4 chairs in the dining room?
There was/were
There was and there were are used for the past. There was is used for singular nouns, and there were is used for plural nouns. Negative sentences are formed by adding not after the verb be (was or were), and questions are formed with the inversion of there and the verb be (was or were). Examples are:
Singular
- There was a demonstration against the government in the city yesterday
- There wasn’t a demonstration against the government in the city yesterday
- Was there a demonstration against the government in the city yesterday?
Plural
- There were beautiful flowers in the garden last spring
- There weren’t beautiful flowers in the garden last spring
- Were there awesome flowers in the garden last spring?
There will be
There will be is used for the future. There will be is used for both singular and plural nouns. Negative sentences are formed by adding not after the auxiliary verb will, and questions are formed with the inversion of there and the auxiliary verb will. Examples are:
Singular
- There will be a nice exhibition at the City Museum next month
- There won’t (will not) be a nice exhibition at the City Museum next month
- Will there be a nice exhibition at the City Museum next month?
Plural
- There will be a lot of houses in this neighborhood in the next couple of years
- There won’t (will not) be a lot of houses in this neighborhood in the next couple of years
- Will there be a lot of houses in this neighborhood in the next couple of years?
Real-life examples
Here are some real-life examples of how this structure is used in authentic communication:
- Some devastating impacts of global warming are now unavoidable, a major new scientific report finds. But there is still a short window to stop things from getting even worse. (The New York Times)
- I was desperate for a cancer manual – but there isn’t one. (BBC)
- Is there widespread mail ballot fraud in the US? (CNN)
- There are two different labels because there are important differences between the two. (HuffPost)
- ‘We want to get home, but there aren’t any tickets’. (BBC)
- Why Are There So Many Holocaust Books for Kids? (The New York Times)
- Trump says ‘there was no reason’ for officer to shoot rioter who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. (The Washington Post)
- There wasn’t time to be afraid. (CNN)
- Was there widespread voter fraud by illegal immigrants in California? (CNN)
- Plunging life expectancy was a natural result of the pandemic. But there were other causes, too. (The Washington Post)
- There weren’t many expectations from me in Rio, getting a medal in Tokyo a wonderful moment: PV Sindhu. (The Indian Express)
- “Were there any gaps in that surveillance video?” Goter said. (KX News)
- He added that there will be instructions about that from the US Food and Drug Administration, through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and their Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, so there will be guidance when the time comes.(CNN)
- Will there be another stimulus payment? (The New York Times)
Now you know how this expression is used in English. Remember that for you to really master the use of this structure, you have to expose yourself to the language as much as you can as well as use it whenever possible. This will make your proficiency in the language improve as a whole. If you need tips on how to expose yourself to the language in interesting ways, check our article on How to Improve your Vocabulary in English. If you need tips on how to improve your speaking skills, check our awesome article 10 Best Tips to Improve your Spoken English.
If you want to master every aspect of English grammar, take a look at our awesome article on the best books to learn English grammar.
