There is / There are and Prepositions of Place

Konu Anlatımı

What Will We Learn? — Bu derste ne öğreneceğiz?

This lesson is about one of the most useful structures in English: there is and there are. It sounds simple, but it is one of the areas where speakers of Turkish make the most mistakes, because Turkish does not have a separate verb for "to exist". In this lesson you will learn how to say what exists in a place, how to ask about it, how to make it negative, and which prepositions to use with it.

By the end of this lesson you should be able to do the following.

• Learning objective 1: Say what exists in a place using there is and there are with the correct agreement.
• Learning objective 2: Form the question and the negative of there is and there are correctly.
• Learning objective 3: Use a and some correctly with singular and plural nouns.
• Learning objective 4: Use the seven basic prepositions of place correctly: in, on, at, under, behind, next to, between.
• Learning objective 5: Describe a room or a building using a clear order that a listener can follow.

Prerequisites — Ön bilgi

Before starting this lesson, check that you can do the following. Every exercise below depends on these skills.

• Countable and uncountable nouns: You must know the difference between a chair (countable) and some water (uncountable). There is goes with singular nouns and uncountable nouns; there are goes with plural nouns.
• The verb to be: You need am, is, are because there sentences use them in every time.
• Articles a, an, the: Before an indefinite noun you usually need an article, even in a there sentence. There is a book on the desk.
• Basic prepositions: in, on, at must be familiar. This lesson adds under, behind, next to, between.
• Basic place vocabulary: kitchen, bedroom, garden, garage, shelf, wall, floor, corner are needed for the description exercises.

Why this lesson is harder for Turkish speakers. In Turkish you say Masada bir kitap var (there is a book on the table). The word var does the job of the whole English verb. In English there is no single word for this, so you must choose between is and are every time, and you must remember the noun that comes after it.

There Is and There Are: Form and Meaning

There is and there are are used to say that something exists in a place. They do not describe an action. They describe a situation, a location, or a possession.

The word order is fixed and does not change. In English the normal order in a there sentence is there + auxiliary + noun + prepositional phrase. You never say *There a book is on the desk. This is one of the most common errors and it is worth learning the pattern as a pattern, not as individual words.

The short form is used only in speech and in informal writing: There's, There're (rarely used), There isn't, There aren't, There's no.

Questions, Negatives and Short Answers

Because the sentence already contains is or are, you do not use do or does. This is the single most important difference between there is sentences and ordinary sentences.

• Question: Is there a library near your school? Are there any shops on this street?
• Negative: There isn't a garden behind the house. There aren't any students in the classroom now.
• Short answer: Yes, there is. / No, there isn't. Yes, there are. / No, there aren't.

Never do this: *Do there exist shops here? The word exist exists in English but it is formal and almost never used in speech. In everyday English you say Are there shops here?

Articles: A, Some, Any and No

Because there is and there are already mean "something exists", the noun that follows usually takes an article. The choice of article is decided by number and by the kind of statement.

The common exception. You say Is there a lift? but Are there any lifts? — singular uses a in questions, plural uses any. This is the rule you should learn first because it covers most exam questions.

Another exception worth knowing. With there is followed by a plural noun, English uses a in a specific meaning: There is a lot of space (uncountable idea), but There is a number of problems. In the second sentence a number of is treated as a single thing. Ordinary plural nouns never take a after there is.

Saying What Something Has Got

To say what a person or a thing possesses, English uses have, not there is. This distinction is tested constantly.

Notice the third row: when you are giving a number, English prefers there are. *He has two brothers is correct, but *He has three brothers is also correct, so both can work. However, for a purely numerical statement such as There are 40 students in our school, there are is the natural choice. The clearest contrast is the fourth row: a quality cannot "exist" in a place, it must be had by someone.

Prepositions of Place

Seven prepositions cover most of what you need in the exam. Their use is not random; each one has a fixed meaning.

The three prepositions that are confused most often.

• in vs on for buildings: Use in for a city or a country and at for a specific building as a location, but use in when you mean "inside the building". I live in Ankara. / I live at 15 Bahçelievler Street. / There are forty desks in the classroom.
• on vs at for transport: on is used for vehicles you travel inside and for surfaces; at is used for walking and standing. I go to work by bus. / I am at the bus stop. / The book is on the desk.
• under vs behind: under means below and behind means at the back. The cat is under the table. / The garage is behind the kitchen.

Describing a Room: The Order to Use

When you describe a room, do not jump about. There is a simple order that a listener can follow, and using it makes your description much clearer.

1. Start with the room itself: My bedroom is small but comfortable.
2. Go around the room in one direction: walls, then floor, then furniture. On the left wall there is a bookshelf.
3. Use there is or there are for each item: There is a desk under the window.
4. Say the position last: There are two pictures above the bed.

Why the order matters. If you say Above the bed there are two pictures. There is a desk under the window. My bedroom is small., the listener has to build the picture alone and may lose track. Putting the room first and moving in a consistent direction turns the description into something the listener can picture immediately.

A Simple Example: My Bedroom

Read the six sentences below. Every one uses a there structure, and every one is correct.

(1) There is a bed in my bedroom. (2) There are two windows in the room. (3) There is a bookshelf under the window. (4) There are some books on the shelf. (5) There isn't a lamp on the desk. (6) Is there a wardrobe in your room?

Sentences (1) and (3) use there is with singular nouns. Sentence (2) and (4) use there are with plural nouns, and sentence (4) also uses some because it is affirmative. Sentence (5) is negative, so isn't appears but the noun is still singular — there is no any because any normally appears with plurals. Sentence (6) is a question about a singular noun, so it uses a and not any.

Describing Your Own Home

This is one of the most common speaking and writing tasks, and it uses the same structures. Here is a model description of a flat, followed by the reasoning behind each sentence.

We live in a small flat in a quiet neighbourhood in Ankara. There is a living room, a kitchen and two bedrooms. There is a sofa and a television in the living room. There are two rooms on the right and a bathroom on the left. There is a fridge next to the cooker in the kitchen. There are some books on the shelf under the window in my bedroom.

Reasoning. The first sentence uses in three times, always from large to small: country or city, neighbourhood, then building. Each in marks a level inside a bigger space, and the order never goes back to a larger space. There is a living room, a kitchen and two bedrooms uses is because the list begins with two singular nouns; a native speaker would more naturally say There are a living room, a kitchen and two bedrooms, and you may do the same, because when a list starts and ends with mixed numbers the verb often agrees with the nearest noun. The phrase on the right and on the left uses on because it describes a surface position within the flat. Next to describes touching position, and under describes a vertical relationship. Notice also that every position word comes after the noun it describes, and that some is used with the plural books because the sentence is affirmative.

Everyday Life: Where This Structure Is Used

There is and there are are used constantly outside the classroom, in situations where you must explain or understand a place.

• Asking for directions: Is there a post office near here? Are there any toilets on this floor? This is the standard form; a shop assistant understands it immediately.
• Describing a photograph: In the picture there is a man standing next to a tree. Here in the picture comes first and the sentence is written as an inverted structure.
• Talking about what a building contains: There is a new library in our school. This is how school buildings are usually described.
• Explaining what something contains: There is a mistake in your homework. This use of a singular there is with an abstract noun is very frequent in everyday speech.

One everyday difference to note. In speech, English very often drops the article after there's: There's no lift in this building is more natural than There is not a lift. In careful writing, however, There is no lift is preferred. Knowing which register to use is worth one mark in writing tasks.

Step-by-Step: Building a There Sentence

When you write a there sentence, work through these five questions in order. This is the safest way to avoid the most common errors.

1. Step 1 — Decide the number of the noun. Is it singular, plural, or uncountable? Look at the noun you want to use, not at the verb. Singular and uncountable take is; plural takes are.
2. Step 2 — Choose the article. Singular: a or an. Plural affirmative: some. Plural question or negative: any. Singular negative: no.
3. Step 3 — Check the preposition. Decide whether the position is inside, on, at, under, over, behind, next to, or between. Choose the preposition from meaning, not from memory of the object.
4. Step 4 — Keep the word order. Write: There + is/are + article + noun + preposition + place. Never put the noun before the verb.
5. Step 5 — Add the extra information if needed. A second place is joined with and: There is a table in the room and a lamp beside the window.

Worked application. Build the sentence from these notes: living room / two sofas / in / near the window. The answer is There are two sofas in the living room near the window. Note that the plural noun sofas takes are and some is not used here because there is an exact number, so no some is needed when a number is given.

A Harder Example: Exam-Style Analysis

The following short text contains several there structures, some correct and some wrong. Identify each one and explain your judgement.

In our school there is a big library and there are three laboratories. Behind the library there is a garden. There are a lot of students in the garden today. There is two chairs under the tree. Is there any bookshelves in the reading room? Yes, there are.

Analysis.

• Sentence 1 — correct. There is a big library uses is with the singular noun library. There are three laboratories uses are with the plural noun laboratories. Both are correct because the number of each noun is different.
• Sentence 2 — correct. Behind the library there is a garden. The preposition phrase comes first here, which is also possible. The noun garden is singular, so is is right.
• Sentence 3 — correct. There are a lot of students uses are with the plural noun students. The phrase a lot of does not change the plural agreement.
• Sentence 4 — wrong. *There is two chairs has two errors: the verb must be are because chairs is plural, and the number two already makes the noun definite, so no article is needed. Correct: There are two chairs under the tree.
• Sentence 5 — wrong. *Is there any bookshelves uses any with a singular verb; but bookshelves is plural, so the verb must be Are. Since the verb is are, the plural noun correctly takes any. Correct: Are there any bookshelves in the reading room?

What this example teaches. The number of the noun is decided before anything else, and it controls the verb, the article and the question form at the same time. A learner who decides the verb first and the noun afterwards will get at least one of the three wrong. The safe order is: noun, then verb, then article.

Common Mistakes

These are the errors that appear most often in the exam. For each one, the wrong version is given first, then the reason, then the correct version.

• Wrong: *Do there exist shops here? — Reason: the verb exist is formal and almost never used in everyday English. Correct: Are there shops here?
• Wrong: *There have a garden. — Reason: have is used for what a person owns, not for what a place contains. Correct: There is a garden.
• Wrong: *There is two chairs. — Reason: the noun chairs is plural, so the verb must be are; and because an exact number is given, no article is needed. Correct: There are two chairs.
• Wrong: *Is there any books? — Reason: any goes with a plural noun, and is goes with a singular noun; here both are wrong. Correct: Are there any books?
• Wrong: *There is some chairs. — Reason: some can go with a plural noun but then the verb must be are. Correct: There are some chairs.
• Wrong: *There is a news on the table. — Reason: news is uncountable, so it never takes a. Correct: There is some news on the table.
• Wrong: *Is there a water in the glass? — Reason: water is uncountable and does not take an article. Correct: Is there any water in the glass?
• Wrong: *There is at the room a bed. — Reason: in the standard pattern the noun comes immediately after the verb. Moving a phrase into the middle is possible only in special emphatic structures. Correct: There is a bed in the room.
• Wrong: *The book is in the shelf. — Reason: for furniture and surfaces English uses on, not in. Correct: The book is on the shelf.

Concept Comparison Table — There Is, There Are, Have and Has

Almost every error in this lesson comes from mixing these four structures. The table below shows what each one is for.

Summary

In short: There is and there are say that something exists in a place. Use is with singular and uncountable nouns, and are with plural nouns. Questions use Is there and Are there; negatives use isn't and aren't. The singular noun takes a or an even in questions, while plural nouns take some in affirmative sentences and any in questions and negatives. The word order never changes: there + verb + article + noun + preposition + place. To say what a person owns, use have or has, not there is. The seven prepositions of place are in, on, at, under, over, behind, next to and between, and each is chosen from meaning. When describing a room, start with the room, go around it in one direction, use there is/are for each item, and give the position last.

• Decide the number of the noun before anything else.
• Singular and uncountable take is; plural takes are.
• Never use do or does in a there sentence.
• Singular uses a/an even in questions; plural uses any in questions and negatives.
• Use have/has for possession and for qualities.
• Keep the word order there + verb + noun + place.
• Use on for surfaces and furniture, never in.
• When describing a place, follow a consistent direction so the listener can picture it.

Check Your Understanding — Kendin dene: üç soru

Answer the three questions below before you look at the answers, then compare your answers with the sample ones.

1. Question 1: Correct the following sentence and explain every change you make: *Is there a milk in the fridge?
2. Sample answer: The correct sentence is Is there any milk in the fridge? There are two changes. First, milk is an uncountable noun, so it cannot take the article a; it takes any in a question. Second, the verb is is correct and does not change, because is is the verb used with uncountable nouns. A learner who changes only the article and forgets to check the noun type would write *Is there a water in the fridge?, which is still wrong.
3. Question 2: Write four sentences describing your classroom: one with there is, one with there are, one negative and one question. Then say which preposition you used in each sentence and why.
4. Sample answer: (a) There is a blackboard at the front of the classroom. — at is used because at marks a single point, and the front wall is treated as a point. (b) There are forty desks in the classroom. — in is used because the desks are inside an enclosed space, and no article is used because an exact number is given. (c) There aren't any windows on the left wall. — on is used because the windows touch the surface of the wall; aren't and any are both correct because the noun is plural and the sentence is negative. (d) Is there a piano in your school? — in is used because the piano is inside a building, and the singular noun takes a even in a question. Notice that the reason for the preposition is always the position, not the object.
5. Question 3: Your friend says My room have two windows and a big wardrobe. Correct the sentence in two different ways and explain which version is better and why.
6. Sample answer: First version: There are two windows and a big wardrobe in my room. Second version: My room has two windows and a big wardrobe. Both are correct, and the difference is the point of view. The first version describes the room as a place and lists what is in it; the second version describes the room as an owner and lists what it possesses. In a speaking task the second version is usually better, because it makes the subject clear from the first word. In a writing task the first version is better, because it groups the two objects together after the place is named. Choosing between them is therefore a question of what you want to emphasise, not of which is grammatically more correct.

If you can do all three without looking at the samples, you have understood the nine functions of this lesson: what we will learn, prior knowledge, a simple example, harder examples, step-by-step solving, comparison tables, common mistakes, summary, and checking your understanding.

Basit Örnek ve Günlük Yaşam

Günlük yaşamda ve mesleki bağlamda bir uygulama:

Soru: Boşlukları doldurun: There ___ a map on the wall and there ___ two desks in the room.

1. a map tekil bir isimdir → there is kalıbı kullanılır.
2. two desks çoğul bir isimdir → there are kalıbı kullanılır.
3. Cümle birleşik olduğundan iki yapı birbirinden bağımsızdır, biri diğerini belirlemez.

Sonuç/cevap: is / are

İleri Örnek

Daha ileri bir uygulama:

Soru: Sınavda verilen bir oda planını iki cümleyle betimleyiniz: çalışma masası pencerenin yanında, kitaplıklar masanın üstünde değil, duvarda.

1. Önce büyük mobilya ve yeri belirtilir: There is a desk next to the window.
2. Ardından kitaplıklar çoğul olduğu için there are yapısı kullanılır.
3. Olumsuz konum için isn't ve any edatı uygulanır: There aren't any books on the desk.

Sonuç/cevap: There is a desk next to the window. There aren't any books on the desk; there are some shelves on the wall.

Adım Adım Çözülmüş Örnek

Örnek 1: Tekil ve Çoğul Doğru Seçim konusunun adımları:

1. a map tekil bir isimdir → there is kalıbı kullanılır.
2. two desks çoğul bir isimdir → there are kalıbı kullanılır.
3. Cümle birleşik olduğundan iki yapı birbirinden bağımsızdır, biri diğerini belirlemez.

Karşılaştırma Tablosu

Sık Yapılan Hatalar

There has a... kurmak: Varlık bildiren yapı is veya are'dır; has sahiplik anlamıdır ve there ile birlikte kullanılamaz.

Tekil nesneyle there are demek: There are a book on the table. yanlıştır; a book tekil olduğundan There is kullanılır.

in ile on'u karıştırmak: Masa yüzeyindeki nesne için in the table denmez, on the table kullanılır.

Sayıdan sonra is kullanmak: There is five books. hatası yaygındır; sayı çoğul isim getirdiğinden there are gerekir.

Olumsuz cümlede some bırakmak: There aren't some apples. yerine There aren't any apples. denir, çünkü some olumsuz yapıda any ile değişir.

Özet

There is tekil ve sayılamaz isimlerle, there are ise çoğul isimlerle kullanılır; olumsuzlukta not, soruda is veya are öne geçer. Yer bildiren edatlarda in kapalı mekânı, on yüzeyi, at ise belirli noktayı gösterir. Bir mekân betimlenirken büyükten küçüğe sıralama yapmak anlatımı tutarlı kılar. Sayı soruları how many + çoğul isim + are there kalıbıyla kurulur.