How do you use the word there in a sentence

There is / there are (there’s / there’re)

This grammar topic teaches you how to work with the popular English construction there is / there are… Or, in other words, how to say: there is something, there is not something.

At the airport (there are) many rules. — There are a lot of rules at the airport.

There is no stadium in the town. — There isn’t a stadium in the town.

We use this construction when the sentence says that something is / not is somewhere. In other words, something is somewhere or something is not somewhere. To do this, in English, we use the construction there is / there are.

The word there in this construction will not change under any circumstances. Will change, according to the law of the genre, the verb to be in number and in tenses, we will talk below.

Here you need to be careful and not confuse the adverb there (there) and part of the construction there is / are… The difference will be visible in the context and translation: there, which is included in there is / are, will not even be translated, it just «is». For example:

There is only one restaurant there. — There (is) only one restaurant.

The second part of this construction is the already known verb «be» — to be in the form is and are (is for the singular, are for the plural).

There is a cake in the fridge. — There’s a cake in the fridge.

There’s a hole in my pocket. — There’s a hole in my pocket.

In the last sentence, we abbreviated there is to there’s, which is quite typical for spoken English.

There are two men in the room. “There are two men in the room.

There’re many mistakes in your test, you must do it over. — There are many mistakes in your test, you must redo it. (there are = there’re)

Often a student asks the question: why can’t I just say through a verb to be? For example:

Many mistakes are in your test.

Everything is very simple: such a sentence is grammatically correct, but the speaker will not say so, it will sound less natural to his ear. In addition, the design there is / are very popular with native speakers, so definitely not worth avoiding.

Interestingly, sentences with there is / are we translate from the end, the construction itself may not be translated at all, or it may be translated by the word «is».

There are many Italian foodstuffs in this shop. — There are many Italian products in this store.

There are seven days in a week. — There are seven days in a week.

Denial

It is a pleasure to work with this construction: to build negation, we

add a particle not or the word no after is / are

There isn’t any cold water in the fridge. — There is no cold water in the refrigerator.

There is no lamp in my son’s room. — There is no lamp in my son’s room.

You noticed that after there is not there must be an article a or an; after there is no we do not put either the article or any.

There are not two but three kids in their family. — Their family has not two, but three children.

There aren’t problems with this child. — There are no problems with this child.

There are no guests at the party. — There are no guests at the party.

Question

To build a question, you just need to rearrange the words in the construction itself. there is / are.

Is there a scarf in the wardrobe? — Is there a scarf in the closet?

Is there a dog in the car? «Is there a dog in the car?»

What is there on the table? — What (is) on the table?

Are there letters for me? — Are there any letters for me?

Are there students in the lecture hall? — Are there students in the classroom?

How many days are there in February? — How many days in February?

Very often the question arises in sentences where we need to list items in both the singular and the plural. What to do in these cases?
The choice of is or are will depend on the first noun immediately after the construction there is / are.

There is one bathroom and two bedrooms in my flat. — My apartment has two bedrooms and one bathroom.

As «bathroom» in the singular comes the first, we chose there is.

Source: https://speakasap.com/ru/en-ru/grammar/konstrukciya-there-is-are/

There is / there are. Beginner rules

Site design there is (there are)  refers to the most common constructions of English grammar and you need to know it already at the basic level of learning English. In this lesson, you will learn the basic rules on there is (there are). Consider the English translation of a simple sentence from the example.

EXAMPLE. There is a cat in the box. — there is a cat in the box.

In English, this phrase has the following meaning:

В this the box sits some kind of cat. (that is, the box is specific (this, mine), and I see the cat for the first time

There is / there are. rules

RULE 1. Construction there is used when we want to say that some object is in a specific place; respectively there are used if there are several items, that is, in a plurality.

EXAMPLES

• There is a cat in the box. — There is a cat in the box.
• There are cats in the box. — There are cats in the box.

General view of the construction there is / there are in the present tense

Pay attention to the articles highlighted in blue:

article a means that this ITEM I have not seen before (some kind of cat)

article the means that this PLACE is familiar to me (this table, my table, etc.)

RULE 2 (see diagram above).

Before the subject always put article (a, zero), cardinal number (one, two, three), or other quantity indicators (many, much, some).

Before the place the article is always put — tea. Read more Prefix expressions with the article THE.

EXAMPLES

1. there is an apple on the apple tree.
2. There are three (many/some) apples on the apple tree.
3. there is some (much) milk in the glass.

1. Translation of a sentence with there is (are)

RULES for translation there is / there are:

1.Construction there is (are) translated as is, is.

2. Verb is (are) in this construction, you can NOT translate or use in translation other verbs denoting a location, for example: sitting, hanging, lying, etc.

EXAMPLE. There is a cat in the tree. — Can be translated as In this tree is sitting cat.

3. In this construction, the word there has lost its original meaning there… DO NOT BEGIN the translation of a sentence with THERE.

EXAMPLE of incorrect translation. There is a cat in the tree. — THERE is a cat sitting in a tree.

4. Translation of a sentence with this construction must begin with the word that answers the question where? (usually it costs at the end of the sentence).EXAMPLE

Source: http://englishinn.ru/konstruktsiya-there-is-are-bazovyiy-uroven.html

Such different similar words where, there, here, with diphthongs [eə], [ɪə]

Diphthongs are double vowel sounds. You know that the letter combination isFeatures in words Where, there reads like a diphthong [eə],
but in the word here how is diphthong [ɪə]?
And more words Their и hear sound like there и here!

• Memorize examples
• There-their-where memory stick
• An exercise

Memorize examples

1.
Their car is red. — Their car is red.
There is a car in the street. — On the street (there is) a car.

there [ðeə] — there (is)

      there

there is — located, available

      thereis

Their [ðeə] — them (belong to them), their

      Their

! Expression there is / are is translated «is, is / are, are», and in it the word there not separately translated. If you need to say that
there is a car, add the word «there» = there (there will be two «there» in the sentence):
there is because there.

2.
Where is the car? — Where is the car?
Where do you go? — Where do you go?

Where [(h) weə] — where, where

      Where

3.
Here is the car. — Here’s the car.
She can hear his car. — She hears his car.
We listen with our ears but hear with our brains. — We listen with our ears, but our brain hears (“we listen with our brains”).

[hɪə] — here = here

      here

[hɪə] — to hear = hear

      hear

ear [ɪə] — ear

      ear

! listen [lɪsn] — listen, listen; hear [hɪə] — to hear, hear, have hearing

There-their-where memory stick

We (in English) have two words that are pronounced [ðeə] and one word that is spoken [weə]:

Source: http://studyenglishnow.ru/takie-raznye-poxozhie-slova-where-there-here/

Above and Over: rules of use, translation, example, difference, difference in meaning

In general, both prepositions, and aboveand Aboutmean «over«,»above«.

For example:
There is a mirror above / over the washbasin.
Above the sink has a mirror.

The water came up above / over our knees.

The water rose above our knees.

However, there are differences between the two prepositions.

The preposition Over in English

One of the main meanings of the preposition About — horizontal movement of one object over another object. In this case, the preposition is translated into Russian as “via«,»by«.

For example:
Jim traveled over the hill.
Jim went over via Hill.

He looked over his back garden.

He looked around by your backyard.

Pretext About also used to describe one object that is above another, if the objects being described are touch, or if one object is used for of protection, cover, another object (both literally and figuratively). The preposition in this case can be translated in different ways: “over«,»over«,»over«, etc.

For example:
He put on a coat over his shirt.
She put on her coat over shirts. (In this example, the specified objects are in contact, so the preposition is used over.)

There were clouds over the city.

Above there were clouds in the city. (It is implied that clouds covered the city, so the preposition is used over.)

Jim was holding an umbrella over himself.

Jim kept over an umbrella. (The umbrella is meant to protect Jim from rain, sun, etc., so the pretext is over.)

When specifying any quantity, speed, distance, time, preposition About Can mean «over«,»more«,»above«.

For example:
There were over fifty people in the room.
The room was over fifty people.

The speed of the car was over a hundred miles per hour.

The speed of the car was more one hundred miles an hour.

they covered over fifty miles yesterday.

Yesterday they passed over fifty miles.

They worked on this problem over a week.

They solved this problem more of the week.

The preposition Above in English

Although the excuse abovelike the preposition About, can be used to describe an object located over by another object, when using above it is assumed that the described objects are not in contact together.

Pretext above used in comparisons, measurements, comparisons, etc., when a vertical measurement scale is implied. In such cases, it means “more than«,»over«.

For example:
The temperature never rose above 10 degrees Celsius.
The temperature never rose above 10 degrees Celsius.

The summit is 5,224 meters above sea ​​level.

The summit is at an altitude of 5.224 meters above sea ​​level.

Using a preposition above can also imply that one object is above the other strictly vertically, especially in cases where the described object is in a state of motion up from another object and not horizontally above another object.

Compare:
The plane was flying over London.
The plane was flying over London. (The preposition is used overbecause the plane was flying horizontally above another object.)

The rocket was flying above the clouds.

The rocket flew over clouds. (The preposition is used abovebecause the rocket was flying vertically up from another object.)

In other words, when you just need to indicate that one object is above another, you can use any of the prepositions. When the specified object moves horizontally, or when objects touch, you need to use the preposition About, when the specified object moves vertically upward from another object, or when the object is vertically higher than another object, but at the same time they do not touch, you need to use the preposition above.

Prepositions Below and Under

Opposite pretexts above и About are the prepositions Below and Under.

Source: http://www.correctenglish.ru/mistakes/vocabulary/above-over/

100+ English Abbreviations in Correspondence, or WUCIWUG, BRO!

— All the rules, ATP!

— Pzhlst.

Such correspondence on the phone and social networks will surprise no one. But abbreviations in English have gone even further than ours: whole sentences become abbreviations!

Example: MYOB = mind your own business

Below you will find a whole list of English abbreviations (in SMS, social networks, forums). Study it thoroughly to understand what English-speaking interlocutors want from you.

As a preface: colloquial abbreviations in English

Of course, it is advisable to use abbreviations of English words only in informal correspondence (private messages, chats). At the same time, a case is known when a 13-year-old girl wrote a school essay, almost entirely built on abbreviations of the English language. Here is an excerpt from it, try to read and understand the meaning of what is written:

My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3: — kids FTF. ILNY, it’s a gr8 plc.

Happened? Now read the «translation»:

My summer hols (short for holidays) were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to NY (New York) to see my brother, his girlfriend and their 3 kids face to face. I love New York, it’s a great place.

As you can see, English abbreviations in writing are built:

• on the use of numbers (4,
• on letter names (R = are, C = see)
• on throwing out vowels (smmr = summer)
• on acronyms — a type of abbreviation formed by initial letters (ILNY = I love New York).

So, let’s move on to our dictionary of English abbreviations.

His Majesty Slang: transcript of English abbreviations

The article will indicate the translation of abbreviations from English into Russian. But where additional clarifications are required, we will give them too. Enjoy!

& = and (and)

0 = nothing

2 = two, to, too (two, to, too)

2DAY = today

2MORO / 2MROW = tomorrow

2NITE / 2NYT = tonight (tonight, tonight)

2U = to you

4U = for you

4E = forever

AFAIK = as far as I know (as far as I know)

Source: https://corp.lingualeo.com/ru/2016/10/27/100-angliyskih-sokrashheniy-v-perepiske/

The turnover there is / there are, its negative form. Indefinite pronouns

Turnover there is/there are literally translated as «There is.» Choice is or are depends on the number of nouns pointed to by the turnover.

The need to use this turnover, perhaps, is not very clear for beginners to learn English, since the analogies of turnover there is/there are in Russian, no. The skills of using this phrase will be useful in the future and will undoubtedly make the language more expressive and beautiful.

This turnover has a fairly wide range of applications. In this topic, we will analyze one such application, namely, an indication of the location of an object.

Compare two sentences:

There are two books on the table. — There are two books on the table (There are two books on the table) and

Two books are on the table. — Two books on the table.

In a non-revolving sentence, the emphasis is on the object (two books). The turnover shifts this emphasis to the location of the object — that makes all the difference. It all depends on what is paramount to you. The difference can be seen from the translation, which is better at first to be guided at first. Thus, if necessary, to say that something is somewhere or located, we use the phrase there is / there are.

Affirmative sentences

An affirmative sentence begins with a turnover, followed by a subject (noun), which can be preceded by a numeral, possessive pronoun and / or adjective. In the last place is the circumstance of place: 1) There is / there are 2) what (who) is 3) where is.

There is a nice-looking girl in that room.
There are five red apples in my bag.

Indefinite pronouns

When using the phrase there is / there are are actively used by indefinite pronouns. Most often these are pronouns some и Anythat represent a certain amount of an object.

some roughly translates to «somewhat / some»
Any — «any / any»

Approximately — because often these pronouns are NOT translated (in sentences) into Russian, and sometimes their translation is very important. You need to get used to the use of these pronouns, since there are no complete analogues of them in the Russian language. But there are certain rules that make it easier to use these indefinite pronouns.

Pronoun some, as a rule, is used only in affirmative suggestions. Pronoun Any usually used in sentences negative и interrogative.

И someand Any are equally used with countable and uncountable nouns.

There ARE some books on the table. Possible translations: There are several books on the table; There is (some) books on the table.

Possible translations: There is (is) some tea in the cup. There is some tea in the cup.

Source: https://www.study.ru/courses/elementary/oborot-there-isthere-are

Inversion in English

Inversion in English, a violation of the direct word order in an English sentence is called, in which the predicate can be placed before the subject.

Non-standard word order is used in some constructions or, if necessary, to emotionally highlight a certain word.

The main cases of inversion in English

• Turnover there is / there are

This turnover is used to indicate that in a certain place there is or exists a certain object or person. In a sentence, it comes first, then the noun and related words, and then the circumstance:

there is some noise outside.
There is some noise outside.

There are several mistakes in your translation.
There are several mistakes in your translation.

There are so many places to see!
There are so many places to see!

«How are you?» said Winnie-the-Pooh.
Like you? — asked Winnie the Pooh.

Eeyore shook his head from side to side. «Not very how,» He Said.
Eeyore shook his head. Not really! — he said.

• Sentences starting with here / there:

Here is located nice Italian restaurant.
There is a wonderful Italian restaurant here.

Here is our new office.
Here is our new office.

As in the previous case, pronouns remain in their usual place before the predicate:

Here are my Keys.
Here are my keys.

Here they are.
Here they are.

• In conditional sentences with verbs was, Were, HAD, Could, shouldnt:

Had I more money, I would have bought a much better present.
If I had more money, I would buy a much better gift.

Should you need anything, feel free to tell me.
If you need anything, tell me.

• Complex sentences starting with words hardly, sparsely, no sooner, never, nothing, not only:

Hardy had I crossed the threshold, when a huge dog jumped on me and started licking my face.
As soon as I crossed the threshold, a huge dog jumped on me and began to lick my face.

Never had I heard such a terrible singing.
Never before have I heard such terrible singing.

Inversion for emotional highlight

If the speaker needs to highlight one of the words, then it can be put at the beginning of the sentence. After it, in this case, the predicate follows, then the subject:

In the pyramids were buried powerful pharaohs.
Powerful pharaohs were buried in the pyramids.

Also for this purpose is the turnover It is / was That / who / whom:

It was me who found the gold in the garden yesterday.
I was the one who found gold in the garden yesterday.

It was in the garden where I found gold yesterday.
I found gold yesterday in the garden.

It was gold that I found in the garden yesterday.
I found gold in the garden yesterday.

Source: https://www.native-english.ru/grammar/inversion

Lesson 7. Words-parameters. The use of much and many

Words much, many (many, many, many) can be used as an addition to a noun, or be used instead.

much used only with uncountable nouns or instead of uncountable nouns:

• How much money did he spend?
• You haven’t much time if you want to catch the bus.
• Not much was written about it.
• He doesn’t eat much.He doesn’t eat much.

Many is used only with countable nouns or instead of countable nouns:

• How many books do you have?
• How many pupils are in this class?
• Many to play football. Many people like to play football.
• Not many have heard of her.

In modern English, often instead of words much и many their synonym is used a lot of (lots of). A lot of used with both countable and uncountable nouns:

• He always makes a lot of mistakes He always makes a lot of mistakes.
• we have a lot of bags.We have a lot of bags.

If the word «a lot» is preceded by too (too much), very (very), so (So), how (as), as (also) then you need to use much и many. Using A lot of in this case is incorrect.

• I have so much work to do
• She works too much.She works too hard.
• You have made very many mistakes You made a lot of mistakes.

In this lesson, the expression a lot of not used. Only much и many.

little, few

Words little, few (little, not enough) can be used as an addition to a noun, or be used instead.

Little used only with uncountable nouns:

• we have little money We don’t have much money.
• She at very little at lunch She ate very little at lunch.
• Little has been said about this event.
• John spends little time with his family. John spent little time with his family.

Few used only with countable nouns:

• He has few friends He has few friends.
• Few managers admit their mistakes.
• He has read few books He has read few books.
• Many people were invited but few came. Many people were invited, but few came.

Pronouns little и few can be used with an indefinite article in the meaning a little, a little.
Consider in comparison:

• I have a little time. I have a little time.
• I have little time. I have little time.
• I know a few words in spanish. I know a few words in spanish.
• I know few words in spanish. I know few words in Spanish.

Parameter words

AllPartNothingPeople Objects Place Time

everybody, everyone	somebody, someone	anybody, anyone	nobody, no one
everything	something something, something	anything anything, anything	nothing
everywhere	somewhere	anywhere anywhere, anywhere	nowhere
always	sometimes sometimes	never

examples:

• He sees todo MundoHe sees everyone.
• He speaks to somebody.He is talking to someone.
• I saw him somewhere. I saw him somewhere.
• I always say the truth. I always tell the truth.
• I saw someone there. I saw someone there.
• Anyone can help you. Anyone can help you.
• We bought everything.We bought everything.
• You can buy it anywhere.You can buy this anywhere.
• you will Sometimes hear them. You will sometimes hear them.

Note time parameters the sentence usually uses before the verb… All other parameters are used more often. after the verb.

В general issues the parameter is usually used Any (anybody, anyone, anything, anywhere), a not some.

As you can see from the table, the words somebody, something, somewhere can have the same translation with the words anybody, anything, anywhere.
To understand when which word to use, you need to go from the essence of the words.

Any — any, but some — some.

I saw somebody.
It’s about someone specific, so some.

I did not see anybody (I saw nobody)
Here we are talking about any person, so any.

Consider the following question-answer: Have you seen someone? I saw someone.

Did you see anyone? I saw someone.

Therefore, in the main questions, words with any are used, and in statements with some.

examples:

• Is anybody is there anyone here?
• there is somebody here. Someone is here.
• did you see anything interesting? Did you see anything interesting?
• I see something interesting there. I see something interesting there.

Using parameters is straightforward. Except for one case where the words nobody, nothing, nowhere, and never are used to convey negation:

• I didn’t tell him anything bad.

In this case, you should not copy the structure of the Russian sentence, because double negation will be a mistake in an English sentence:

• I didn’t say anything bad to him. Note tell him nothing bad. (wrong) I told him nothing bad. (right)

Let’s consider a few more suggestions:

• there is nothing interesting here. There is nothing interesting here.
• Nobody cares about my plans.

Words anyone, anybody, anything, anywhere are not negatives, therefore in negative sentences they are used as a general rule.

• I didn’t say anything bad to him. Note tell him anything bad or I told him nothing bath.
• I didn’t see anything interesting here. Note see anything interesting here or I saw nothing interesting here.

Words todo Mundo, everyone, somebody, someone, anybody, anyone, nobody и no one in English refer to singular… Therefore, the verb with them is used in the singular.

• Someone calls you.
• Does anyone hear me? can anyone hear me?
• No one was at home. Nobody was at home.

Source: https://polyglotmobile.ru/polyglot-english-base/lesson-7/

There is / there are in English

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Even if you’ve just started learning English, you’ve probably come across a sentence that would start with the phrase there is or there are. From our experience, we know that even students with an intermediate level of knowledge have difficulty using there + be.

Not because this construction is difficult to understand, but because there is no direct equivalent to the phrase in Russian. This is why students often forget to use it. In the article we will talk about possible use cases for there + be, we will give examples and a small test at the end of the article.

What does there + be mean

So what does the phrase there is / there are mean in English and when should we use them? You know that the word there is translated as “there,” and the verb to be means to be. If you combine two words, you get «there is.» Hence the function of this construction follows: when we want to inform that something is somewhere, is located, then we use there + be.

There is a new shopping center in that village. “There is a new shopping center in that village.

There are many books in room 145. — There are many books in room 145.

Please note that there is / there are by themselves are not translated into Russian. Conventionally, they can be translated into Russian with the words “is”, “is”, “exists”, “is”. That is why we so want to start translating it exists, it there literally from Russian. But you can’t do that. And also sentences that begin with there + be, we start translating from the end, that is, first we tell the place where this something is.

Statement

We can use there + be in all times: present, past and future. Accordingly, for this we need to change the form of the verb be.

There is a bottle of milk in the fridge. — In fridge Yes bottle of milk. (now there is, therefore the present tense and the form of the verb to be “is”)

There was a bottle of milk in the fridge. — In fridge was bottle of milk. (it used to be, therefore the past tense and the form of the verb to be “was”)

There will be a bottle of milk in the fridge. — In fridge will bottle of milk. (will be in the future, so the future tense and the form of the verb to be «will be»)

To be is also unique in that it can be singular or plural. If there + be is followed by a singular noun, take is or was. And if it goes in the plural — are or were. And will be is universal and can be used with both singular and plural.

And now let’s give a plate in which everything is clearly depicted:

ThereBeWhat / who is where

There	isarewaswere will be	something	somewhere

Features of use there + be

1. If we list items and the first word is in the singular, then we should take to be in the singular (is / was):

There isa lamp and four tables in the room. — There is a lamp and 4 tables in the room.

2. If we list items and start with the plural, then we should take the plural (there are):

There are four tables and a lamp in the room. — There are four tables and a lamp in the room.

3. It is important to pay special attention to countable and uncountable nouns.

There is a lot of sugar in coffee. — There is a lot of sugar in coffee. (sugar is an uncountable noun, it has no plural form, so we use the verb is, despite the word “a lot” — a lot)

There are a lot of oranges in the box. — There are many oranges in the box. (we can count the oranges, the word has a plural, so we use are)

As you can see, from the point of view of grammar, this construction is not difficult to use. It is important not to forget to do this. In the end, as always, we suggest you take the test and download our plate. This way you will always have access to this information.

↓ Download the table «Use of the construction there is / there are» (* .pdf, 182 Kb)

Test

There is / there are

Source: https://engblog.ru/there-be

Examples

• There is a cat in my hat.

  not “Is a cat in my hat”

• There’s a storm coming.
• There is no reason to worry.
• There’s still hope and plenty of it.

Example

• Correct: There’s some ice-cream for you in the freezer
  Incorrect: Is some ice-cream for you in the freezer.
  Incorrect: Some ice-cream is for you in the freezer.

Note

Existence of a situation

• There’s always hope.

  Not “Is a storm coming.” We could say, “A storm is coming,” but that would sound unidiomatic.

• There’s no such thing as a good lie.
• There is something I wanted to check with you.

When or where

• There is light at the end of this tunnel.

  Not “Light is there at the end of this tunnel.”

• There is a full moon tonight.
• There’s a strange spot on the wall.

Quantity and number

• There are many ways to solve this problem.
• There are only three apples left in the basket.
• There is a lot of water in the ocean.

Note

Examples

• There is also the issue of credibility.
• There are numerous ways to solve this problem.
• There’s a path that leads down to the river.

Examples

• There’s a mouse in the house.
• There is something we need to talk about.
• There isn’t any money left.
• There are three questions you must answer.
• There are many things that I would like to say to you.
• There was no reason to panic.
• There were seven ways out of the forest, but we didn’t know that.
• There will be cake and ice-cream after dinner.

Examples

• The next morning, when Thomasin withdrew the curtains of her bedroom window, there stood the Maypole in the middle of the green, its top cutting into the sky.
• In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.
• And then there came the pounding of another drum, as if another giant were coming yards behind him, and each giant, intent on his own drum, gave no notice to the rhythm of the other.

  — Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire (1976)

• Once upon a time, there lived a boy and a girl.

Examples

• There is an elephant in the garden.

  The real subject, “an elephant,” is singular. Use the singular verb “is.”

• There are three elephants in the garden.

  Aside from the fact that this must be a pretty big garden, what we know is that the real subject is “three elephants.” Use the plural verb “are.”

• There are an elephant and a giraffe in the garden.

  The real subject, “an elephant and a giraffe,” is a plural compound subject. Use “are.”

Examples

• There’s a bus to George Town leaving every half hour from here.
• There’s three buses going every day to George Town.
• There’s a few almonds left, if you want one.

Examples

• But there is an exception to this rule.
• But there are a few exceptions to this rule.

  The real subject of the sentence, “a few exceptions,” is plural.

Examples

• There’s someone I would like you to meet.

  Note how there wouldn’t work with a definite subject: “There’s Jenny I would like you to meet” sounds wrong, but there works perfectly to introduce an unknown “someone.”

• There’s something I should tell you.
• We looked out the window, and there was a man standing in our garden with a spade in his hand.
• There are people who still believe in truth and justice.
• There are stories in every life, if we only listen.

Examples

• Impersonal: There is no evidence of fraud in this case.
  More personal: We found no evidence of fraud in this case.
• Impersonal: There are three steps to remember in the process.
  More personal: You should remember three steps in the process.
• Impersonal: There have been protest marches across universities.
  More personal: Students have held protest marches across universities.

Note

Examples

• Poor: There are three hypotheses that we tested.
  Better: We tested three hypotheses.
• Poor: There have been many theories.
  Better: Researchers have advanced many theories.
• Poor: There were two jobs I worked while in college.
  Better: I worked two jobs while in college.

Examples

• Poor: There are many who believe
  Better: Many analysts believe

  The verb here is believe rather than are.

• Poor: There are studies that have been conducted
  Better: Studies have been conducted
• Poor: There is a need
  Better: We see a need
• Poor: There are issues to consider
  Better: We should consider certain issues

Examples

• There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.
• The studio was filled with the rich of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn.

  — Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890)

• In the town, there were two mutes and they were always together.
• There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.

  — C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)

• This time there would be no witnesses.

  — Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (1987)

• There was even a bit of sullen thunder now, not the outgoing sort that cracks the sky but the other sort, which hangs around the horizons and gossips nastily with other storms.
• Once upon a time, there was a woman who discovered she had turned into the wrong person.

  — Anne Tyler, Back When We Were Grownups (2001)