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#1
Does «there are» have a short form???
There is = there’s
there are = there’re?
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#2
Newspapers I’ve come cross generally read «there’s» for both.
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#3
There are a few threads about there’re, which is an informal, spoken form of «there are».
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#4
There is = there’s.
There are = there’re (but it is in all ways horrible).
There’s cannot be used for ‘there are’.
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#5
There’s cannot be used for ‘there are’.
That could’ve been said with a little more grace
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#6
There’s is the contraction of there is and it is more natural in everyday speech. There is should be used when emphasis is needed as the contraction wouldn’t work.
There’re is completely wrong.
There’s used as a contraction for there are is, unfortunately, a common error in use all the time, but it is still completely wrong. A bit like people saying the word dissect, di-ssect instead of dis-sect.
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#7
Where I live, we write «there are» spelled out in most contexts, though most people here pronounce it as «there’s» to avoid the double «re». (They are not confusing singular with plural.) I myself grew up pronouncing «there are» as «there’re», as my parents did, just as we pronounce «we are» as «we’re». The «there’re» pronunciation is generally more common among the more educated and in the more urban areas, but both pronunciations are heard everywhere and in all social circles.
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#8
…
There’re is completely wrong.
…
On what basis do you make such a categorical statement?
I know that there’re creates irrational hatred in some people, but «completely wrong» is just a bit too absolute for me.
Please look at some of the previous threads on this topic.
They are easy to find using the forum’s dictionary and thread title search:
there’re
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#9
Nah, in New Zealand I’ve never come across ‘there’re’ ever written down. When we speak of course we slur it together, and it ends up sounding like ‘there’re’. But yeah, sometimes it is substituted for ‘there’s’ but it is technically incorrect.
But yeah, don’t ever write down ‘there’re’ because it’s horrible =)
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#10
If we accept:
I’m
you’re
he’s
she’s
we’re
you’re
they’re
there’s
… as written forms of a particular spoken form — and we do — what is the possible objection to rendering the contracted spoken form of there are as there’re.
One objection seems reasonable, and I’ve said it before in another thread: viva_aotearoa’s objection that it looks horrible. Horrible is not the same as completely wrong.
I have the same objection to yeah, of course
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#11
Each of the other contractions corresponds to an actual pronunciation — the letter replaced by an apostrophe is the same one ont pronounced. «There’re» doesn’t correspond to an actual pronunication that I’ve noticed — I can’t even think what it would sound like
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#12
I always use «there’re» pronounced as the way as «there.» I find it accurately reflects the my pronunciation in colloquial speech.
«There are no good books to read in the house.»
I generally omit the «are», as it naturally elides with «there», but I think writing the » ‘re» makes it more grammatical in the written form. I make a distinction between «there’re» and «there are», the latter pronounced as two separate words and used for emphasis.
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#13
Each of the other contractions corresponds to an actual pronunciation — the letter replaced by an apostrophe is the same one ont pronounced. «There’re» doesn’t correspond to an actual pronunication that I’ve noticed — I can’t even think what it would sound like
Perhaps you are a non-rhotic speaker?
For rhotic speakers, there is a very distinct «actual pronunciation». It disappears in rapid speech.
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#14
I’m with Panj and Forero on this. For rhotic speakers, there’re makes perfect sense, because it reflects the actual pronunciation of the contraction, and it follows the standard rules for contraction.
And I can second Forero’s observation that there’s tends to be the more common way less educated speakers address the problem, while there’re tends to be more common among those who are better educated, in the South.
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#15
For rhotic speakers, there’re makes perfect sense, because it reflects the actual pronunciation of the contraction
In principle, the same is true for non-rhotic speakers, too, since non-rhotic speakers generally pronounce word-final /r/ before a subsequent vowel.
That said, my (non-rhotic) pronunciation of unstressed «there are» is identical to «there’re», whereas my pronunciation of — say — «there is» is very different from «there’s».
I suspect that’s the reason why we (I?) write «there’re» only in very informal contexts: it’s a sort of eye-dialect rather than an indication of a contraction.
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#16
I agree with Loob about the reason we don’t normally need to write «there’re». It is eye-dialect, used when it is important for someone to «hear» our words or for the reader to «know» a character by their way of speaking. It is the usual way to pronounce unemphatic «there are».
But just as there are people who say «Charles'» where I say «Charles’s» and even «lens'» where I say «lenses», there are also folks who say «there’s» where I say «there’re». Many of the same people use «there
are
«, not «there
is
«, when emphasizing the verb, so it is not a matter of «bad grammar».
Last edited: May 31, 2009
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#17
In principle, the same is true for non-rhotic speakers, too, since non-rhotic speakers generally pronounce word-final /r/ before a subsequent vowel.
That said, my (non-rhotic) pronunciation of unstressed «there are» is identical to «there’re», whereas my pronunciation of — say — «there is» is very different from «there’s».
I suspect that’s the reason why we (I?) write «there’re» only in very informal contexts: it’s a sort of eye-dialect rather than an indication of a contraction.
I’d say rather that you are using there’re as a pronunciation spelling rather than as an example of eye-dialect: It’s unlikely you are using it deliberately to show that you and your reader are superior to the person using there’re, and keeping up such a superior front is the very purpose of eye-dialect, as opposed to pronunciation spelling.
It still seems to me that there’re is essentially a contraction. A relatively rare one—go here and scroll up the page—but it follows similar rules to other contractions. Just as you can say (or write) «I’m his friend.» but not
«He says I’m not the one who wrote the report but I’m.» you can say (or write) «There’re too many buttons on this remote control.» but not
«He thinks there aren’t too many buttons on this remote control, but in my view there’re.»
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#18
I think we’ll have to agree to differ, mplsray. I know from previous threads that you and I use the term «eye-dialect» differently; for me it doesn’t have the negative connotations it has for you.
That said, I accept that «eye-dialect» may be the wrong term for what I was trying to describe (I did say ‘a sort of eye-dialect’). I use there’re not as a pronunciation spelling but as an indication of register. There is, for me, no difference in pronunciation between there are and there’re (unless the are in there are is stressed). But in writing, there is a distinct difference in register, with there are being usable in all contexts whereas there’re is highly informal.
Download this explanation in PDF here.
Try an exercise on this topic here.
There’s a more advanced explanation about ‘it’ and ‘there’ here.
If we want to say that something exists or doesn’t exist somewhere or at some time, we often use ‘there + be’. It’s often used to talk about something for the first time in a conversation.
- There’s a cup on the table.
- There’s a restaurant next to the station.
- There isn’t any money in the house.
- There aren’t any banks in this street.
- Is there a supermarket near here?
- Are there any potatoes in the cupboard?
In theory, we use ‘there is + singular’ and ‘there are + plural’.
- There is a cafe in my village.
- There are two cafes in my village.
But we very, very often use there’s + plural and singular when we’re speaking. This is so common that it’s not a mistake. We must use the short form here.
- There’s a cafe in my village.
- There’s two cafes in my village.
We can use ‘there’ with all tenses of be.
- There were many poor people in the 16th century.
- There won’t be cake at the party.
- There have been a lot of accidents today.
- Will there be a train at 6pm?
- There hasn’t been much rain recently.
We usually use ‘there + be’ with a / an / some / any / no / much / many / a lot of and other indefinite words. We don’t usually use it with ‘the’ or proper names.
- There’s a cat in the garden.
- There’s the cat in the garden.
- There’s a boy on the train.
- There’s John on the train.
Try an exercise on this topic here.
There’s a more advanced explanation about ‘it’ and ‘there’ here.
How to Use There is and There are
We use there is and there are to talk about the existence of the things or people.
Let’s explain there is and there are with an example:
I want to make a cake, a carrot cake. I need eggs, butter and carrot to make the cake.
First, I need to check what I have in the fridge. These are the things I have in the fridge:
There is a packet of butter in the fridge.
There are five eggs in the fridge.
There is one carrot in the fridge.
I have the necessary ingredients in the fridge, so I can make the cake.
There is and There are with
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Nouns can be countable or uncountable.
Countable nouns are the nouns that you can count and talk about the quantity by saying one,two,three,etc. Let’s say the noun is ‘apple.’ You can say, one apple, two apples, three apples,etc.
Countable nouns can be singular or plural.
A singular countable noun means the quantity is one. (i.e. one apple, one banana, a car, a window, an orange, etc.)
Plural countable nouns mean the quantity is more than one. (i.e. two apples, five oranges, seven balls, four balloons,etc.)
We add an -s to the end of noun to make it plural (two apples).
Uncountable nouns are the nouns that you cannot count and talk about the quantity by saying one,two, three,etc. You can use some, little, etc. before the noun and talk about the amount. (i.e. some bread, a little sugar, etc.)
Uncountable nouns do not have a plural form. You cannot make an uncountable nouns plural by adding an -s to the end of the noun.(some breads, a little flours,etc.)
Let’s learn how to use there is and there are with countable and uncountable nouns.
There is + singular countable nouns
Nouns can be countable like: pencil, window, carrot, dog…
You can count them and say: one pencil, two pencils, one window, four windows…
We use there is with singular countable nouns.
- There is one carrot in the fridge.
- There is a red car in front of the house.
- There is a baby in the car.
- There is an orange in the basket.
- There is one ball under the table.
There is + uncountable nouns
Nouns can also be uncountable like: rice, milk, cheese, fish…
You cannot count them and say: one rice, two rices, one milk, three milks…
You can use some, a little, a lot of, much with uncountable nouns and say: some milk, a little milk, a lot of money, some water, some tea, etc.
We use there is with uncountable nouns.
- There is some sugar in the jar.
- There is a little water in the glass.
- There is some coffee in the cup.
- There is a little honey in the bowl.
When you want to count something uncountable, you can put it in a container, such as:a bag,a packet,a glass,a bowl,a bottle,etc. and you can count the container and say, a bottle, two bottles, a glass, six glasses,etc. When there is only one of the container, you use it with there is.
- There is a packet of butter in the fridge.
- There is a little honey in the bowl.
- There is a bowl of rice on the table.
- There is one bag of sugar in the kitchen cupboard.
NOTE:We usually use there’s as the short form of there is.
- There’s some money in my pocket.
- There’s a classical music concert tonight.
BUT we do not use there’re as the short form of there are!
There are + plural countable nouns
Apple, cat, car, umbrella, etc. are countable nouns. When they are more than one, we add ‘s‘ at the end of the noun and make them plural (cats, cars, etc.)
We use there are with plural countable nouns.
- There are five eggs in the fridge.
- There are eleven players in a football team.
- There are three emails in my mailbox.
- There are ten computers in the office.
- There are fourteen girls in the class.
Form
We need to learn how to use there is and there are with:
Singular nouns
Plural nouns and
Uncountable nouns and
In positive – negative sentences and questions.
Let’s start with positive sentences.
Positive sentences (+)
Singular noun:
There is + singular noun There is a ball under the table.
Plural noun:
There are + plural noun There are two universities in the city.
Uncountable noun:
There is + uncountable noun There is some bread in the basket.
Negative sentences (-)
There are two ways to make negative sentences with there is and there are:
1. You add not after there is or there are to make the sentence negative. (there isn’t / there aren’t).
2. If there is none of something or someone, you add no after there is or there are.
3. If there is none of something or someone, use any before the plural or uncountable nouns in negative sentences.
Singular noun:
There isn’t + singular noun There isn’t a ball under the table.
There is no + singular noun There is no ball under the table.
Plural noun:
There aren’t + plural noun There aren’t two universities in the city.
There are no + plural noun There are no universities in the city.
There aren’t any + plural noun There aren’t any universities in the city.
Uncountable noun:
There isn’t any + uncountable noun There isn’t any bread in the basket. There is no + uncountable noun There is no bread in the basket.
Questions (?)
We use Is and Are before there to form the questions.
We use any with plural nouns or uncountable nouns in questions.
Singular noun:
Is there a + singular noun? Is there a ball under the table?
Plural noun:
Are there any + plural noun? Are there any universities in the city?
Uncountable noun:
Is there any + uncountable noun? Is there any bread in the basket?
How to answer the questions?
Positive and negative answers:
To give short answers to the questions with there is and there are, we say:
Yes, there is or No, there isn’t.
To give longer answers to the questions with there is and there are, we say:
- Yes, there is + rest of the sentence.
Yes, there is a post office next to the market.
- No, there isn’t + rest of the sentence.
No, there isn’t a post office next to the market.
Examples:
- Is there a ball under the table?
+ Yes, there is.
— No, there isn’t.
- Are there any universities in the city?
+ Yes, there are. (OR Yes, there are two.)
— No, there aren’t. (OR No, there aren’t any.)
- Is there any bread in the basket?
+ Yes, there is. (OR Yes, there is some.)
— No, there isn’t. (OR No, there isn’t any.)
Ready to Practice?
Click here to try an exercise about there is and there are.
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Оборот there is there are — это один из случаев, когда в русском языке нет прямого, стопроцентного эквивалента английской конструкции, поэтому его употребление нередко вызывает трудности у начинающих.
Между тем, оборот there is there are употребляется довольно часто не только в деловом или научном языке, но и в обыденной повседневной речи. Это одна из конструкций, употреблять и понимать которые нужно без малейших затруднений, на полном автомате. К счастью, его употребление не вызывает труда, самое главное — понять значение этой конструкции.
Содержание:
- Значение конструкции there is there are.
- В чем трудность оборота there is there are?
- Употребление оборота there is there are в таблицах с примерами.
- Утвердительная форма.
- Отрицательная форма.
- Вопросительная форма.
- Видеоурок на тему There is There are.
- Оборот There is There are во временах Perfect (для продвинутого уровня).
Буквально there is переводится как «здесь естьприсутствует», а there are как «здесь естьприсутствуют» (во множественном числе). Но точнее будет сказать, что оборот there + to be используется для обозначения присутствия или наличия чего-либо или кого-либо.
Например:
There is an old church in this town. — В этом городе есть старая церковь.
There are ten or eleven kids in the classroom. — В классе десять или одиннацать детей.
There is always a way out. — Выход всегда есть.
There are two ways out of this tunnel. — Из этого тоннеля есть два выхода.
В чем трудность оборота There is There are?
Трудность в том, что, как видно в примерах выше, эта конструкция не переводится на русский язык неким единственно верным способом — нужно подбирать перевод по смыслу. Сами слова there is there are, как правило, не переводятся буквально («здесь есть»), их значение передается другими средствами.
Это может быть глагол «быть», «являться», «присутствовать».
There is a nice pizza place in this mall. — В этом торговом центре есть хорошая пиццерия.
There is only one player. Where are the others? — Здесь присутствует только один игрок. Где остальные?
Но в русском языке глаголы типа «быть» часто опускаются.
Good, now there are all four players. Deal the cards. — Хорошо, сейчас здесь (есть) все четверо игроков. Сдайте карты.
What other door? There is only one door. — Какая еще другая дверь? Здесь (есть) только одна дверь.
В общем, нужно запомнить, что если вы хотите сказать что-то о наличииотсутствии предмета или лица в каком-то месте, то зачастую для этого можно использовать оборот there is there are.
Здесь есть кресло. — There is an armchair.
В этом доме много зеркал. — There are many mirrors in this house.
Только не путайте наличиеотсутствие с обладанием, со случаем, когда мы говорим, что некое лицо чем-то обладает. В этом случае по смыслу подходит глагол to have (иметь):
У меня есть кресло. — I have an armchair.
У меня много зеркал в доме. — I have many mirrors in my house.
Употребление оборота There is There are в таблицах с примерами
Оборот there is there are может употребляться в утвердительной (как в примерах выше), отрицательной и вопросительной формах. Он также может употребляться в разных временах: в настоящем, прошедшем и будущем. В таблицах ниже приведены примеры употребления there is there are во временах Simple (Indefinite),
Этот оборот также употребляется во временах Perfect (в Continuous и Perfect Continuous не употребляется), однако намного реже, чем в Simple, особенно в разговорной речи. Примеры приводятся в таблице в конце этой статьи, однако эта тема относится к «продвинутым», а сами обороты малоупотребительны, некоторые вообще практически не употребляются даже в письменной речи.
Утвердительная форма
В утвердительной форме оборот there is are используется следующим образом:
| There is there are в утвердительной форме | ||
|---|---|---|
| Единственное число | Множественное число | |
| Present Simple | There is
|
There are
|
| Past Simple | There was
|
There were
|
| Future Simple | There will be
|
There will be
|
Иногда в предложении перечисляются несколько предметов, при этом первый стоит в единственном числе, а второй во множественном (или наоборот). В таком случае оборот there + to be согласуется в числе с существительным, которое идет после него.
Например:
There is a small box and two bigger boxes. — Здесь маленькая коробочка и две коробки побольше.
Первым идет существительное в единственном числе, поэтому глагол тоже в единственном — there is.
There are two big boxes and one bag. — Здесь две большие коробки и одна сумка.
Первым в перечислении идет существительное во множественном числе, глагол принимает соответствующую форму — there are.
Отрицательная форма
Отрицательная форма может строиться двумя способами:
1. С помощью частицы not.
В этом случае обычно используются сокращения: there is not = there isn’t, there was not = there wasn’t, there were not = there werent’, there will not be = there won’t be.
Если после not идет исчисляемое существительное в единственном числе, перед ним стоит неопределенный артикль:
There isn’t a chair here. — Здесь нет стула.
Если после not идет исчисляемое существительное во множественном числе или неисчисляемое существительное, то добавляется местоимение any — not any.
There aren’t any chairs here. — Здесь нет стульев.
There isn’t any oil here. — Здесь нет нефти.
2. С помощью местоимения no.
После no идет существительное без артикля или местоимения any.
There is no chair (chairs) in the room. — В комнате нет стула (стульев).
There is no oil here. — Здесь нет нефти.
Между этими вариантами есть небольшая стилистическая разница, понятная носителям языка. Кроме того, некоторые устойчивые выражения используются либо с no, либо с not просто потому, что так принято.
There is no point in doing this! — Нет никакого смысла в том, чтобы это делать!
Обычно считается, что отрицание с not более категоричное, но на самом деле все сильно зависит от контекста, ситуации. На мой взгляд, как бы вы ни сказали, no или not, вас поймут в любом случае.
| There is there are в отрицательной форме | ||
|---|---|---|
| Единственное число | Множественное число | |
| Present Simple | There is no isn’t
|
There are no aren’t
|
| Past Simple | There was no wasn’t
|
There were no wasn’t
|
| Future Simple | There will be no There won’t be any
|
There will be no There won’t be any
|
Вопросительная форма
Чтобы построить вопросительную форму, нужно переставить глагол to be в начало предложения.
| There is there are в вопросительной форме | ||
|---|---|---|
| Единственное число | Множественное число | |
| Present Simple | Is there..?
|
Are there..?
|
| Past Simple | Was there..?
|
Were there..?
|
| Future Simple | Will there be..?
|
Will there be..?
|
Видеоурок на тему There is There are
Тема There is There are достаточно подробно и очень доступно разъясняется в видеоуроке на Puzzle English. Напоминаю, на этом сервисе для изучения английского языка можно не только посмотреть бесплатные видеоуроки, но и пройти упражнения (составление фраз).
Читайте также: Puzzle English — учим английский язык с помощью сериалов.
Оборот There is There are во временах Perfect (для продвинутого уровня)
Внимание: данная тема является очень трудной, продвинутой и полной нюансов. Она ни в коем случае НЕ для начинающих. Привожу ее общий обзор только для ознакомительных целей.
Данный оборот иногда употребляется во временах Perfect, правда намного реже, чем в Simple-временах, особенно в разговорной речи. Для полноты картину добавлю таблицу употребления there is there are в Perfect. Изучать ее есть смысл, только если вы уже знаете, что такое: Present Perfect, Past Perfect и Future Perfect и понимаете в чем заключаются особенности их значения.
Как и в вышеуказанных видовременных формах, в конструкциях типа There has been речь идет о действии, совершившемся до момента речи, результат которого актуален на момент речи.
|
Утвердительная форма |
||
|---|---|---|
| Единственное число | Множественное число | |
| Present Perfect | There has been
|
There have been
|
| Past Perfect | There had been
|
There had been
|
| Future Perfect | There will have been
|
There will have been
|
| Отрицательная форма | ||
| Единственное число | Множественное число | |
| Present Perfect | There has been no hasn’t been
|
There has been no hasn’t been
|
| Past Perfect | There had been no hadn’t been
|
There had been no hadn’t been
|
| Future Perfect | There will have been no There won’t have been
|
There will have been There will have been no
|
| Вопросительная форма | ||
| Единственное число | Множественное число | |
| Present Perfect | Has there been..?
|
Have there been..?
|
| Past Perfect | Had there been..?
|
Had there been..?
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| Future Perfect | Will there have been..?
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Will there have been..?
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Примечания:
- Некоторые из этих форм, например Will there have been..? теоретически возможны, но практически встречаются крайне редко даже в письменной речи.
- В отрицательной форме, как и в случае с временами Simple, могут использоваться варианты nonot.
- Предложения, начинающиеся с Had there been… чаще являются условными третьего типа, но с особой перестановкой.
- If there had been no rain, we would have died. — Если бы не было дождя, мы бы погибли.
- Had there been no rain, we would have died. — Не будь дождя, мы бы погибли (смысл тот же, но есть «усиление»).
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#1
Isn’t it wrong to use «is» if I have two nouns? I wanted to start with «are» but there is an indefinite article and a singular word so I wasn’t sure.
«There is a computer and a TV in my room.»
From «English File» by Christina Koenig.
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#2
Native speakers tend to go with «There’s» at the start of such a sentence. We use «There are» before a plural noun, more than one plural noun, or a plural noun followed by singular nouns.
There’s a computer and a table in my room.
There are two computers in my room.
There are two computers and three tables in my room.
There are two computers, a table and a desk in my room.
«There is» sounds unnatural to me in the first. That’s probably why we contract it to «There’s» which, in BrE at least, can serve as «There is» and «There are».
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#3
Isn’t it wrong to use «is» if I have two nouns? I wanted to start with «are» but there is an indefinite article and a singular word so I wasn’t sure.
«There is a computer and a TV in my room.» From «English File» by Christina Koenig.
What does your book say?
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#4
Native speakers tend to go with «There’s» at the start of such a sentence. We use «There are» before a plural noun, more than one plural noun, or a plural noun followed by singular nouns.
There’s a computer and a table in my room.
There are two computers in my room.
There are two computers and three tables in my room.
There are two computers, a table and a desk in my room.«There is» sounds unnatural to me in the first. That’s probably why we contract it to «There’s» which, in BrE at least, can serve as «There is» and «There are».
I would probably use «There’s» when speaking in all those example but in written English I would use «There is» or «There are» as appropriate. I would never use «There’s» in writing except as reported speech.
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#5
It doesn’t have answers. I mean answer key.
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#6
Native speakers tend to go with «There’s» at the start of such a sentence. We use «There are» before a plural noun, more than one plural noun, or a plural noun followed by singular nouns.
There’s a computer and a table in my room.
There are two computers in my room.
There are two computers and three tables in my room.
There are two computers, a table and a desk in my room.«There is» sounds unnatural to me in the first. That’s probably why we contract it to «There’s» which, in BrE at least, can serve as «There is» and «There are».
Sorry, but I didn’t understand your last sentence. You said «There’s» can serve as «There is» and «There are.» Do you mean in the first sentence «There is» serves as «There are»?
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#7
Do you mean in the first sentence «There is» serves as «There are»?
Yes — but only «there’s» is natural.
Last edited: Nov 23, 2020
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#8
It’s There’s, not There is that can function as There are.
Oh, interesting. It’s not even mentioned in the book. That’s why it’s not wrong to use it when we have two or more nouns. Because usually it is «There is an apple on the table» but «There are two apples on the table.» But as it functions as «there are» I can also say «There’s two apples on the table.»
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#9
You probably won’t find it in any book. It was emsr2d2’s explanation of why, in a sentence like «There ___ a computer and a TV in my room», we can use There are or There‘s, but we don’t normally use There is.
I see. If I have a singular word «There is a cat in the room.» Is «there’s» more natural than «there is»? or a plural noun: «There are cats in the room.» Is «There’re» more natural than «There are.» In such cases too. I am asking because I was completing exercises in «English Grammar in Context» by Simon Clarke. There are no short forms.
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#10
Contractions are always more common than full forms in normal speech.
There’re is not a recognised contraction in writing, though it’s common enough in speech.
The form that is ‘correct’ in those exercises is the form Mr Clarke accepts.
Yes, I understand that but is the case emsr2d2 was talking about the only case when «there is» is unnatural? In speech as you said «There’s» is more common but in writing?
Is for example, «There is a woman in the hall» less natural than «There’s a woman in the hall.» In writing.
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#11
I see. If I have a singular word «There is a cat in the room.» Is «there’s» more natural than «there is»? or a plural noun: «There are cats in the room.» Is «There’re» more natural than «There are.» In such cases too. I am asking because I was completing exercises in «English Grammar in Context» by Simon Clarke. There are no short forms.
Well, then:
Conversationally, many or most English speakers often say there’s instead of there are simply because it rolls off the tongue much more easily.
It’s a shortcut. That doesn’t make it strictly grammatical, and it doesn’t make there are incorrect or unnatural.
So in conversation you can say either «There’s a computer and a TV» or «There are a computer and a TV.» Both are fine.
Personally, I go both ways conversationally, depending on how careful I’m being at the moment, and in writing I use there are.
It’s you’re choice, as long as you know the difference. (And it looks like you do.)
Since your exercise doesn’t offer contractions (short forms), I’d use are, not is.
Last edited by a moderator: Nov 24, 2020
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#12
Yes, I understand that but is the case emsr2d2 was talking about the only case when «there is» is unnatural? In speech, as you said, «There’s» is more common but what about in writing?
Is, for example, «There is a woman in the hall» less natural than «There’s a woman in the hall« no full stop here in writing?
Note my corrections, mainly to your punctuation, above.
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#13
I don’t want to make things complicated, but may I ask a question?
There’s a computer and a table in my room.
Would you use ‘was’ or ‘were’ if the sentence above were in the past?
There was a computer and a table in my room.
There were a computer and a table in my room.
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#14
Would you use ‘was’ or ‘were’ if the sentence above were in the past?
was
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#15
Would it be safe to say that ‘the principle of proximity’ is applied there? My guess is that you choose to say «was» because of the following «a».
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#16
Would it be safe to say that ‘the principle of proximity’ is applied there? My guess is that you choose to say «was» because of the following «a».
Yes, some might say that.
I’m not a fan of the proximity principle. I don’t think it explains anything. If you’re going to say that I chose to use was because the complement NP is singular (I assume that’s what you mean), then yes, okay, but since this is a there-be sentence, I’d analyse the logic of the sentence as a conjunction of two propositions:
P1: There is a computer
conj.: and
P2: [there is] a TV
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#17
Yes — but only «there’s» is natural.
It’s There’s, not There is that can function as There are.
Would you two please clarify what you’re saying? Do you mean to say:?
There’s a computer and a TV. :tick:
There is a computer and a TV. :cross:
Really?
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#18
So how about this?:
There are a computer and a TV. 
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#19
There are a computer and a TV in my room is fine.
Euch! I’m really surprised you’d think so.
Could other native speakers please offer their judgements?
Last edited: Nov 24, 2020
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#20
I too would use was there but of course that doesn’t make were incorrect. Learners are well-advised to use there were in the plural even though native speakers often do not.
Last edited: Nov 24, 2020