There Is or There Are?
Summary
Use there is when the noun that follows is singular, and there are when it is plural.
- There is a cat on the rug.
- There are two cats on the rug.
- There are a dog and a cat on the rug.
There is may be contracted to there’s, especially in speech. There’s is also often used before a plural noun in speech and informal writing.
- Informal: There’s a dog and a cat on the rug.
Formal: There are a dog and a cat on the rug.
Is there singular or plural?
In there is/are sentences, the word there is a dummy subject followed by a real subject. It is not the word there that is singular or plural, but the real subject that follows it.
- There is a giraffe in your garden.
The real subject, a giraffe, is singular: use the singular verb is.
- There are three giraffes in your garden.
Since the real subject is plural (three giraffes), use the plural verb are.
The subject is whom or what the sentence is about. In most sentences, the subject appears before the verb, and it is easy to decide whether to use is or are.
- The giraffe is an animal with a long neck.
- Giraffes are the tallest mammals in the world.
But some sentences begin with the existential there, which is a dummy subject used to indicate that a thing or situation exists. It merely introduces the real subject of the sentence. In general, choose whether to use there is or there are based on whether the real subject is singular or plural (allowing for certain exceptions, outlined below).
There is or there are?
- There is still time to submit your report.
- There’s a bit of cake left for you in the fridge.
- There is a solution to every problem.
- There was a cute little dog at the park today.
When the noun that follows there is plural, use are/were.
- There are some apples for you in that basket.
- There are four students in the class.
- There were a lot of people at the convention.
With distances and time, we often use there’s or there is instead of there are, even when the noun that follows is plural. This is because time and distance are generally thought of as an undifferentiated quantity rather than as discrete items.
- There’s still ten minutes left to the deadline.
- There’s only fifty miles on the odometer.
There’s or there’re?
The phrase there is is often contracted to there’s in speech and informal writing.
- There’s a man at the window, waving at us.
- There’s no water in this bottle.
Similarly in speech, there are is contracted to there’re, though you won’t normally see this contraction in writing.
- There’re many ways to solve this problem.
- There’re no good answers.
There are is also often contracted to there’s instead of there’re in speech. In fact, many native speakers find it more natural to use the contraction there’s instead of there’re.
- Informal: There’s many ways to solve this problem.
Acceptable in informal speech, but not in writing.Formal: There are many ways to solve this problem.
Avoid both contractions, there’s and there’re, in formal writing: prefer to use there is when followed by a singular noun, and there are when followed by a plural one.
Series, lists, and compound subjects
Sometimes, the real subject of a sentence starting with there can be made up of two or more nouns joined by and. The strict rule is to consider this a plural subject, and use are.
- There are a horse and a cow in the field.
Since two nouns joined by and make a plural, use are.
- There are a boy and a girl waiting for you outside.
However, this sounds odd because the word are is followed by a singular noun, a horse. In informal writing and speech, most people simply use there’s, even when it is followed by a list or series of items.
- There’s a horse and a cow in the field.
- There’s a boy and a girl waiting for you outside.
- There’s a wrinkled old carrot, a yellowing lettuce, and some shriveled-up spinach in the fridge.
In academic and business writing, which demands a more formal tone, an editor will still change there is to there are when it is followed by two or more nouns joined by and.
A number of
When there is followed by a number of, which means “several,” use the plural verb are.
- There are a number of seagulls eyeing your sandwich.
- There are a number of books that use time travel as a plot device.
- There are a number of ways to write a story, all of which require a plot.
A number of is an idiom that means “several.” It is always used with plural nouns.
- A number of people are waiting for the shuttle to Mars.
- There are a number of people waiting for the shuttle to Mars.
A couple of
The phrase a couple of means “two” or “a few” of something. It is plural, so use there are.
- There are a couple of dents on this lawnmower, but otherwise, it looks brand new.
- There are a couple of parts missing from this spacecraft, but you can easily get it repaired on Neptune.
- There are a couple of people here to meet you.
Sometimes, the word of is omitted from a couple of. Still use there are.
- There are a couple more questions from the audience.
A variety of
With nouns of multitude, like a bunch of, a group of, a team of, a plethora of, and a variety of, which refer to a collection of people or things, you may use either there is or there are, depending on whether you want to refer to the group as a whole or to the individuals that comprise it.
- There are a variety of flowers in this bouquet.
focusing on the various flowersThere is a variety of flowers in this bouquet.
- There are a diverse group of people in this company.
focus on the individual members of the groupThere is a group of people waiting to meet you.
Collective nouns like team, government, and committee are generally treated as singular in American English (the government has . . .) and plural in British English (the government have . . .).
A lot of
The phrase a lot of means “many” or “much.” Use there are with plural nouns (marbles, cats) and there is with singular mass nouns (water, calcium).
- There are a lot of marbles in this jar.
Since the noun that follows is plural (marbles), use are.
- There are a lot of cats on the couch.
With a plural subject (cats), use are.
- There is a lot of water left in the bottle.
Water is a singular mass noun; use is.
- There is a lot of calcium in broccoli.
Calcium takes a singular verb: use there is, not there are.
A few
A few of refers to something in the plural. In formal writing, prefer there are. In informal communication, particularly in speech, the contraction there’s is often used, even with a plural subject.
- Formal: There are a few ways to solve this problem.
- Informal: There’s a few ways to solve this problem.
Strict agreement with the real subject of the sentence (a few ways) requires the use of there are, not there is. An editor will recommend using there are in formal texts, such as business and academic documents.
Examples from literature
Here are some more usage examples of there is and there are from the writings of famous authors.
There is a limit to the amount of misery and disarray you will put up with, for love, just as there is a limit to the amount of mess you can stand around a house.
— Alice Munro, The Moons of Jupiter (1982)There’s a peephole in the door, and my keeper’s eye is the shade of brown that can never see through a blue-eyed type like me.
— Günter Grass, The Tin Drum (1959; trans. Ralph Manheim)There are two perfumes to a book.
— Ray Bradbury, “The Art of Fiction No. 203,” The Paris Review (Issue 192, Spring 2010)There was no system to soothe the unfairness of things . . .
— Kiran Desai, The Inheritance of Loss (2006)There were some stories in which facts were very nearly irrelevant.
— Ann Patchett, State of Wonder (2011)