There is and There are – English Grammar Exercises for A1
Video Calling a Friend (Showing Your New Room)
You just moved into a new apartment. You are on a video call with your best friend to show them your new bedroom and living space. Choose the correct option to describe what is inside your room.
1 Look at my new bedroom! ______ a big, comfortable bed in the middle of the room.
(a) There are
(b) There is
(c) It has
2 Next to the bed, ______ two large windows with a lot of sunlight.
(a) there is
(b) they are
(c) there are
3 ______ a nice wooden desk in the corner for me to study.
(a) There is
(b) There have
(c) There are
4 On the desk, ______ three thick English books and my laptop.
(a) is there
(b) there are
(c) there is
5 Look at the floor. ______ a soft blue rug next to the door.
(a) There are
(b) There does
(c) There is
6 Let me show you around. ______ a television in your bedroom?
(a) Are there
(b) Is there
(c) Do there
7 No, ______ a television in here. I prefer to read books before sleeping.
(a) there aren’t
(b) there isn’t
(c) there not is
8 Are there ______ plants on the balcony?
(a) any
(b) some
(c) a
9 Yes! ______ some beautiful green plants outside my window.
(a) There has
(b) There are
(c) There is
10 I really love this apartment, but ______ a lot of space in the closet. It’s a bit small.
(a) there isn’t
(b) there aren’t
(c) there doesn’t
11 ______ an old mirror on the wall behind the door.
(a) There be
(b) There are
(c) There is
12 Is there a sofa in your room? – No, ______. The sofa is in the living room.
(a) there aren’t
(b) it isn’t
(c) there isn’t
13 Look at this cool shelf. There ______ many empty spaces for my new decorations!
(a) have
(b) are
(c) is
14 In the small kitchen, there ______ any plates or cups yet because I just moved in.
(a) aren’t
(b) isn’t
(c) don’t be
15 Let’s open the fridge. Oh, there ______ some milk and a bottle of water.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) have
16 Next to the window, there ______ a small white table and two chairs.
(a) are
(b) is
(c) have
17 It’s a bit empty right now. There ______ any furniture in the guest room at all.
(a) aren’t
(b) isn’t
(c) doesn’t
18 How many cushions ______ there on your new living room sofa?
(a) are
(b) is
(c) do
19 It is very peaceful here. There ______ much noise from the street below.
(a) aren’t
(b) don’t have
(c) isn’t
20 Honestly, ______ a great view of the city park from my window. I love it!
(a) there are
(b) there is
(c) there has
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b) There is
- Why it is correct: We use “There is” for a singular noun (“a big… bed”).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) “It has” is a very common mistake; learners often translate the word “có” directly, but to show existence in a place, we must use “There is/are”.
2 (c) there are
- Why it is correct: We use “There are” for plural nouns (“two large windows”).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular nouns. (b) “they are” means “chúng là”, not “có”.
3 (a) There is
- Why it is correct: “A nice wooden desk” is singular.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “There have” is structurally incorrect (mixing ‘there’ with the verb ‘have’). (c) is for plural.
4 (b) there are
- Why it is correct: “Three thick English books” is plural.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is the question form, but this is an affirmative sentence. (c) is for singular.
5 (c) There is
- Why it is correct: “A soft blue rug” is singular.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural. (b) “There does” is grammatically incorrect.
6 (b) Is there
- Why it is correct: To make a question for a singular noun (“a television”), we swap the words to “Is there…?”
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural questions. (c) “Do there” is a structural error.
7 (b) there isn’t
- Why it is correct: The negative form for a singular noun (“a television”) is “there isn’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural. (c) is incorrect word order.
8 (a) any
- Why it is correct: In questions with “There are”, we usually use “any” before plural nouns (“any plants?”).
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “some” is generally used in positive sentences, not questions. (c) “a” is only for singular nouns.
9 (b) There are
- Why it is correct: “Some beautiful green plants” is plural.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “There has” is a common A1 mistake. (c) is for singular.
10 (a) there isn’t
- Why it is correct: “Space” is an uncountable noun. We treat uncountable nouns as singular, so we use “there isn’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for countable plural nouns. (c) is grammatically incorrect.
11 (c) There is
- Why it is correct: “An old mirror” is singular. (We use “an” before vowel sounds).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is the base form, not used here. (b) is for plural.
12 (c) there isn’t
- Why it is correct: The correct short answer to “Is there…?” is “No, there isn’t.”
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural questions (“Are there…?”). (b) “it isn’t” does not match the question word “there”.
13 (b) are
- Why it is correct: “Many empty spaces” is plural.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is a common mistake (confusing existence with possession). (c) is for singular.
14 (a) aren’t
- Why it is correct: “Any plates or cups” is plural, so we use the negative “aren’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for singular/uncountable. (c) is structurally wrong.
15 (a) is
- Why it is correct: “Milk” is an uncountable noun, so we use “There is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural nouns. (c) is incorrect grammar.
16 (b) is
- Why it is correct: Rule of proximity! When listing several things (“a small table and two chairs”), the verb matches the first noun in the list. Since “a small table” is singular, we use “There is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “are” is a strong distractor because the total number of items is plural, but the rule requires matching the first item. (c) is incorrect.
17 (b) isn’t
- Why it is correct: “Furniture” is an uncountable noun in English. We always use singular forms for it.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is a common mistake because students think of furniture as many items (plural). (c) is structurally wrong.
18 (a) are
- Why it is correct: In a “How many…?” question, the noun is plural (“cushions”), so we use “are there”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for singular. (c) uses the wrong auxiliary verb.
19 (c) isn’t
- Why it is correct: “Noise” is an uncountable noun, so we treat it as singular.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural. (b) is a very common mistake for Vietnamese learners translating “không có”.
20 (b) there is
- Why it is correct: “A great view” is singular.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural. (c) “there has” is incorrect; “have/has” cannot follow “there” to show existence.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
Here is what you need to remember when describing your room or house:
- Singular (One thing): Use There is + a/an + noun.
- There is a bed.
- Plural (Two or more things): Use There are + number/some/many + noun(s).
- There are two windows. / There are some plants.
- Uncountable Nouns (Things you cannot count: water, milk, furniture, space, noise): Always use There is.
- There is some milk in the fridge.
- Listing things (The First Item Rule): If you list many things, look at the first word after the verb!
- There is a desk and two chairs. (Correct because “a desk” is singular).
- There are two chairs and a desk. (Correct because “two chairs” is plural).
- The Biggest Mistake: Never use “have” or “has” to say something exists!
- Wrong: In my room has a TV. / There have a TV.
- Correct: In my room, there is a TV.