There is and There are – English Grammar Exercises for A1
Facilities Orientation (Office/School Tour)
You are showing a new employee around the company building on their first day. You need to explain where different rooms and facilities are located. Choose the correct option to complete your sentences.
1 Welcome to the company! On the first floor, ______ a large reception area.
(a) there are
(b) there is
(c) it has
2 Down this hallway, ______ three big meeting rooms for team discussions.
(a) there is
(b) there are
(c) they are
3 If you need to wash your hands, ______ a restroom right next to the elevator.
(a) there is
(b) there are
(c) there be
4 In the main workspace, ______ twenty desks for the marketing team.
(a) there is
(b) it is
(c) there are
5 ______ a cafeteria in this building where we can eat lunch?
(a) Are there
(b) Is there
(c) Do there
6 Yes, ______. It is on the top floor and the food is great.
(a) there is
(b) it is
(c) there are
7 This is an open office plan, so ______ any private rooms for the managers.
(a) there isn’t
(b) there don’t
(c) there aren’t
8 In the staff breakroom, ______ free coffee, tea, and water for everyone.
(a) there are
(b) there is
(c) there have
9 ______ any color printers on the second floor?
(a) Is there
(b) Have there
(c) Are there
10 No, ______. You need to go down to the first floor to print your documents.
(a) there aren’t
(b) there isn’t
(c) they aren’t
11 Unfortunately, ______ a gym in our office building, but there is one across the street.
(a) there aren’t
(b) it isn’t
(c) there isn’t
12 You don’t need to take the stairs. ______ two fast elevators at the end of the hall.
(a) There is
(b) There are
(c) There has
13 You can park your car easily today because ______ a lot of free space in the parking lot.
(a) there is
(b) there are
(c) they are
14 How many computers ______ in the IT training room?
(a) is there
(b) there are
(c) are there
15 In the CEO’s office, ______ a large desk, two comfortable chairs, and a bookshelf.
(a) there is
(b) there are
(c) there have
16 In the supply closet, ______ some new pens, a whiteboard, and lots of printer paper.
(a) there is
(b) there are
(c) it has
17 The new lounge room is quite empty right now. ______ much furniture in it yet.
(a) There aren’t
(b) There isn’t
(c) There don’t
18 On the main bulletin board, ______ some important information about the company rules.
(a) there are
(b) there is
(c) there has
19 Please note that ______ a smoking area inside the building. It is strictly forbidden.
(a) there isn’t
(b) there aren’t
(c) there no is
20 Look near the front door. ______ two security guards and a receptionist to help visitors.
(a) There is
(b) There have
(c) There are
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b) there is
- Why it is correct: “A large reception area” is a singular noun. We use “there is” to state that one thing exists in a location.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) “It has” is a common direct translation error; we do not use “it has” to point out existence in a space like this.
2 (b) there are
- Why it is correct: “Three big meeting rooms” is plural, so we must use “there are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular nouns. (c) “they are” means “chúng là” (identifying what they are), not “có” (indicating they exist there).
3 (a) there is
- Why it is correct: “A restroom” is singular.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural. (c) uses the unconjugated base verb “be”, which is grammatically incorrect here.
4 (c) there are
- Why it is correct: “Twenty desks” is plural.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular. (b) “it is” is used for identification or description, not existence.
5 (b) Is there
- Why it is correct: To make a question about a singular noun (“a cafeteria”), we invert the verb and subject: “Is there…?”
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) uses the wrong auxiliary verb.
6 (a) there is
- Why it is correct: The correct affirmative short answer to “Is there…?” is “Yes, there is.”
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “it is” doesn’t match the question’s grammar structure. (c) is for plural questions.
7 (c) there aren’t
- Why it is correct: “Any private rooms” is plural. The negative form is “there aren’t” (there are not).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular nouns. (b) uses the wrong auxiliary verb (“don’t”).
8 (b) there is
- Why it is correct: “Coffee”, “tea”, and “water” are uncountable nouns. We always treat uncountable nouns as singular, so we use “there is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural countable nouns. (c) “There have” is a major structural error.
9 (c) Are there
- Why it is correct: “Printers” is plural, so the question must start with “Are there”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular. (b) is structurally incorrect.
10 (a) there aren’t
- Why it is correct: The question asks “Are there…?”, so the matching negative short answer is “No, there aren’t.”
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is singular. (c) “they aren’t” does not match the “there” structure.
11 (c) there isn’t
- Why it is correct: “A gym” is singular. The negative form is “there isn’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural. (b) is incorrect word order for this context.
12 (b) There are
- Why it is correct: “Two fast elevators” is plural.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular. (c) “There has” is a common learner mistake.
13 (a) there is
- Why it is correct: “Space” is an uncountable noun. We use the singular “there is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural countable nouns. (c) is incorrect grammar.
14 (c) are there
- Why it is correct: In a “How many…?” question, the noun (“computers”) is plural, so we must use the question format “are there”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular. (b) “there are” is an affirmative statement, not a question format.
15 (a) there is
- Why it is correct: The Rule of Proximity! When you list multiple items in a room (“a desk, two chairs, and a bookshelf”), the verb must agree with the very first item in the list. “A large desk” is singular, so we use “there is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is a strong distractor because there are many items in total, but it breaks the proximity rule. (c) is a structural error.
16 (b) there are
- Why it is correct: The Rule of Proximity. The list is “some new pens, a whiteboard…”. Because the first item (“some new pens”) is plural, we use “there are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) would only be correct if the whiteboard was listed first (e.g., There is a whiteboard and some pens). (c) is a translation error.
17 (b) There isn’t
- Why it is correct: “Furniture” is an uncountable noun in English. We must use the singular negative “there isn’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is a common mistake because students think of furniture as plural items. (c) uses the wrong auxiliary.
18 (b) there is
- Why it is correct: “Information” is an uncountable noun. We always use “there is” for uncountable things.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) is structurally incorrect.
19 (a) there isn’t
- Why it is correct: “A smoking area” is singular, so the negative is “there isn’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural. (c) is grammatically incorrect.
20 (c) There are
- Why it is correct: The Rule of Proximity. The first item in the list is “two security guards” (plural), so we must use “There are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular. (b) is a structural error.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When introducing the facilities of a building to a newcomer, using There is and There are is the most professional and objective way to explain what exists in the space.
- Singular Rooms/Items: Use There is + a/an + room.
- There is a cafeteria on the 5th floor.
- Plural Rooms/Items: Use There are + number/some + rooms.
- There are three meeting rooms here.
- Uncountable Nouns (Water, Coffee, Space, Furniture, Information): Always treat them as singular and use There is.
- There is some free coffee. / There isn’t much space.
- The Proximity Rule for Lists: If you point out multiple different things in one area, look at the first word after the verb to decide between “is” and “are”!
- There is a printer and two computers. (Uses “is” because “a printer” is singular).
- There are two computers and a printer. (Uses “are” because “two computers” is plural).
- The Golden Rule: Never use “The office has…” or “There have…” when pointing out locations. Stick to “There is / There are”!