There is and There are – English Grammar Exercises for A1
Choosing a Venue (Finding the perfect cafe)
You and your friends are looking for a nice place to sit, drink, and study. You are suggesting a great new cafe because it has all the amenities your group needs. Choose the correct option to persuade your friends.
1 Let’s go to the new cafe on Main Street. ______ a lot of space inside for our whole group.
(a) There is
(b) There are
(c) It has
2 We should sit upstairs. ______ two large tables near the big window.
(a) There is
(b) There are
(c) They are
3 I really like this place because ______ free, fast Wi-Fi for everyone.
(a) there is
(b) there are
(c) there have
4 If you want to sit outside, ______ some comfortable chairs on the balcony.
(a) there is
(b) there are
(c) they are
5 ______ a parking area behind the coffee shop for our motorbikes?
(a) Are there
(b) Is there
(c) Does there
6 Yes, ______. We can park our bikes there easily and safely.
(a) there are
(b) it is
(c) there is
7 We shouldn’t go to the old cafe on the corner. ______ any air conditioning, so it’s very hot.
(a) There aren’t
(b) There isn’t
(c) There doesn’t
8 I need to charge my laptop. ______ any electrical sockets near the tables?
(a) Are there
(b) Is there
(c) Do there
9 Let’s not go to the sports bar. ______ too much loud music there, so we can’t talk.
(a) There are
(b) There is
(c) It has
10 Are there any vegan drinks on the menu? – Yes, ______.
(a) there is
(b) there are
(c) they are
11 I’m sorry, ______ any empty tables on the first floor. Let’s go to the second floor.
(a) there aren’t
(b) there isn’t
(c) there no
12 We can definitely study here today. ______ a quiet reading room at the back.
(a) There have
(b) There are
(c) There is
13 I don’t want to go to the famous bakery. ______ always a long line of people waiting.
(a) There is
(b) There are
(c) It is
14 Let’s choose the riverside cafe. There ______ a great view of the water from the terrace.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) has
15 Look at the menu online! There ______ a lot of delicious desserts to choose from.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) have
16 We should book a table right now because there ______ much time before it gets crowded.
(a) aren’t
(b) isn’t
(c) doesn’t
17 I prefer the garden coffee shop because there ______ no noisy traffic outside.
(a) are
(b) is
(c) isn’t
18 In the garden area, there ______ a beautiful fountain and many colorful flowers.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) have
19 Are there any good tea places nearby? – No, ______. We only have coffee shops here.
(a) there isn’t
(b) they aren’t
(c) there aren’t
20 Let’s go inside this one. There ______ some empty seats and a nice sofa over there in the corner.
(a) are
(b) is
(c) have
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (a) There is
- Why it is correct: “Space” is an uncountable noun. We always use “there is” for uncountable nouns.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural countable nouns. (c) “It has” is a common mistake; to state that something exists in a location, “there is” is the standard grammatical choice at this level.
2 (b) There are
- Why it is correct: “Two large tables” is plural, so we use “there are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular nouns. (c) “They are” is used to identify objects, not to state their existence in a place.
3 (a) there is
- Why it is correct: “Wi-Fi” is an uncountable noun. We must treat it as singular.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural nouns. (c) “There have” is structurally incorrect (never mix ‘there’ and ‘have’ to show existence).
4 (b) there are
- Why it is correct: “Some comfortable chairs” is plural.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular nouns. (c) is grammatically incorrect for pointing out existence.
5 (b) Is there
- Why it is correct: To make a question about a singular noun (“a parking area”), we use “Is there…?”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) uses the wrong auxiliary verb.
6 (c) there is
- Why it is correct: The correct short answer to “Is there…?” is “Yes, there is.”
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural. (b) does not match the question word “there”.
7 (b) There isn’t
- Why it is correct: “Air conditioning” is singular/uncountable. The negative form is “There isn’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) uses the wrong auxiliary verb.
8 (a) Are there
- Why it is correct: “Electrical sockets” is plural, so the question must begin with “Are there”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for singular nouns. (c) is structurally incorrect.
9 (b) There is
- Why it is correct: “Music” is an uncountable noun. We must use the singular “There is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) “It has” is a direct translation trap.
10 (b) there are
- Why it is correct: The question asks “Are there…?”, so the positive short answer is “Yes, there are.”
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular. (c) “They are” does not match the question structure.
11 (a) there aren’t
- Why it is correct: “Empty tables” is plural, so we use the negative “there aren’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for singular nouns. (c) is missing the verb “are”.
12 (c) There is
- Why it is correct: “A quiet reading room” is singular.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is a major structural error. (b) is for plural nouns.
13 (a) There is
- Why it is correct: “A long line” is a singular noun phrase.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural. (c) “It is” identifies an object but does not express existence.
14 (a) is
- Why it is correct: “A great view” is singular, so the verb is “is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural. (c) “has” cannot follow “there” in this context.
15 (b) are
- Why it is correct: “Desserts” is plural. Even though the phrase starts with “a lot of”, the noun itself is countable and plural, so we use “are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular or uncountable nouns. (c) is a structural error.
16 (b) isn’t
- Why it is correct: “Time” is an uncountable noun. We use the singular negative “isn’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural countable nouns. (c) uses the wrong auxiliary.
17 (b) is
- Why it is correct: “Traffic” is uncountable, so we use the singular verb “is”. The sentence already contains the negative word “no” (no traffic), so the verb must be affirmative (“is”).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) creates a double negative (“isn’t no”), which is incorrect.
18 (a) is
- Why it is correct: The Rule of Proximity. When listing multiple things (“a beautiful fountain and many colorful flowers”), the verb agrees with the first item. “A fountain” is singular, so we use “is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is a common trap because the total number of items is plural, but it breaks the proximity rule. (c) is grammatically incorrect.
19 (c) there aren’t
- Why it is correct: The question asks “Are there…?”, so the negative short answer is “No, there aren’t.”
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular. (b) does not use the word “there”.
20 (a) are
- Why it is correct: The Rule of Proximity. The first item in the list is “some empty seats” (plural), so we must use “are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) would only be correct if the sofa was mentioned first (e.g., There is a sofa and some seats). (c) is a structural error.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When you want to persuade your friends to choose a specific cafe or restaurant, you need to tell them about the good things inside it. “There is” and “There are” are the most natural ways to describe a venue’s amenities.
- To talk about one amenity (Singular): Use There is.
- There is a parking space.
- There is free Wi-Fi. (Wi-Fi is uncountable!)
- To talk about multiple amenities (Plural): Use There are.
- There are many comfortable chairs.
- Are there any vegan options?
- To point out missing amenities (Negatives):
- There isn’t any air conditioning.
- There aren’t any electrical sockets.
- The “First Item” Rule (Proximity): If you list several different things to your friends, look at the first thing you mention to choose between “is” and “are”.
- There is a big table and four chairs.
- There are four chairs and a big table.
- Important Tip for Beginners: Avoid saying “The cafe has…”. While it is not strictly wrong in advanced English, native speakers use “There is/are” much more often to describe what exists inside a space. Never say “There have”!