There is and There are – English Grammar Exercises for A1
Hotel Amenity Review (Booking / Agoda)
You just returned from a holiday and you are writing a review of your hotel room on a booking website. You want to tell other travelers about the good facilities and the missing amenities. Choose the correct option to complete each sentence in your review.
1 I really loved my stay at this hotel. ______ a large, comfortable bed in the room.
(a) There is
(b) There are
(c) It has
2 The bathroom is very modern, and ______ two clean towels for each guest.
(a) there is
(b) there are
(c) they are
3 I can easily work on my laptop because ______ fast, free Wi-Fi in the entire building.
(a) there are
(b) there have
(c) there is
4 Unfortunately, the room is quite small. ______ much space to put our big suitcases.
(a) There isn’t
(b) There aren’t
(c) There doesn’t
5 I am very disappointed because ______ a fridge in the room to keep my drinks cold.
(a) there aren’t
(b) there isn’t
(c) it isn’t
6 Look out the window! ______ a beautiful view of the ocean from the balcony.
(a) There are
(b) There is
(c) There has
7 I do not recommend this place. ______ a lot of loud noise from the street outside.
(a) There is
(b) There are
(c) It has
8 ______ any extra pillows in the closet if you need them.
(a) There is
(b) There are
(c) They are
9 I wanted to make some tea, but ______ any cups or glasses in the kitchen area.
(a) there isn’t
(b) there no
(c) there aren’t
10 ______ a swimming pool at this hotel? I want to swim in the morning.
(a) Are there
(b) Is there
(c) Does there
11 Yes, ______. The pool is on the rooftop and it is amazing!
(a) there are
(b) it is
(c) there is
12 We had a terrible night because ______ any air conditioning in the bedroom.
(a) there isn’t
(b) there aren’t
(c) there doesn’t
13 On the desk, ______ a small lamp and two bottles of complimentary water.
(a) there are
(b) there is
(c) there have
14 In the bathroom, ______ two bottles of shampoo and a bar of soap.
(a) there is
(b) there are
(c) they are
15 Are there any good seafood restaurants near the hotel? – Yes, ______.
(a) there is
(b) they aren’t
(c) there are
16 Do not book this room in the winter. There ______ no hot water in the shower!
(a) is
(b) are
(c) has
17 We felt very safe because there ______ a security guard in the lobby 24/7
(a) are
(b) is
(c) have
18 I could not sleep at all. There ______ a lot of mosquitoes in the room.
(a) are
(b) is
(c) have
19 ______ any elevators in this old building, so we had to carry our bags up the stairs.
(a) There isn’t
(b) There aren’t
(c) There don’t
20 Overall, it is a great place to stay. ______ no reason to complain about the price.
(a) There are
(b) There isn’t
(c) There is
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (a) There is
- Why it is correct: “A large, comfortable bed” is a singular noun. We use “There is” to state that one thing exists in the room.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural nouns. (c) “It has” is a common direct translation mistake; native speakers use “there is” to objectively list what is in a room.
2 (b) there are
- Why it is correct: “Two clean towels” is plural, so we must use “there are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular nouns. (c) “They are” means identifying the objects (“Chúng là…”), not stating their existence (“Có…”).
3 (c) there is
- Why it is correct: “Wi-Fi” is an uncountable noun. We always treat uncountable nouns as singular, so we use “there is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (b) “There have” is a major structural error (never combine ‘there’ with ‘have’ to show existence).
4 (a) There isn’t
- Why it is correct: “Space” is an uncountable noun. The negative singular form is “There isn’t” (There is not).
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural countable nouns. (c) uses the wrong auxiliary verb.
5 (b) there isn’t
- Why it is correct: “A fridge” is singular, so the negative is “there isn’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) is grammatically incorrect for pointing out existence.
6 (b) There is
- Why it is correct: “A beautiful view” is a singular noun phrase.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural. (c) “There has” is a structural error.
7 (a) There is
- Why it is correct: “Noise” is an uncountable noun. Even with “a lot of”, uncountable nouns always take the singular “There is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is a common mistake because learners often think “a lot of” automatically means plural. (c) is a translation error.
8 (b) There are
- Why it is correct: “Extra pillows” is plural.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular nouns. (c) is used to describe the pillows, not to declare that they are in the closet.
9 (c) there aren’t
- Why it is correct: “Cups or glasses” are plural countable nouns. The negative form is “there aren’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular/uncountable nouns. (b) is missing the verb “are”.
10 (b) Is there
- Why it is correct: To make a question about a singular noun (“a swimming pool”), we use “Is there…?”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) uses the wrong auxiliary verb.
11 (c) there is
- Why it is correct: The correct affirmative 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”.
12 (a) there isn’t
- Why it is correct: “Air conditioning” is an uncountable noun, so we use the singular negative “there isn’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural nouns. (c) uses the wrong auxiliary verb.
13 (b) there is
- Why it is correct: The Rule of Proximity! When you list multiple amenities (“a small lamp and two bottles…”), the verb must agree with the very first item in the list. “A small lamp” is singular, so we use “there is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is a common trap because the total number of items is three, but it breaks the proximity rule. (c) is a structural error.
14 (b) there are
- Why it is correct: The Rule of Proximity. The first item in this list is “two bottles of shampoo” (plural), so we must use “there are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) would only be correct if the bar of soap was listed first (e.g., There is a bar of soap and two bottles of shampoo). (c) is a structural error.
15 (c) there are
- Why it is correct: The question asks “Are there…?”, so the matching positive short answer is “Yes, there are.”
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular. (b) is negative and uses “they” instead of “there”.
16 (a) is
- Why it is correct: “Water” is uncountable, so we use the singular verb “is”. Since the sentence already has the negative word “no” (no hot water), the verb must be affirmative (“is”).
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural nouns. (c) cannot be combined with “there”.
17 (b) is
- Why it is correct: “A security guard” is a singular noun.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) is a structural error.
18 (a) are
- Why it is correct: “Mosquitoes” is a plural countable noun. We use “are” with plural nouns, even after “a lot of”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for singular or uncountable nouns. (c) is a structural error.
19 (b) There aren’t
- Why it is correct: “Elevators” is plural, so we use the negative “There aren’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular nouns. (c) is structurally incorrect.
20 (c) There is
- Why it is correct: “Reason” is a singular noun. The sentence uses the word “no”, so we use the affirmative singular verb “is”. (There is no reason = There isn’t any reason).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (b) “There isn’t no” is a double negative, which is grammatically incorrect in English.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When you write a review on Booking.com or Agoda, you need to list the facilities clearly and objectively. The best way to say is to use “There is / There are”.
- For ONE item (Singular): Use There is + a/an + item.
- (+) There is a big TV.
- (-) There isn’t a safe.
- For MULTIPLE items (Plural): Use There are + number/some/many + items.
- (+) There are three clean towels.
- (-) There aren’t any windows. (or There are no windows.)
- For UNCOUNTABLE items (Wi-Fi, space, water, noise, air conditioning):
- ALWAYS treat them as singular!
- (+) There is fast Wi-Fi.
- (-) There isn’t any hot water. (or There is no hot water.)
- The “First Item” Rule (Proximity): If you list several different things in the room, look at the first thing you mention to choose “is” or “are”.
- There is a desk and two chairs. (Uses “is” because “a desk” is singular).
- There are two chairs and a desk. (Uses “are” because “two chairs” is plural).
- The “It has” Trap: Avoid saying “The room has…” or “It has a balcony” at the A1 level. While sometimes understood, “There is a balcony” is the standard, objective way to describe hotel amenities in English. Never use “There have”!