There is and There are – English Grammar Exercises for A1
Emergency Reporting (Reporting unusual or dangerous situations)
You are in a public place (like an airport, a hotel, or a street). You see something dangerous, unusual, or an emergency. You must report this to a security guard, a police officer, or a manager quickly. Choose the correct option to complete your warning.
1 Excuse me, officer! ______ a black bag under the seats over there, and no one is with it.
(a) There is
(b) There are
(c) It has
2 Please come quickly! ______ some thick smoke coming from the restroom.
(a) There are
(b) They are
(c) There is
3 We need help right now! ______ two angry men fighting outside the station.
(a) There have
(b) There are
(c) There is
4 Be careful when you walk! ______ a lot of water on the floor near the entrance.
(a) There are
(b) There is
(c) It has
5 ______ a fire extinguisher in this hallway? We need one to stop the small fire!
(a) Are there
(b) Does there
(c) Is there
6 Help! ______ a strange box next to the trash can, and it is making a ticking noise.
(a) There are
(b) There is
(c) There be
7 I smell something burning. ______ a really bad smell of gas in the hotel kitchen!
(a) There is
(b) There are
(c) There has
8 Officer, ______ some broken glass on the stairs. Someone might fall and get hurt.
(a) there are
(b) there is
(c) they are
9 Hurry! ______ a little boy crying near the departure gate, and he is lost.
(a) There is
(b) There have
(c) There are
10 I am trying to ask for help, but ______ any security guards around this area!
(a) there isn’t
(b) there don’t
(c) there aren’t
11 ______ any police officers in the building? We have a serious emergency.
(a) Is there
(b) Are there
(c) Do there
12 Please stop the train! ______ some big rocks blocking the railway tracks.
(a) There is
(b) It has
(c) There are
13 Listen! ______ a loud fire alarm ringing on the second floor. Everyone must leave!
(a) There are
(b) There is
(c) There has
14 I need to report a safety problem. ______ three heavy boxes blocking the emergency exit door.
(a) There are
(b) There is
(c) They are
15 It is completely dark in the basement because ______ any lights working right now.
(a) there isn’t
(b) there aren’t
(c) there no
16 Sir, you must move your car immediately. ______ a “No Parking” sign right here.
(a) There are
(b) It is
(c) There is
17 Oh no! ______ an ambulance outside the hotel lobby. What happened?
(a) There is
(b) There are
(c) There have
18 I cannot find the doctor. ______ anyone at the front desk to help us!
(a) There aren’t
(b) There isn’t
(c) It isn’t
19 Look out! There ______ a large dog running around the airport without an owner.
(a) are
(b) is
(c) have
20 Please call 911! There ______ a terrible car accident on the highway.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) has
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (a) There is
- Why it is correct: “A black bag” is a singular noun. We use “There is” to quickly announce that one dangerous or unusual thing exists in a place.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural nouns. (c) “It has” is a common translation mistake; we use “there is” to report a situation, not to show possession.
2 (c) There is
- Why it is correct: “Smoke” is an uncountable noun (you cannot say “one smoke, two smokes”). We always treat uncountable nouns as singular, so we use “There is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural countable nouns. (b) “They are” is used to identify things, not to report their existence.
3 (b) There are
- Why it is correct: “Two angry men” is plural, so we use “There are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “There have” is a major structural error (we never mix ‘there’ with ‘have’). (c) is for singular nouns.
4 (b) There is
- Why it is correct: “Water” is an uncountable noun. Even with “a lot of”, uncountable nouns always take the singular “There is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is a common mistake because students think “a lot of” always means plural. (c) is a translation error.
5 (c) Is there
- Why it is correct: To urgently ask about a singular noun (“a fire extinguisher”), we invert the words to “Is there…?”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (b) uses the wrong auxiliary verb.
6 (b) There is
- Why it is correct: “A strange box” is singular.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural. (c) uses the unconjugated base verb “be”, which is grammatically incorrect.
7 (a) There is
- Why it is correct: “A bad smell” is a singular noun phrase.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural nouns. (c) is a structural error.
8 (b) there is
- Why it is correct: “Broken glass” is an uncountable material noun in this context. Therefore, we use the singular “there is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural countable nouns. (c) is incorrect grammar for reporting existence.
9 (a) There is
- Why it is correct: “A little boy” is a singular noun.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is a structural error. (c) is for plural.
10 (c) there aren’t
- Why it is correct: “Security guards” 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”).
11 (b) Are there
- Why it is correct: “Police officers” is plural, so the emergency question must begin with “Are there”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular nouns. (c) is structurally incorrect.
12 (c) There are
- Why it is correct: “Some big rocks” is plural.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular nouns. (b) is a direct translation trap.
13 (b) There is
- Why it is correct: “A loud fire alarm” is a singular noun.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural. (c) “There has” cannot be used to show existence.
14 (a) There are
- Why it is correct: “Three heavy boxes” is plural, so we must use “There are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for singular nouns. (c) means “Chúng là”, which does not express “Có…” (existence).
15 (b) there aren’t
- Why it is correct: “Lights” is plural. The negative form is “there aren’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for singular. (c) is missing the verb “are”.
16 (c) There is
- Why it is correct: “A ‘No Parking’ sign” is a singular noun.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (b) “It is” identifies an object, but does not announce its presence in an area.
17 (a) There is
- Why it is correct: “An ambulance” is a singular noun.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural. (c) is a structural error.
18 (b) There isn’t
- Why it is correct: “Anyone” is an indefinite pronoun, which is always treated as singular. The negative form is “There isn’t”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) does not match the “there” structure.
19 (b) is
- Why it is correct: “A large dog” is singular, so we use the verb “is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is for plural nouns. (c) is a structural error.
20 (a) is
- Why it is correct: “A terrible car accident” is singular, so we use the verb “is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is for plural. (c) cannot follow “there”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When you see something dangerous, unusual, or urgent (like an unattended bag, smoke, or an accident), the fastest and clearest way to report it in English is using “There is” or “There are”. It immediately tells the listener WHAT the problem is and WHERE it is happening.
- Reporting ONE dangerous thing (Singular): Use There is + a/an + noun.
- There is a strange bag!
- There is an accident!
- Reporting MULTIPLE dangerous things (Plural): Use There are + number/some + nouns.
- There are two men fighting!
- There are some rocks on the track.
- Reporting UNCOUNTABLE hazards (Smoke, water, gas, glass, fire, noise): ALWAYS treat them as singular!
- There is some smoke!
- There is water on the floor.
- There is a smell of gas.
- Reporting LACK of help (Negatives):
- There isn’t anyone here. (No one is here to help).
- There aren’t any security guards. * Asking for urgent help (Questions):
- Is there a doctor?
- Are there any police officers?