There Is / There Are
Determiners ( some / any / a / an )
We use a with singular nouns that start with a consonant sound (b, c, d, f, g, ...), and an with singular nouns that start with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u):
| Article | Singular Noun | |
|---|
| Is there | a | bank | near the mall? |
| There is | a | fridge | in the kitchen. |
| Is there | an | airport | in the city? |
| There is | an | optician's | near here. |
For plural nouns and uncountable nouns we use any for questions (?) and negative (-) answers, and some for positive (+) answers:
| Question (?) | any | Noun | |
|---|
| Are there | any | eggs | in the cupboard? |
| Is there | any | milk | in the fridge? |
| Negative Answer (-) | any | Noun | |
|---|
| There aren't | any | paperclips | in the drawer. |
| There isn't | any | water | in the jug. |
| Positive Answer (+) | some | Noun | |
|---|
| There are | some | cups | on the table. |
| There is | some | rice | in the bag. |
Now try the quiz below!