Adult ESL/ELL Beginner Quiz: Using There Is There Are
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Using There Is There AreQuestion 1 of 8

Look at the following two sentences a student wrote: Sentence 1: There is a hospital near the school. Sentence 2: There are a hospital and two clinics near the school.

Which statement is TRUE about the student's two sentences?

Both sentences are incorrect because 'there is/there are' cannot be used with places like hospitals.
Sentence 1 is correct, but Sentence 2 is wrong because 'a hospital' is singular and needs 'there is.'
Sentence 2 is correct, but Sentence 1 is wrong because 'hospital' always requires 'there are.'
Both sentences are correct because each follows proper grammar rules for 'there is/there are.'
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Adult ESL/ELL Beginner Quiz

Adult ESL/ELL Beginner Quiz: Using There Is There Are

Practice Using There Is There Are in Adult ESL/ELL Beginner with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Using There Is There Are, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Adult ESL/ELL Beginner.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Look at the following two sentences a student wrote: Sentence 1: There is a hospital near the school. Sentence 2: There are a hospital and two clinics near the school.

Which statement is TRUE about the student's two sentences?

  1. Both sentences are incorrect because 'there is/there are' cannot be used with places like hospitals.
  2. Sentence 1 is correct, but Sentence 2 is wrong because 'a hospital' is singular and needs 'there is.'
  3. Sentence 2 is correct, but Sentence 1 is wrong because 'hospital' always requires 'there are.'
  4. Both sentences are correct because each follows proper grammar rules for 'there is/there are.' (correct answer)
Explanation: When using there is and there are in English, the key rule is simple: match the verb to the noun that follows it. Use there is for singular nouns and there are for plural nouns (or multiple nouns joined by and). In Sentence 1, "a hospital" is singular, so "there is" is correct — There is a hospital near the school follows the rule perfectly. In Sentence 2, the subject is "a hospital and two clinics," which is a list of two things joined by and, making the total meaning plural. That means "there are" is the right choice — There are a hospital and two clinics near the school is also grammatically correct. Both sentences are well-written, which makes D the correct answer. Let's look at why the other choices are wrong. A is incorrect because there is/there are is absolutely used with places — hospitals, schools, parks, and clinics are all common examples in everyday English. B is a tricky distractor: it's true that "a hospital" alone is singular, but in Sentence 2, "a hospital" is not alone — it's connected to "two clinics" by and, so the whole group becomes plural and requires there are. C is wrong because "hospital" does not always require there are — Sentence 1 proves that a single hospital correctly uses there is. A helpful tip: when you see there is/there are questions, look at the full noun phrase after the verb, not just the first word. If nouns are joined by and, treat them as plural and use there are.

Question 2

A student is describing a picture of a city street. She says: '  a bakery, a pharmacy, and a bus stop on this street.'

The student must choose between 'There is' and 'There are' to begin her sentence. Which choice is correct, and why?

  1. 'There is' is correct because the first item in the list, 'a bakery,' is singular, so the verb must be singular.
  2. 'There are' is correct because the sentence introduces multiple items existing in one place. (correct answer)
  3. Either 'There is' or 'There are' is correct because both forms can be used freely with any list.
  4. 'There is' is correct because 'this street' is a single location, so a singular verb is needed.
Explanation: When a sentence uses "there is" or "there are," the verb must agree with the subject of the sentence — and in these constructions, the subject is what comes after the verb, not before it. This is called "existential there," and it's used to announce that something exists somewhere. In this sentence, the student is listing three things: a bakery, a pharmacy, and a bus stop. Together, these form a plural subject (more than one thing). Because the subject is plural, the correct verb is "There are" — making B the correct answer. The sentence tells us that multiple items exist on one street, so the plural verb is required. A contains a very common trap. It sounds logical to match the verb with the first item in a list ("a bakery" is singular), but grammar rules require you to look at the whole subject — all three items together. A list joined by "and" is always plural. C is incorrect because "there is" and "there are" are not interchangeable. Using "there is" with a plural subject is a grammar error, even though you may hear native speakers do it informally sometimes. D confuses location with subject. "This street" is where the items exist, but it is not the grammatical subject — the bakery, pharmacy, and bus stop are. The number of locations doesn't control the verb; the number of things does. Quick tip: When you see a "there is/there are" question, skip past "there" and find the real subject. If it's plural, use "are." If it's singular, use "is."

Question 3

Maria is describing her new apartment to her friend on the phone.

Maria says: '  two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a balcony in my apartment.' Which sentence correctly completes what Maria says?

  1. There are two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a balcony in my apartment. (correct answer)
  2. There is two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a balcony in my apartment.
  3. There are a two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a balcony in my apartment.
  4. They are two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a balcony in my apartment.
Explanation: When describing what exists in a place, English uses a special structure: "There is" (for one thing) or "There are" (for more than one thing). This question tests whether you can match that structure to the nouns that follow it. Look at what Maria lists: two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a balcony. Because the first noun — "two bedrooms" — is plural, you need "There are" to open the sentence. "There are" signals that multiple things exist in her apartment. Answer A does exactly this correctly: "There are two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a balcony in my apartment." Here's why the other choices fail. Answer B uses "There is" with plural nouns — this is the most common mistake beginners make. "There is" only works with a single item, like "There is one bedroom." Using it before "two bedrooms" is a subject-verb agreement error. Answer C adds an unnecessary article "a" before "two bedrooms" — you never combine "a" with a plural noun. "A" means one, so "a two bedrooms" contradicts itself and is never correct in English. Answer D uses "They are," which refers to a group of people or things already mentioned. Maria is introducing new information, not referring to something already known, so "They are" makes no sense here. A helpful tip: always look at the first noun after "there is/there are" to decide which to use. Singular noun → there is. Plural noun → there are. This rule will help you on many similar questions.

Question 4

David is asking his friend a question about the library.

David wants to ask: '  a computer lab in the library?' Which question form is correct?

  1. Does there a computer lab in the library?
  2. Are there a computer lab in the library?
  3. There is a computer lab in the library?
  4. Is there a computer lab in the library? (correct answer)
Explanation: When asking whether something exists somewhere in English, you need the structure "Is/Are there + noun?" This is called an existential question, and it always starts with a form of to be followed by the word there. The key to this question is choosing between is and are, which depends on the noun that follows. Here, the noun is "a computer lab" — that's singular (one lab), so the correct verb is is. That makes D, "Is there a computer lab in the library?", the correct question form. The structure is: Is + there + singular noun + location? Here's why the other choices don't work. A uses "Does there," which is completely wrong — does is used for action verbs (like "Does he work?"), not for talking about things that exist. B says "Are there a computer lab," which has a subject-verb agreement error: are is plural, but "a computer lab" is singular. You would say "Are there computers in the library?" because "computers" is plural. C is a statement, not a question — "There is a computer lab in the library" tells us something, but simply adding a question mark doesn't make it a proper question in English. You must invert the verb and there to form a real question. A helpful tip: memorize this two-part formula — "Is there + singular noun?" and "Are there + plural noun?" You'll see this pattern constantly in everyday English, so recognizing it quickly will serve you well on this exam.

Question 5

Which sentence uses 'there is' or 'there are' correctly to talk about what exists in a place?

  1. There are some water in the glass on the table.
  2. There is many children in the playground near the school.
  3. There is some milk in the refrigerator in the kitchen. (correct answer)
  4. There are a dog sleeping in the yard behind the house.
Explanation: When using "there is" and "there are," the key rule is simple: the verb must match the noun that follows it. Use "there is" with singular (one) or uncountable nouns, and "there are" with plural (more than one) nouns. "Milk" is an uncountable noun — you cannot say "one milk" or "two milks." Because it is uncountable, it is treated as singular, which means "there is" is the correct choice. Option C reads "There is some milk in the refrigerator," which perfectly follows this rule, making C the correct answer. Now let's look at why the other options fail. Option A says "There are some water," but "water," like milk, is uncountable and singular — it should be "there is some water." Option B says "There is many children," but "children" is a plural noun, so it requires "there are." Additionally, "many" signals a plural count noun, which is another clue that "there are" is needed. Option D says "There are a dog," but "a dog" is singular — one dog — so it must be "there is a dog." A helpful tip: before choosing "there is" or "there are," find the noun after it and ask yourself two questions — is it countable or uncountable, and is it singular or plural? Uncountable nouns (water, milk, rice, money) always use "there is." Plural nouns always use "there are." Watch for trick combinations like "there is many" or "there are a," which mix the wrong forms — these are common traps on this exam.

Question 6

Which sentence INCORRECTLY uses 'there is' or 'there are' to talk about what exists in a place?

  1. There are fifteen students in the classroom today.
  2. There is a lot of traffic on the highway this morning.
  3. There are a little sugar in the bowl on the counter. (correct answer)
  4. There is an interesting book on the shelf by the window.
Explanation: When using "there is" and "there are," the key rule is subject-verb agreement — specifically, whether the noun that follows is countable or uncountable. Use there is with singular countable nouns and uncountable nouns (like water, traffic, or sugar). Use there are with plural countable nouns. Sentence C is the incorrect one: "There are a little sugar in the bowl." Sugar is an uncountable noun — you can't count individual sugars — so it requires there is, not there are. The phrase "a little" is also a clue, since "a little" is used specifically with uncountable nouns (while "a few" goes with countable plurals). The correct version would be: There is a little sugar in the bowl. The other three sentences all follow the rules correctly. Sentence A uses there are with "fifteen students," a countable plural — that's right. Sentence B uses there is with "traffic," an uncountable noun — also correct. Sentence D uses there is with "an interesting book," a singular countable noun — correct as well. A helpful tip: watch for uncountable nouns paired with there are — that's a classic trap on grammar questions. Common uncountable nouns include water, milk, sugar, rice, money, traffic, information, and advice. These never take there are, no matter how large the quantity. When you see phrases like "a little" or "a lot of" before a noun, ask yourself: Can I count individual units of this? If the answer is no, always use there is.

Question 7

A student writes: 'There is no chairs in the waiting room.' What is the BEST correction for this sentence?

  1. There are no chairs in the waiting room. (correct answer)
  2. There is not chairs in the waiting room.
  3. There is no chair in the waiting room.
  4. There are not a chair in the waiting room.
Explanation: When you see a sentence starting with "There is" or "There are," you need to check whether the noun that follows is singular or plural. English requires the verb to be to agree with that noun — this is called subject-verb agreement. In the original sentence, "chairs" is a plural noun, which means the sentence needs "there are," not "there is." The word "no" doesn't change this rule — even with negatives, the verb must still match the noun. That makes A — "There are no chairs in the waiting room" the correct answer. It pairs the plural verb "are" with the plural noun "chairs," and uses "no" correctly to express that zero chairs exist. Here's why the other options fall short. B keeps the incorrect singular verb "is" and changes "no" to "not," but "is not chairs" is grammatically broken — "not" alone can't negate a plural noun this way. C fixes the verb problem by changing "chairs" to "chair," but then you have a contradiction: "no chair" suggests a single chair is missing, which sounds unnatural and loses the original plural meaning. D uses "are," which is correct for plural, but "not a chair" is awkward and contradictory — "a" signals one item while "not" negates it, creating a confusing mix. A helpful tip: whenever you see "There is/are", immediately look at the noun at the end of the phrase and ask yourself, is it singular or plural? Singular → "there is"; plural → "there are." This rule holds even when words like "no" or "not" appear in between.

Question 8

A student wants to say that a single park exists in her neighborhood. Which sentence is the MOST correct way to express this idea?

  1. There are a park in my neighborhood.
  2. There is a park in my neighborhood. (correct answer)
  3. There is park in my neighborhood.
  4. It is a park in my neighborhood.
Explanation: When expressing that something exists or is located somewhere in English, we use a special structure called "there is / there are." The choice between is and are depends on whether the noun that follows is singular or plural — this is the key concept being tested here. A single park is a singular noun, so the correct verb is is. The sentence also needs the indefinite article a before "park" because we are introducing one unspecified park for the first time. That makes B — "There is a park in my neighborhood" — the correct answer. The structure is logical and complete: there is + a + singular noun + location phrase. Looking at the wrong choices, A uses "There are a park," which is a subject-verb disagreement error. Are is used with plural nouns (e.g., There are two parks), not with a single item. C says "There is park" — this drops the article a, which is required in English before singular countable nouns. You cannot say "there is park" the same way you can say "there is water" (an uncountable noun). D — "It is a park in my neighborhood" — uses it instead of there, which completely changes the meaning. It is identifies something already known, while there is introduces something new into the conversation. A helpful tip: memorize the formula "There is + a/an + singular noun" and "There are + plural noun." This pattern appears constantly in everyday English and on beginner ESL exams.