Mr.Maru: You look tired today Sparky.
Sparky: I couldn't sleep because my doghouse is leaking. It was raining last night so I was cold and wet.
Mr.Maru: Do you need a new doghouse?
Sparky: Yes! I'd love one. I have some pictures of some doghouses here.
Mr.Maru: Really? Do you have a favorite?
Sparky: Yes. This one. There is a window and an air conditioner.
Mr.Maru: An air conditioner? Why do you need an air conditioner?
Sparky: So, I can invite people to my house. There is also two floors. It's very convenient.
Mr.Maru: I really don't think You need all that.
Sparky: What about the balcony on the 2nd floor? That would be nice.

Mr.Maru: Oh, brother.

What form of the be-verb do you use with there? What are the rules for subject-verb agreement? Do we use the singular be-verb 'is' or do we use the plural be-verb 'are'? Let's talk about some examples and the basic rules.

Subject-verb agreement with there

The word 'there' can be used for many things.  It is sometimes called an adverb, but sometimes can be used as a place.  We can use 'there' in a special type of sentence:

There is a van.

In this sentence the subject is actually 'a van'.  It is at the end of the sentence, but it is still the subject. If the subject is singular we will use the singular be-verb 'is'. For example,

There is a garage.

There is a car in the garage.

If the object is plural we will use the plural be-verb 'are'. For example,

There are two windows.
There are two bedrooms.

When we have two objects we always use a plural be-verb too. For example,

There are a kitchen and a bedroom.
There are two bottles of beer and some water.

The two objects can be countable or uncountable. The rule is that we must use the plural be-verb.

How native speakers use it

However, native speakers use it differently in conversation. Native speakers almost always use the singular be-verb. For example,

There is two windows.
There is two bottles of beer and some water.

It is also usually contracted or made shorter. For example,

There's two windows.

So, for formal writing and in English class please follow the rules. In casual spoken English though, you will probably hear the singular be-verb used a lot.

Do you think you understand? Let's take a quiz.

1) (formal) There _____ some water.

A) is
B) are

2)(casual) There ______ a can of tomatoes and a piece of pizza.

A) is
B) are

3) (formal) There ______ two boxes of pasta.

A) is
B) are

Answers

1) A) - we use the singular be-verb with uncountable nouns.
2) A) - in casual English, we usually use the singular be-verb 'is'.
3) B) - we are talking about two boxes so we must use the plural be-verb 'are'

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