Prepositions of place; there is / there are
Describing where things are.
In Unit 9 you learn how to describe where things and places are, using two closely connected tools: prepositions of place and the structure there is / there are. Prepositions of place tell us the exact position of something: in (inside something: The keys are in the box), on (on top of a surface: The lamp is on the desk), under (below something: The cat is under the table), in front of and behind (the front side and the back side: The car is in front of the house; the garden is behind the house), between (in the middle of two things: The park is between the school and the shop), next to (right beside something: The chemist's is next to the bakery), opposite (facing something, often across a street: The bank is opposite the cinema), near (close by, but not touching: There is a bus stop near my house), and above / below (higher / lower than something, usually without touching: A shelf is above the desk; the cellar is below the kitchen). We often use these prepositions together with there is / there are to say that something exists in a place. Use 'there is' (short form: there's) with a singular or uncountable noun: There is a book on the desk. There is some milk in the fridge. Use 'there are' with a plural noun: There are two chairs next to the table. To make the negative, add 'not': There isn't a lamp on the desk. There aren't any windows in this room. For yes/no questions, move is/are to the front, before 'there': Is there a park near here? — Yes, there is. / No, there isn't. Are there any shops on this street? — Yes, there are. / No, there aren't. We normally use 'some' in affirmative sentences (There are some apples in the basket) and 'any' in negatives and questions (There isn't any bread. Is there any milk?). A few nouns are tricky: uncountable nouns such as money, furniture, and homework are always singular in form, so they take 'there is' even though they can refer to many items; some plural nouns such as people and sheep have no -s ending but still take 'there are'.
Key terms
| Preposition | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| in | inside something | The keys are in the box. |
| on | on top of a surface | The lamp is on the desk. |
| under | below something | The cat is under the table. |
| in front of | at the front of something | The car is in front of the house. |
| behind | at the back of something | The garden is behind the house. |
| between | in the middle of two things | The park is between the school and the shop. |
| next to | right beside something | The chemist's is next to the bakery. |
| opposite | facing something, often across a street | The bank is opposite the cinema. |
| near | close by, but not touching | There is a bus stop near my house. |
| above | higher than something | A shelf is above the desk. |
| below | lower than something | The cellar is below the kitchen. |
Use these prepositions to describe the exact position of people, animals, and things.
| Form | Singular / uncountable (is) | Plural (are) |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | There is a book on the desk. | There are two chairs by the window. |
| Negative | There isn't a lamp on the desk. | There aren't any windows here. |
| Question | Is there a park near here? | Are there any shops on this street? |
| Short answer (positive) | Yes, there is. | Yes, there are. |
| Short answer (negative) | No, there isn't. | No, there aren't. |
Match 'is/isn't/Is' with singular or uncountable nouns, and 'are/aren't/Are' with plural nouns.
| Use | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative sentence | some | There are some apples in the basket. |
| Negative sentence | any | There isn't any bread in the kitchen. |
| Question | any | Is there any milk in the fridge? |
| Uncountable noun (any form) | some / any | There is some sugar. Is there any sugar? |
Remember: SOME in positive statements, ANY in negatives and questions.
- 1Step 1: Name the object and its position: The bed is next to the window. → There is a bed next to the window.
- 2Step 2: Add a plural object: Two posters are above the bed. → There are two posters above the bed.
- 3Step 3: Say what is missing (negative): No wardrobe in the room. → There isn't a wardrobe in the room.
- 4Step 4: Put it together: There is a bed next to the window. There are two posters above the bed, but there isn't a wardrobe.
- 1Start: You want to know if there are shops near a new house.
- 2Step 1: Form the question: 'Shops' is plural, and it's a question, so use 'Are there any ...?' → Are there any shops near here?
- 3Step 2: Give a positive short answer: Yes, there are. There are some shops next to the park.
- 4Step 3: Give a negative short answer: No, there aren't. There aren't any shops near here.
Do NOT say 'There is two chairs.' — 'two chairs' is plural, so it needs 'there are': 'There are two chairs.'
Do NOT say 'There are some furniture.' — 'furniture' is an uncountable noun and always takes 'is': 'There is some furniture.'
Do not confuse 'between' and 'opposite'. 'Between' needs two things on either side (The park is between the school and the shop). 'Opposite' means facing something, often across a street (The bank is opposite the cinema).
We normally use 'some' in affirmative sentences and 'any' in negatives and questions: There are some apples. Is there any milk? There isn't any bread.
Some nouns look tricky. Uncountable nouns (money, furniture, homework) always use 'there is', even though they can mean 'a lot of things'. Plural nouns without an -s ending (people, sheep) still use 'there are'.
Rules
- 1Prepositions of place show the exact position of something: in, on, under, in front of, behind, between, next to, opposite, near, above, below. Example: The cat is under the table.
- 2Use 'there is' with a singular or uncountable noun, and 'there are' with a plural noun, to say something exists in a place: There is a book on the desk. There are two chairs by the window.
- 3Negatives: there isn't (there is not) and there aren't (there are not), usually followed by 'any': There isn't a lamp on the desk. There aren't any windows here.
- 4Questions move is/are before 'there': Is there a park near here? Are there any shops on this street? Short answers: Yes, there is / there are. No, there isn't / there aren't.
- 5Use 'some' in affirmative sentences and 'any' in negatives and questions: There are some apples. Is there any milk? There isn't any bread.
- 6Watch tricky nouns: uncountable nouns (money, furniture, homework) always take 'there is'; some plural nouns without -s (people, sheep) take 'there are'.
Practice
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