 There is versus there are. We use there is and there are to say that something exists. The two phrases are often confused, so below we take a look at the differences between there is and there are. We use there is and there are to say that something exists. Positive sentences, we use there is for singular and there are for plural. For example, there is one whiteboard in the classroom. There are three desks in the office. There is a fly in the soup. There are many people at the train station. We also use there is with uncountable nouns. For example, there is milk in the fridge. There is some sugar on the table. There is ice cream on your shirt. Contractions, the contraction of there is is there's. For example, there's a good book on the shelf. There's only one piece of cake left. You cannot contract there are. For example, there are three cats on the couch. There are only two weeks until our anniversary. Negative form, the negative is formed by putting not after is or are. For example, there is not a single person on the street. There are not eight students in the classroom. There is not a tree in the garden. There are not two tigers in the zoo. We almost always use contractions when speaking. The negative contractions are, there's not equals there isn't, there are not equals there aren't. There aren't with any, when we want to indicate that a zero quantity of something exists, we use there aren't any. For example, there aren't any girls at the party. There aren't any children on the playground. We also use this structure with uncountable nouns. There isn't any air in the tire. There isn't any sugar in my coffee. Questions. To form a question, we places or are in front of there. When we use any with plural questions, or those which use uncountable nouns. We also use there is or are in short answers. For example, is there a cow in the supermarket? No, there isn't. Are there any cats in the park? Yes, there are. Is there a security guard in the theater? Yes, there is. Are there any kangaroos in Africa? No, there aren't. Is there any ice cream in the freezer? Yes, there is. How many with are there, if we want to find out the number of objects that exist, we use how many in the following form, how many plus plural noun plus are there, plus complement. For example, how many children are there on the playground? How many students are there in the classroom? How many countries are there in Europe? How many Harry Potter movies are there? Thanks so much for watching. We are ITTT, the leading provider for TEFL and TESOL training courses. If you like this video, please subscribe by clicking that button down here and click on any of the videos here on the left for more interesting teaching tips for getting certified to teach English abroad and online.