There is, there are: Understanding and using these common English phrases

There is, there are: Understanding and using these common English phrases

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to use 'there is' and 'there are' correctly in spoken and written English.

Introduce the learning objective and explain that students will be practicing using 'there is' and 'there are' in various contexts.

What do you already know about the phrases 'there is' and 'there are'?

What are 'there is' and 'there are'?

'There is' and 'there are' are phrases used to indicate the existence of something. 'There is' is used for singular nouns, while 'there are' is used for plural nouns.

Introduce the concept of 'there is' and 'there are' and provide examples of both.

Forming questions with 'there is' and 'there are'

To form questions with 'there is' and 'there are', simply invert the subject and verb: 'Is there a book on the table?' 'Are there any apples in the basket?'

Explain that students will be practicing forming questions using 'there is' and 'there are' in the next activity.

Negative sentences with 'there is' and 'there are'

To form negative sentences with 'there is' and 'there are', add 'not' after the verb: 'There is not a pencil on the desk.' 'There are not any cookies left.'

Explain that students will be practicing forming negative sentences using 'there is' and 'there are' in the next activity.

Using 'there is' and 'there are' in context

In everyday conversation, 'there is' and 'there are' are used to describe what is in a room, what is happening in a city, and much more. For example: 'There are many people in the park today.' 'There is a movie showing at the theater tonight.'

Provide examples of how 'there is' and 'there are' are used in various contexts and encourage students to practice using them in their own sentences.

Fill in the blanks

______ there a bookstore in this neighborhood? Yes, ______ is.
______ there any pens on the desk? No, ______ aren't.

Instruct students to fill in the blanks with the correct form of 'there is' or 'there are'. Afterwards, review the answers as a class.

Writing activity

Write a short paragraph about your bedroom. Use 'there is' and 'there are' to describe what is in your room.

Instruct students to write a short paragraph about their bedroom using 'there is' and 'there are'. Afterwards, have volunteers share their paragraphs with the class.

Review

In this lesson, you learned how to use 'there is' and 'there are' to indicate the existence of something. You also learned how to form questions and negative sentences using these phrases. Finally, you practiced using 'there is' and 'there are' in context and wrote a short paragraph about your bedroom.

Review the main points of the lesson and ask if students have any questions before concluding the class.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.