Plural Form for a Group of Time Travelers
There Is or Are: Is There Singular or Plural?
Summary
Use at that place is when the substantive that follows is singular, and in that location are when it is plural.
Examples
- There is a true cat on the carpet.
- In that location are two cats on the carpeting.
- There are a dog and a cat on the rug.
There is may exist contracted to there's, particularly in speech. In that location's is as well often used before a plural noun in speech and breezy writing.
Example
- Informal: In that location's a dog and a cat on the rug.
Formal: There are a canis familiaris and a cat on the rug.
Is there atypical or plural?
In there is/are sentences, the give-and-take there is a dummy subject followed past a existent subject. It is not the word there that is singular or plural, but the real subject that follows it.
Examples
- At that place is a giraffe in your garden.
The real subject, a giraffe, is atypical: use the singular verb is.
- There are three giraffes in your garden.
Since the existent bailiwick is plural (three giraffes), use the plural verb are.
The subject is whom or what the sentence is about. In most sentences, the bailiwick appears before the verb, and information technology is piece of cake to decide whether to use is or are.
Examples
- The giraffe is an animal with a long cervix.
- Giraffes are the tallest mammals in the world.
But some sentences begin with the existential at that place, which is a dummy subject used to indicate that a thing or state of affairs exists. It just introduces the real subject of the judgement. In general, choose whether to utilize there is or there are based on whether the real subject is atypical or plural (allowing for certain exceptions, outlined below).
At that place is or there are?
Examples
- There is yet time to submit your written report.
- There'due south a scrap of cake left for you lot in the fridge.
- There is a solution to every problem.
- At that place was a cute little canis familiaris at the park today.
When the noun that follows at that place is plural, use are/were.
Examples
- In that location are some apples for yous in that basket.
- There are four students in the form.
- There were a lot of people at the convention.
Note
With distances and fourth dimension, we often use there's or there is instead of there are, fifty-fifty when the noun that follows is plural. This is because time and altitude are mostly thought of as an undifferentiated quantity rather than as discrete items.
Examples
- At that place's still ten minutes left to the deadline.
- There'due south just 50 miles on the odometer.
At that place'southward or there're?
The phrase at that place is is often contracted to there'southward in speech and breezy writing.
Examples
- At that place's a human being at the window, waving at us.
- There'due south no h2o in this bottle.
Similarly in speech, in that location are is contracted to in that location're, though you won't normally run into this contraction in writing.
Examples
- At that place're many ways to solve this trouble.
- There're no expert answers.
There are is also often contracted to there'south instead of there're in spoken communication. In fact, many native speakers detect it more natural to use the contraction there's instead of in that location're.
Case
- Breezy: At that place's many ways to solve this trouble.
Acceptable in informal speech communication, just not in writing.
Formal: There are many ways to solve this problem.
Circumspection
Avoid both contractions, in that location's and at that place're, in formal writing: prefer to utilise there is when followed by a singular noun, and in that location are when followed past a plural ane.
Series, lists, and compound subjects
Sometimes, the real subject of a judgement starting with there can be made upwards of ii or more nouns joined past and. The strict rule is to consider this a plural subject, and apply are.
Examples
- There are a horse and a cow in the field.
Since ii nouns joined by and make a plural, use are.
- There are a male child and a daughter waiting for y'all outside.
Nevertheless, this sounds odd because the discussion are is followed by a atypical substantive, a horse. In informal writing and speech, most people simply use there's, even when it is followed by a list or series of items.
Examples
- There's a horse and a moo-cow in the field.
- In that location's a male child and a girl waiting for you outside.
- There's a wrinkled onetime carrot, a yellowing lettuce, and some shriveled-up spinach in the refrigerator.
In academic and business writing, which demands a more formal tone, an editor volition still change there is to there are when information technology is followed past two or more nouns joined by and.
A number of
When there is followed past a number of , which ways "several," employ the plural verb are.
Examples
- There are a number of seagulls eyeing your sandwich.
- There are a number of books that use fourth dimension travel equally a plot device.
- In that location are a number of ways to write a story, all of which require a plot.
The noun to await at is seagulls (which is plural), not number.
Tip
A number of is an idiom that means "several." Information technology is always used with plural nouns.
Examples
- A number of people are waiting for the shuttle to Mars.
- At that place are a number of people waiting for the shuttle to Mars.
A couple of
The phrase a couple of means "two" or "a few" of something. It is plural, so use at that place are.
Examples
- In that location are a couple of dents on this lawnmower, merely otherwise, it looks brand new.
- In that location are a couple of parts missing from this spacecraft, but yous tin easily get it repaired on Neptune.
- At that place are a couple of people here to meet yous.
Sometimes, the word of is omitted from a couple of. Yet use in that location are.
Example
- There are a couple more than questions from the audience.
A multifariousness of
With nouns of multitude, like a agglomeration of, a grouping of, a team of, a plethora of, and a diversity of, which refer to a drove of people or things, you lot may employ either there is or in that location are, depending on whether you want to refer to the group every bit a whole or to the individuals that incorporate it.
Examples
- There are a variety of flowers in this boutonniere.
focusing on the diverse flowers
There is a diverseness of flowers in this bouquet. - At that place are a diverse group of people in this visitor.
focus on the individual members of the group
There is a group of people waiting to encounter y'all.
focusing on the fact that there is diversity
focus on the group as a whole
Tip
Collective nouns like team, authorities, and commission are generally treated as singular in American English (the government has . . .) and plural in British English (the authorities have . . .).
A lot of
The phrase a lot of means "many" or "much." Utilise there are with plural nouns (marbles, cats) and there is with singular mass nouns (h2o, calcium).
Examples
- There are a lot of marbles in this jar.
Since the noun that follows is plural (marbles), use are.
- In that location are a lot of cats on the couch.
With a plural subject (cats), use are.
- There is a lot of h2o left in the bottle.
Water is a atypical mass noun; use is.
- At that place is a lot of calcium in broccoli.
Calcium takes a singular verb: utilise there is, not there are.
A few
A few of refers to something in the plural. In formal writing, prefer there are. In informal communication, particularly in speech, the contraction there'south is ofttimes used, even with a plural subject.
Examples
- Formal: There are a few ways to solve this problem.
- Informal: There'due south a few ways to solve this problem.
Strict agreement with the existent bailiwick of the judgement (a few means) requires the use of at that place are, non there is. An editor volition recommend using there are in formal texts, such as business and academic documents.
Examples from literature
Hither are some more than usage examples of in that location is and there are from the writings of famous authors.
Examples
-
At that place is a limit to the amount of misery and disarray you volition put up with, for dear, just equally at that place is a limit to the amount of mess you tin can stand up effectually a house.
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There's a peephole in the door, and my keeper's eye is the shade of brown that can never see through a blue-eyed type similar me.
— Günter Grass, The Can Drum (1959; trans. Ralph Manheim)
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In that location are two perfumes to a book.
— Ray Bradbury, "The Fine art of Fiction No. 203," The Paris Review (Issue 192, Spring 2010)
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There was no system to soothe the unfairness of things . . .
— Kiran Desai, The Inheritance of Loss (2006)
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There were some stories in which facts were very nearly irrelevant.
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