Grammar: There is/are

Ex.1 Read the text and say whether the sentences below true or false.

My friend's flat

My friend John has a three-room flat in a block of flats in a big city. It is almost in the centre of the city. His flat is on the first floor. John and other tenants are happy because the building is in a very convenient place. Opposite the block of flats there is a bank, a post office and a department store. Next to the building, there is a drugstore and a restaurant. Around the corner from the building, there are two shops and a bus stop. There is a park not far from his block of flats. The building is also convenient. There is an elevator there. There is a TV antenna on the roof. There is a fire escape too. In John's flat there's central heating, hot and cold running water and gas. There's only one thing that makes all the tenants sad: there's a lot of noise near the block of flats because there are a lot of cars on the street and there are a lot of people in the neighborhood all day and night.

1. There are a lot of people on the street.

2. There are three shops and a department store next to the house.

3. The park is not far from the restaurant.

4. John's flat is on the ground floor.

5. There's a bus stop opposite the house.

6. There is no water in his flat.

7. There is an elevator in the house.

8. There are three rooms in his flat.

Ex.2 Fill in the gaps with "is" and" are".

1. There... a picture on the wall. 2. There... some flowers in the vase. 3. There...a lot of milk in the bottle. 4. There...a table and four chairs in the room. 5. There... four windows in the classroom. 6. There ... little snow on the ground. 7. There ... some rice in the box. 8. There ... a lot of books on the shelf.

Ex.3 Look at the picture and describe it.

Use there is/are.

Ex.4 Make up questions.

1. There is a TV set in the room. Is...?

2. There are two chairs at the wall. How many...?

3. There are some apples on the plate. Are...?

4. There is much snow on the ground. Is...?

5. There are some books in the bookcase. What...?

6. There is much water in the glass. How much...?

Ex.5 Disagree with these statements.

1. There's a pencil in my bag.

2. I have a jumper on.

3. Jane is from Sweden.

4. There are many cars on the street.

5. There is a garden in front of the house.

6. There are 6 students in our group.

Ex.6 Look at the chart and make sentences.

Mary's flat Harry's flat

nine floor building five floor building

in the centre in the outskirts

one room three rooms

an elevator no elevator

no phone phone

hot and cold water cold water

Ex.7 Ask questions about your partner's room/flat.

Model: Is there a TV set in your room?

How many chairs are there in your room?

What is there in the middle of the room?

Ex.8 In these pictures there are ten differences. Find them. (appendix)