Agreement with There Is and There Are

You can hear the snag in a sentence like “There is three reasons to wait.” The phrase sounds common in conversation, but in edited English the plural subject reasons calls for are. The reliable fix is to stop treating there as the subject. Find the noun phrase that follows the verb. Then match the verb to it.

There introduces the clause; it does not control the verb

In an ordinary sentence, the subject usually appears before its verb: “Three reasons remain.” In an existential sentence, the writer puts there first to announce that something exists or occurs: “There are three reasons.” Here, there is a grammatical placeholder. It does not name a person or thing, and it does not determine whether the verb is singular or plural.

The noun phrase after the verb supplies the number. Find the head. Compare “There is a reason” with “There are several reasons.” The subject is a reason in the first sentence and several reasons in the second. The change from is to are follows that subject, not the opening word there.

Find the head noun when the phrase gets long

The easiest sentences are not usually the ones that cause a wrong answer. Difficulty appears when extra words sit between the verb and the noun phrase, or when the phrase itself contains several nouns with different number.

Take “There is a row of sample questions on the screen.” The subject is a row, which is singular. Sample questions belongs to a prepositional phrase describing the row; those nearby plural words do not take control of the verb. In “There are rows of sample questions on the screen,” the head noun changes to rows, so the verb changes too.

A quick test: temporarily remove a phrase that begins with of, in, on, near, with, or another preposition. “There is a set [of answer choices].” The remaining subject is set. The verb follows it. “There are several [in the folder].” The remaining subject is several, understood as several items. This stripping step is a diagnostic, not a reason to delete useful detail from the finished sentence.

Use meaning with noncount nouns

Some nouns refer to material, information, or an amount that English usually treats as one mass rather than as separate countable units. Equipment, advice, information, research, and furniture normally take a singular verb in this construction: “There is useful information in the feedback.” Do not let the plural meaning of many individual facts change the grammar of the noun information.

If you need to count the items, add a count noun: “There are several pieces of useful information” is possible, though “several useful facts” will often be clearer. The head noun is now pieces or facts, both plural. The verb follows that noun.

A noun can be countable in one context and noncount in another. Paper usually means material in “There is paper on the desk,” but it can mean separate documents in “There are papers on the desk.” The sentence meaning helps you identify what the noun is doing.

Coordinate subjects need a little more care

A subject joined by and is ordinarily plural: “There are a calculator and a reference sheet beside the practice set.” But English sometimes groups two singular items as one unit, especially when they form a familiar pairing or a single combined idea. In those cases, the writer may treat the pair as singular. If the grouping feels debatable, recast the sentence instead of forcing a choice.

Subjects joined by or or nor can be harder because the elements may have different numbers. In formal edited prose, writers often make the verb agree with the nearer subject, but this can sound awkward: “There is a calculator or two reference sheets available.” A small rewrite is cleaner: “A calculator or two reference sheets are available.” Better still, name the options separately if the distinction matters.

Decide whether a contraction fits the register

In conversation, “there’s” often appears before a plural noun: “There’s two seats left.” That contraction is widespread in informal speech. For a grammar question, school assignment, professional email, or edited explanatory prose, use “there are two seats” so the number agreement is explicit.

The problem is not that every contraction is wrong. “There’s a seat” is a normal contraction of there is, and contractions can fit many kinds of writing. The useful distinction is between the register and the agreement rule: informal speech may reduce the phrase, while formal test writing expects the plural form there are before a plural subject.

Keep agreement when the tense changes

The same subject check works when the sentence moves into the past or uses a helping verb. “There was a delay” has a singular subject; “there were delays” has a plural one. In the present perfect, use “there has been a delay” or “there have been delays.” The helping verb changes with the subject even though been stays the same.

A common trap is to let the nearest noun pull the verb in the wrong direction. In “There has been a series of delays,” the head noun is series, which is singular in this meaning. Delays appears inside the of-phrase. In “There have been several delays,” delays is the subject and have agrees with it.

Do not confuse the subject with a complement

A sentence can also place a description after a linking verb: “The main issue is timing.” Issue is the subject, and timing completes the description. In an existential construction, the opening there does not work like the subject in that example. The noun phrase after the verb is what exists: “There are two issues.” That distinction matters when the words after the verb include both a noun and a phrase that describes it.

Try “There is a concern among the reviewers.” The subject is concern; among the reviewers tells you where the concern appears. The plural reviewers does not make the clause plural. Recast it as “A concern exists among the reviewers” and the relationship becomes easier to see.

Check the sentence in a reliable order

1. Mark the finite verb: is, are, was, or were.
2. Find the noun phrase that follows the verb and identify its head noun.
3. Set aside intervening prepositional phrases and descriptive details.
4. Decide whether that head noun is singular, plural, or noncount in this meaning.
5. Choose the matching verb, then reread the full sentence for meaning and tone.

Try the method on “There were several changes to the schedule after the review.” The finite verb is were. The subject is changes; several modifies it, and to the schedule explains what changed. Changes is plural, so were fits. Now compare “There was a change to the schedule after the review.” The subject is change, so the singular verb was fits.

Repair agreement without losing the point

When the subject is difficult to locate, rewriting is often faster than diagramming. “There is a number of reasons to revise the outline” can become “Several reasons support revising the outline.” The second version removes the placeholder construction and makes the subject obvious. This is especially helpful when a sentence also contains a long modifier or a compound subject.

There is no need to avoid existential there entirely. It is useful when the existence or arrival of something is the new information: “There are two dates available.” The goal is to keep the construction clear and make the verb agree with the noun phrase that follows.

Check your reasoning on close examples

• There is a stack of practice books near the desk. The head noun is stack, so is fits.
• There are several practice books in a stack near the desk. The subject is books, so are fits.
• There is enough time for another review. Time is a noncount noun here, so use is.
• There are enough minutes for another review. Minutes is plural, so use are.

These pairs show why the answer cannot come from whichever noun catches your eye first. A reader may notice books in the first sentence, but books belongs to a phrase that describes stack. That is the trap. Nearby does not mean in charge. A reader may notice stack in the second, but it follows the subject and is part of a phrase describing where the books are.

If an option sounds plausible when read aloud, still identify the head noun. Spoken rhythm can hide a mismatch, especially in there’s-plus-plural wording. On a timed grammar item, spend a moment on the subject; do not rely only on what feels familiar.

Exam takeaway

Treat there as an opening signal, not as the subject. Locate the noun phrase after the verb, identify its head, and ignore distracting nouns in between. Use is for singular or noncount subjects and are for plural subjects. If a compound phrase makes the choice clumsy, rewrite it so the subject and verb are easier to see.