Name: “There is” or “there are”? Matching Verbs in English
Uploaded: 2021-02-26T20:35:25.000Z
Duration: 11 min 55 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Gerund

in today's lesson, We're going to look at a basic lesson in matching verbs.

To-infinitive

We're going to look at some pronouns and we're going to look at the preparatory subject there.

Okay, I'll get to I'll explain what that means.

So, generally speaking, you've learned from basic classes your verb will match the subject, right?

If the subject is singular, the verb will be singular.

If the subject is over, If the subject is plural, the verb will be plural.

Right now, here we have a little bit of a problem.

Because the word there is not actually the subject of the sentence.

This is called a preparatory subject laboratory, this case preparatory subject picnic, which means that it's taking the place of the subject, which comes later, which it comes after the verb.

The reason we do that is because to begin the sentence with a long subject doesn't feel comfortable.

So we move it to the end of the sentence, and we put there in its place.

So generally, now what you have to understand is that when you use there is or there are the verb matches, the noun after it, which is the subject, right?

There are people in the room, so a man is singular.

Is people plural are right But then you have a sentence like this.

There is or are a chair, a table and a TV in the room.

Do I match it to the chair, which is singular, or do I match it to 123 things which create a compound subject and is plural?

Now, if you hear native speakers speaking, most of them will use is there is a chair, a table and a TV in the room.

But technically, the correct verb is our because a chair, a table and the T V are in the room.

You're going to need the plural verb to complete the sentence.

So one way to test if your if your verb should be a singular or plural is to rearrange the sentence, put the actual subject before the verb and then match the verb to the subject.

Don't match it to there because there is nothing.

Okay, So now, speaking of rearranging, the best way to not have any confusion or to not feel awkward is not to use sentences.

Beginning with there is there are Most writers and editors will tell you that sentences beginning with there is there are are weak sentences.

They're not powerful sentences and you should try to avoid them.

So a chair, a table and a TV are in the room.

Or I walked into the room and I saw a TV, a chair and, uh, sorry.

I chair a table on TV, make a new sentence, put the thing, the items as objects, Put something else as a subject.

Make sure your verbs match or agree, and then you avoid all the awkwardness.

Before I go on, let me give you another example.

There are all types of people now, all types of people.

This is a plural, and you should say there are all types of people, but people native speakers don't like the r R.

It's a little bit uncomfortable for the tongue to say.

There's is one syllable and easier to say.

So many, if not most native English speakers will say There's all types of people.

There's a There's a few people at the bar.

Whatever the situation is, even though it's not correct, people will say this more often than not.

Okay, so now what do you have to understand about English?

There is correct English, and then there is commonly used English.

Okay, native speakers basically make grammar mistakes all the time, and it's acceptable.

It's accepted because so many people do it now.

Another thing to keep in mind spoken English written English.

If you say there's all types of people, if you say there's five cars in the parking lot, nobody will even think twice.

The conversation will continue in writing.

You can confuse the reader because remember, when you're speaking to someone you're using your hands.

You're using your face to basically convey some meaning in writing.

If you make grammar mistakes in written English, you can make it very difficult for the reader when you're writing, be correct when you're speaking, be comfortable.

That's the key point here and in writing and speaking, if you're not comfortable, if you're not sure, change the sentence around.

Make a new sentence, but keep the same meaning.

Now I want to look at some of these pronouns because sometimes these give people a little bit of a confusion right.

Each or every person each and every will always take a singular.

Every basically means all the individual people.

So we're still talking about every person in the group.

We're not talking about the whole group as one group.

We're talking about all the individuals in the group, and that's why we're using the singular verb.

Okay, so each and every we're talking about each individual in the group because we're talking about each individual we're using is on the other hand, when we look at all, we're still looking at all the individuals, but we're looking at them as a collection.

So now there's not one person individually, there are many people in the group and we're looking at all of them and so we're using the plural verb are All the people are welcome to join the conversation.

Okay, on the other hand, the whole now the whole This is not a pronoun you're now on.

Your subject is going to be here, the whole group.

So now we're taking all the people, but we're not looking at.

The people were looking at the collection, The group, the one unit, even though it has all the little different pieces in it.

So the whole group is welcome to join us for lunch.

Okay, so remember that then we have none.

None basically means no one single person or no one single thing.

Now, generally, we use it with none of okay.

So similarly to there is or there are there is the correct way.

And then there's the common way in correct English.

None of the students is not any single student we're talking about.

The individuals is, uh, excused or free to go.

But again, in informal speech, you will hear many people say none of the students are free to go.

But in spoken English, if you use are okay and written English you should try to use is be correct.

Now, sometimes you'll see none without the of.