要表达"某物存在",英语使用一个固定的结构:there is 或 there are。这里的 there 并不表示"那里"这个地点,它只是这个句型结构的一部分。
单数与复数
- There is + 单个事物:There is a bank on this street.
- There are + 多个事物:There are two banks on this street.
动词的形式取决于它后面跟的内容,而不是 there 本身。
不可数名词搭配 is
水、面包、钱、时间、信息、音乐这些不能一个一个数的名词,始终搭配 is:
- There is milk in the fridge.
- There is a lot of traffic today.
疑问句和否定句
| 单数 | 复数 | |
|---|---|---|
| 疑问句 | Is there a…? | Are there any…? |
| 否定句 | There isn't a… | There aren't any… |
- Is there a pharmacy near here? —— Yes, there is. / No, there isn't.
- Are there any tickets left? —— No, there aren't.
在疑问句和否定句中用 any,在肯定句中用 some:There are some chairs.
要询问数量,把 how many / how much 放在句首:
- How many people are there in your team?
- How much time is there before the train?
过去时
- There was a mistake in the bill.
- There were three people waiting.
搭配情态动词
这个结构可以直接搭配 will、might、should、used to,形式不变——动词始终是 be。
- There will be a break at eleven.
- There might be a delay.
- There used to be a cinema here.
口语中的 there's
There's 使用频率非常高,可以随意缩略。而 there're 几乎不会用到——通常会说完整的 there are。
- ✅ There's someone at the door.
- ✅ There are two people at the door.(不说 "there're")
常见错误
很多语言在这里会用相当于"有"的动词。英语不是这样。
❌ Here have a supermarket. ✅ There is a supermarket here.
❌ It is three rooms in the flat. ✅ There are three rooms in the flat.
there is 还是 it is——there is 用来第一次提到某个事物,it is 用来谈论已经提到过的事物。There's a letter for you. It's from the bank.
在列举时,动词与第一个成分保持一致:
✅ There is a table and four chairs. ✅ There are four chairs and a table.
什么时候会用到
描述一个房间、一座城市、一张照片或一个问题时,正是用这个结构,所以它在考试和日常对话里都反复出现。
There is a small kitchen, and there are two windows. There isn't a lift, but there is a garden.
看房
A: Is there a washing machine?
B: There is, yes. And there's a dishwasher, though there isn't much cupboard space.
A: How many bedrooms are there?
B: Two. There used to be three, but the last owner knocked a wall through.
关于这套公寓的每一句话,都建立在同一个结构上——它就是这么常用。
自测
下面的测验涉及单复数、疑问句、否定句和过去时。