English Grammar Lab

← C1

Introducing new information with existential there

You will be able to Use existential there with simple and complex verb phrases and appropriate agreement.

Explanation

Existential there introduces the existence or presence of new information. In careful formal English, the verb normally agrees with the following noun phrase. Advanced patterns include there appears to be, there has been and there remains.

Examples

Detailed course

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Detailed explanation

Existential there introduces the existence, presence or occurrence of something that is new to the discourse. It occupies the grammatical subject position, while the notional subject follows the verb: There is a problem. There were several objections. The structure allows the writer to present new information gradually instead of beginning with a long or unfamiliar noun phrase.

In careful formal English, the verb generally agrees with the following noun phrase: There is one remaining issue; there are several remaining issues. In informal speech, singular there’s often appears before a plural noun, but this is usually avoided in edited academic or professional writing. With coordinated noun phrases, agreement may follow the nearest noun in speech, but formal prose is clearer when the sentence is recast if the pattern feels unstable.

Advanced forms combine there with modal, perfect, progressive and passive verb phrases: There may be a delay. There has been a misunderstanding. There appear to be several inconsistencies. There are believed to be significant regional differences. The verb following there carries tense and agreement, while be, appear, seem, remain and exist help express certainty, persistence or appearance.

Existential there differs from the place adverb there. In “There is a file on the desk”, the first word is existential and does not refer to a location. In “The file is there”, there is a place adverb. Pronunciation also differs in natural speech, but the grammatical test is whether the sentence introduces the existence of something.

Do not use existential there when the noun phrase is already the established topic and a direct subject would be clearer. “The report contains three recommendations” may be stronger than “There are three recommendations in the report” when the report is already under discussion. Choose the structure according to information flow: existential there is particularly useful when introducing a new entity, problem, trend or possibility.

How to form it

Use there + finite verb + notional subject: There is a concern; There are concerns. Advanced patterns include there may be, there has/have been, there appears/appear to be, there remains/remain, and there is/are believed to be. In formal writing, make the finite verb agree with the following noun phrase.

Use existential there to introduce new entities, situations, problems or possibilities.

In formal writing, agree the verb with the following noun phrase.

There can combine with modal, perfect, passive and raising structures.

Distinguish existential there from the place adverb there.

Prefer a direct subject when the noun phrase is already the established topic and existential there adds no informational value.

Guided examples

There appears to be a discrepancy in the financial figures.

The sentence introduces one new discrepancy, so the singular verb appears agrees with the following noun phrase.

There appear to be several gaps in the available evidence.

The plural noun phrase several gaps triggers the plural form appear.

There has been little progress since the last review.

The singular uncountable phrase little progress combines with has been.

There have been repeated requests for clarification.

The plural noun phrase repeated requests requires have been.

There may be a simpler explanation for the pattern.

A modal is followed by the base form be, and the structure introduces a possibility.

There are believed to be substantial differences between the regions.

The passive raising pattern reports a general belief without naming the source directly.

Common mistakes

Not: There is several reasons for the delay.

Use: There are several reasons for the delay.

In formal English, the verb agrees with the plural noun phrase several reasons.

Not: There appears to be many inconsistencies.

Use: There appear to be many inconsistencies.

The plural noun phrase many inconsistencies requires the plural verb appear.

Not: There have been a serious error in the calculation.

Use: There has been a serious error in the calculation.

A serious error is singular, so use has been.

Not: The report is there three recommendations.

Use: There are three recommendations in the report.

Existential there must occupy the subject position before the finite verb.

Before you practise

  • Am I introducing genuinely new information?
  • What noun phrase follows the verb, and is it singular or plural?
  • Does the finite verb agree with that noun phrase?
  • Is there existential or does it refer to a place?
  • Would a direct subject be clearer because the entity is already the topic?

Reading text

Identifying Risks in a New Data Platform

About 252 words

A public agency tested a new platform for storing research data. At the beginning of the review, there appeared to be no major security problem. The system had passed its automated checks, and there was sufficient capacity for the expected number of users.

During manual testing, however, there were several unexpected access errors. There appeared to be a conflict between two permission settings, and there had been no warning in the system log. Engineers also discovered that there were believed to be three administrator accounts, although the official documentation listed only two.

The team widened the investigation. There may have been a configuration change during an earlier software update, but there was no complete record of the process. There remained two possible explanations: either an account had been created for temporary testing, or one existing account had been duplicated accidentally.

By the end of the day, there had been repeated requests from managers for a clear risk assessment. The technical lead explained that there was a difference between a confirmed breach and an unexplained configuration. There was no evidence that external users had entered the system, but there were still reasons to suspend the launch.

The final report used existential there to introduce each new finding before discussing it in detail. Once a problem had become the established topic, the writers often changed to a direct subject: “The duplicated account created an unnecessary risk.” This variation made the information flow more natural and prevented every sentence from beginning in the same way.

Reading comprehension

  1. What did the automated checks initially suggest?

    Show answer

    They suggested that there was no major security problem.

  2. What discrepancy was found in the administrator accounts?

    Show answer

    The system seemed to contain three accounts while the documentation listed two.

  3. Why was the launch suspended?

    Show answer

    There were unresolved security risks even though no breach had been confirmed.

  4. Why did the report alternate existential there with direct subjects?

    Show answer

    To introduce new findings naturally and then discuss established topics more directly.

Grammar in the text

  1. there appeared to be no major security problem

    The singular notional subject no major security problem takes appeared.

  2. there were several unexpected access errors

    The plural noun phrase several errors requires were.

  3. There may have been a configuration change

    The modal perfect pattern introduces a possible past event.

  4. There remained two possible explanations

    Remain is used existentially and agrees with the plural phrase two explanations.

Listening practice

Watch a TEDx talk

“Your body language may shape who you are” — Amy Cuddy (TED). Listen for clear, natural English and pick up new vocabulary while you review this grammar point.

Check your understanding

According to Amy Cuddy, what happened to participants who held a high-power pose for two minutes?

Check your understanding

What is Amy Cuddy's key piece of advice, in her own words?

Practice

Choose the best answer. There ___ to be a discrepancy in the final table.

Practice

Choose the best answer. There ___ several objections to the revised procedure.

Practice

Choose the best answer. There ___ considerable uncertainty about the long-term effects.

Written practice

Produce the answer yourself. Capitalisation and final punctuation do not affect validation, but the grammar and word order must be correct.

Short answer

Written practice

Complete the sentence with the correct form of be.

There ___ several reasons for the delay.