Confusing English Grammar: “THERE IS” or “THERE ARE”?

Summary

Este video educativo explica el uso correcto de las expresiones 'there is' y 'there are' en inglés. Se abordan niveles básico, intermedio y avanzado, cubriendo el uso con sustantivos contables y no contables, colectivos e irregulares. Se enfatiza la importancia de evitar errores comunes en la escritura y en exámenes como el IELTS o el TOEFL. El video incluye ejemplos prácticos y un breve cuestionario para reforzar el aprendizaje, animando a los estudiantes a practicar más en el sitio web www.engvid.com.

Takeaways

• 😀 El uso de "there is" y "there are" indica la existencia de algo en un lugar.
• 📘 La elección entre "is" y "are" depende del sustantivo que sigue, ya sea singular o plural.
• 🗣️ Es importante usar correctamente estos verbos para evitar errores comunes en habla y escritura.
• 🏫 Este concepto es relevante para niveles básicos, intermedios y avanzados de inglés.
• 📚 Con sustantivos contables, si es singular, se usa "there is", y si es plural, se usa "there are".
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Con sustantivos colectivos, se considera al grupo como un todo, por lo que se usa "there is".
• 📈 Con sustantivos no contables, siempre se utiliza la forma singular, por lo que se dice "there is".
• 🐟 Con sustantivos irregulares, la forma singular y plural puede ser la misma, como en "fish".
• 🏢 Al usar frases nominales, se debe ignorar lo que viene después de la preposición y centrarse en el sustantivo principal.
• 📝 En exámenes como el IELTS o el TOEFL, el uso adecuado de "there is" y "there are" es crucial para una calificación alta.
• 🌐 Para practicar y dominar estos conceptos, se recomienda visitar www.engvid.com y suscribirse al canal de YouTube para recibir nuevas lecciones.

Q & A

¿Qué expresiones se enseñan en el video para describir la existencia de algo en inglés?

El video enseña cómo usar correctamente las expresiones 'there is' y 'there are' en inglés para indicar la existencia de algo en algún lugar.

¿Cuál es la diferencia fundamental entre 'there is' y 'there are'?

'There is' se utiliza con un sustantivo singular, mientras que 'there are' se utiliza con un sustantivo plural.

¿Qué es un sustantivo contable y cómo se relaciona con 'there is' y 'there are'?

Un sustantivo contable es uno que se puede contar, es decir, se refiere a un objeto, persona o lugar específico. 'There is' se usa con un sustantivo singular contable y 'there are' con un sustantivo plural contable.

¿Cómo se utiliza el artículo 'a' o 'an' con 'there is' en inglés?

El artículo 'a' o 'an' se utiliza antes de un sustantivo singular contable que sigue a 'there is', por ejemplo, 'there is a book'.

¿Qué es un sustantivo colectivo y cómo se relaciona con 'there is' y 'there are'?

Un sustantivo colectivo es un sustantivo que se refiere a un grupo de individuos como una sola entidad. Se usa 'there is' si el sustantivo colectivo es singular y 'there are' si es plural.

¿Cuáles son algunos ejemplos de sustantivos colectivos mencionados en el video?

Algunos ejemplos de sustantivos colectivos mencionados en el video son 'family', 'flock of birds' y 'pile of papers'.

¿Qué son los sustantivos no contables y cómo se relacionan con 'there is' y 'there are'?

Los sustantivos no contables son palabras que no se pueden usar en forma plural y siempre se usan en forma singular. Se utiliza 'there is' con estos sustantivos, independientemente de que parezcan referirse a múltiples elementos.

¿Cómo se manejan los sustantivos irregulares en relación con 'there is' y 'there are'?

Los sustantivos irregulares son aquellos que pueden ser singulares o plurales o que tienen la misma forma para singular y plural. Se debe usar 'there is' si el sustantivo irregular es singular y 'there are' si es plural, a pesar de que la forma del sustantivo no siempre refleje esto.

¿Qué es una frase nominal y cómo afecta la elección entre 'there is' y 'there are'?

Una frase nominal es un grupo de palabras que actúa como un sustantivo. Para decidir entre 'there is' y 'there are', se debe ignorar todo lo que viene después de la preposición y se debe basar en el sustantivo principal de la frase nominal.

¿Cómo se puede practicar el uso de 'there is' y 'there are' después de ver el video?

Se puede practicar haciendo el quiz en el sitio web www.engvid.com, que ofrece una evaluación completa sobre el uso de 'there is' y 'there are'.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introducción al Uso de 'there is' y 'there are'

El primer párrafo introduce el tema del video, que es enseñar el correcto uso de las expresiones 'there is' y 'there are' en inglés. Se menciona que aunque estas pueden parecer fáciles, se abordarán desde niveles básicos hasta avanzados, haciendo que la lección sea útil para todos. Se explica que estas expresiones indican la existencia o presencia de algo en algún lugar. Se da ejemplo de cómo se utilizan estas construcciones gramaticales con un sustantivo singular y plural, y se enfatiza la importancia de comprender cuándo usar 'is' o 'are' para evitar errores comunes en la escritura y la conversación. Además, se menciona la relevancia de estos conceptos para diferentes contextos de uso del inglés, como el correo electrónico empresarial o las pruebas de competencia en inglés como el IELTS o el TOEFL.

05:01

📘 Uso de 'there is' y 'there are' con Sustantivos Cuenta y Colectivos

El segundo párrafo profundiza en el uso de 'there is' y 'there are' con sustantivos cuenta y colectivos. Se explica que con sustantivos cuentables se utiliza 'there is' para singulares y 'there are' para plurales, y se da ejemplo de cómo se forman estas oraciones en inglés. También se menciona la necesidad de usar el artículo 'a' o 'an' antes de un sustantivo singular. Se discute el uso de sustantivos colectivos, que a pesar de referirse a grupos de individuos, se consideran singulares y por lo tanto, se les acompaña de 'there is'. Se ejemplifica con 'family', 'flock of birds' y 'pile of papers', y se muestra cómo se pueden pluralizar estos colectivos.

10:04

📙 Avanzando con Sustantivos Incorregibles y Frases Nominales

El tercer párrafo lleva la explicación al nivel intermedio y avanzado, abordando el uso de 'there is' y 'there are' con sustantivos incorregibles y frases nominales. Se explica que los sustantivos incorregibles, como 'equipment', 'information', 'research' y 'advice', son siempre singulares y se utilizan con 'there is'. También se menciona el uso de sustantivos irregulares como 'news', 'children', 'men', 'women' y 'fish', que pueden ser singulares o plurales pero siguen ciertas reglas. Finalmente, se introduce el concepto de frases nominales, donde se enfatiza la importancia de centrarse en el sustantivo principal que determina el verbo, ignorando los elementos que siguen a las preposiciones. Se ejemplifica con 'team of experts', 'group of doctors', 'major challenges in the world' y 'employees around the globe'.

Keywords

💡Expressions

Las expresiones en inglés son combinaciones de palabras que tienen un significado específico y a menudo se usan en contextos particulares. En el video, se enfatiza la importancia de usar correctamente las expresiones 'there is' y 'there are', que son fundamentales para indicar la existencia o presencia de algo en inglés. Estas expresiones son esenciales para la comunicación diaria y para la realización de exámenes de idiomas como el IELTS o el TOEFL.

💡Countable Nouns

Los sustantivos contables son aquellos que se pueden contar, es decir, se pueden enumerar individualmente. En el guion, se menciona que cuando se usa 'there is', se espera un sustantivo singular contable, como 'a teacher', mientras que 'there are' se utiliza con sustantivos plurales, como 'some teachers'. Esto es crucial para evitar errores comunes en la gramática inglesa.

💡Uncountable Nouns

Los sustantivos no contables son aquellos que no se pueden dividir en unidades individuales o que no se cuentan en inglés. En el video, se da el ejemplo de 'equipment', 'information' y 'advice', que siempre se usan en forma singular, incluso cuando parezca que se refieren a múltiples elementos. La distinción entre sustantivos contables e incontables es crucial para el uso correcto de 'there is' y 'there are'.

💡Irregular Nouns

Los sustantivos irregulares son aquellas palabras que no siguen la regla general de formación del plural en inglés. En el guion, se mencionan 'news', 'fish', 'sheep' y 'deer', que pueden referirse tanto a una unidad como a múltiples unidades, pero su forma plural es la misma que su forma singular. Esto puede ser confuso para los hablantes no nativos, pero es importante para el uso correcto de 'there is' y 'there are'.

💡Collective Nouns

Los sustantivos colectivos son palabras que se refieren a un grupo de individuos como una sola entidad. En el video, se usan ejemplos como 'family', 'flock' y 'pile', que pueden tener formas singulares o plurales dependiendo del contexto. La elección entre 'there is' o 'there are' dependerá de si el sustantivo colectivo se considera como una unidad o si se enfatiza la pluralidad de sus miembros.

💡Noun Phrases

Las frases nominales son grupos de palabras que funcionan como sustantivos en una oración. En el video, se explica que para determinar si se debe usar 'there is' o 'there are', es necesario ignorar las palabras que siguen a una preposición y concentrarse en el sustantivo principal. Por ejemplo, en 'a team of experts', el sustantivo relevante es 'team', que es singular, y no 'experts'.

💡Prepositional Phrases

Las frases preposicionales son grupos de palabras que comienzan con una preposición y aportan información adicional a la oración. En el video, se indica que estas frases no deben influir en la decisión de usar 'there is' o 'there are'. Por ejemplo, en 'around the globe', la palabra 'globe' no afecta la forma del verbo que precede.

💡IELTS

El IELTS (International English Language Testing System) es un examen estándarizado que mide la competencia de un hablante en inglés como segundo idioma. En el video, se sugiere que el uso correcto de 'there is' y 'there are' es importante para los estudiantes que se preparan para este examen, ya que demuestra una comprensión avanzada de la gramática inglesa.

💡TOEFL

El TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) es otro examen para evaluar el dominio del inglés en hablantes no nativos. Similar al IELTS, el video subraya la importancia de la precisión gramatical, como el uso de 'there is' y 'there are', para tener éxito en pruebas como el TOEFL.

💡Business Emails

Los correos electrónicos empresariales son una forma de comunicación profesional en la que la claridad y la precisión son fundamentales. El video menciona que el uso correcto de las expresiones 'there is' y 'there are' es esencial en este contexto, ya que refleja una comunicación efectiva y un conocimiento sólido del idioma inglés.

Highlights

Explains the correct usage of 'there is' and 'there are' in English at different proficiency levels.

Clarifies that 'there is' and 'there are' indicate the existence or presence of something.

Discusses the importance of using 'there is' with singular countable nouns.

Emphasizes the use of the article 'a' or 'an' before singular countable nouns after 'there is'.

Provides examples of using 'there is' with singular nouns like 'teacher', 'school', and 'book'.

Mentions the contraction of 'there is' to 'there's' in spoken English.

Explains the use of 'there are' with plural countable nouns.

Gives examples of 'there are' with plural nouns like 'teachers', 'schools', and 'books'.

Introduces the concept of collective nouns and their use with 'there is' or 'there are'.

Provides examples of collective nouns like 'family', 'flock', and 'pile'.

Discusses the use of 'there is' with uncountable nouns that are always singular.

Lists uncountable nouns such as 'equipment', 'information', and 'advice'.

Describes irregular nouns that are always singular despite ending in 's', like 'news'.

Mentions irregular plural nouns without an 's', such as 'children', 'men', and 'women'.

Explains the use of 'fish' as both singular and plural with the same word form.

Advises to ignore prepositional phrases when determining the verb form for noun phrases.

Provides advanced examples of noun phrases with 'team', 'group', and 'challenges'.

Encourages practicing the use of 'there is' and 'there are' with a quiz on the website.

Invites viewers to subscribe to the YouTube channel for more language lessons.

Transcripts

In this video, I'll show you how to use the

expressions "there is" and "there are" correctly

in English. Now, it might seem that these are

very easy, but we're going to talk about them

at a basic level, at an intermediate level, and at

an advanced level, so this lesson is for everyone,

okay? Now, first of all, what does it mean when

we say "there is" or "there are"? It means that

something exists, something is somewhere,

okay? For example, I could say, "There is a man

waiting to see you in your office." Okay? There

is a man. Or I could say, "There are some people

waiting for you in your office." Right? There is a man, there are some people.

So, how do you know when to say "is" and

when to say "are"? Sometimes it's very easy,

and sometimes it's not easy, and that's where

lots of mistakes occur. Now, this is important

for you whether you're speaking, whether you're

writing, whether you're writing business email,

whether you're writing an essay for the IELTS or

the TOEFL, this is a basic mistake and you don't

want to make these mistakes, okay? So, let's

understand what they are by starting off by

looking at some basic examples. So, first, this

is where we have a situation with countable

nouns. So, if after "there is", we have a noun.

A noun is what? A person, place, thing, idea,

quality, okay? So, if we have a noun which we can

count, okay, then what happens? You could have

a singular noun which means one noun, one person,

place, or thing, or you could have a plural noun

which means more than one. So, let's see what

happens when we have one. When we have one,

we say "there is". There is a teacher in the

classroom. Now, the other thing to remember

is that when you have one noun, when we're talking

about one noun in English, we need to use this

article "a" or "a", okay? Because in lots of

languages, that article doesn't exist, so don't

forget that. It's not only "there is", but if it's

singular and it's countable, then you have to say

"there is a teacher in the classroom", "there is a school on the corner",

"there is a book on the table". Now, "there is a"

is the full form. Usually, when we're speaking,

we contract it, we shorten it, and we just say

"there's a book on the table", okay? Got that?

Say it after me. "There's a book on the table."

Alright, fine. Now, what happens when we have

many, when we have plural, more than one thing,

more than one noun? Then we say "there are",

you might say another word like "there are some

teachers in the classroom", "there are some

schools in this neighborhood", or "there are many schools in this neighborhood",

or "there are some books on the tables", okay?

So, here, what happens? These countable nouns

are very straightforward. Usually, we just make them plural by adding an "s", okay?

So, that's one basic situation. Let's look at

another, slightly more difficult, but still

basic situation. This is when, after "there

is" or "there are", we use a collective noun.

A collective noun is a noun that refers to a

group that is made up of individuals, okay?

For example, "There is a family at the park."

A family is made up of individual members,

but the word describes the entire group, so that's called a collective noun. So,

with collective nouns also, we have a singular form and we have a plural form.

There's a family at the park. There is a

flock of birds, a group of birds in the sky.

There is a pile of papers on my desk. A pile

means, like, a stack, everything is piled up,

okay? Or we can make it plural. There are some

families at the park. There are some flocks of

birds in the sky, and there are many piles of

papers on my desk, okay? So, these are the basic

versions of "there is" and "there are". Now, let's

look at some intermediate examples. It starts to

get a little more challenging. Let's see if you

can get them right. So, now let's look at some

other kinds of sentences with other kinds of

nouns. So far, we looked at what? We looked at

countable nouns, and we looked at collective

nouns. So, now we're going to look at uncountable

nouns. So, what we are seeing here is that we

decide whether something is singular or plural,

whether to use the singular or plural verb based

on what kind of noun follows "there is" or "there

are", okay? So, let's look at this one. So, what

are uncountable nouns? Uncountable nouns are words

which we are... Sorry. Which we cannot use in

the plural form, but which we always use in the

singular form. Always. Even though it might seem like it refers to lots of items,

but it's always singular. Let's look at some

examples. We say, "There is some equipment."

Okay? Now, if it was countable, we would say,

"There are some computers." Because computers,

we can count. But in English, "equipment" is a

word which is considered an uncountable noun,

so it's always singular. Okay? There is some equipment. There is some information.

There is some research. There is some advice that you should take.

There is some homework you need to finish. Okay?

Now, even though I have given the example here

of "there is" and "there are", even if you turn

these sentences around, they would still be

singular, right? For example, "Some equipment is

in the factory.", "Some information is available.",

"Some research has been done." Okay? But right

now, we're trying to see how to use these with

that common expression "there is" or "there are".

Now, let's go to another kind of noun and see what

happens. It's getting a little bit more complex,

but you want to be able to understand how to use

these simple phrases with the more complex

constructions. So now, let's look at what are

called irregular nouns. What are those? Well,

sometimes they're singular, sometimes they're

plural, and sometimes they could be singular or

plural. For example, we have this word "news",

this one is always singular even though it ends

with an "s". So it can be a little bit tricky

because you see the "s" and you think, okay,

in English, "s" usually means that something is

plural. But in this case, that's not true. So this is an example of an irregular noun

because even though it ends with an "s", it's

not plural, it's singular. So therefore, we say

there is some news, there's some good news,

there's some bad news, okay? Next, sometimes we

have words which are plural with no "s", okay? For

example, "children" or "men", "women", okay? No "s"

on those words, but we're talking about more than

one man, more than one woman, more than one child,

right? So again, here we would say there are some children in that room, okay?

And then we have some really weird words in English, like "fish" or "sheep" or "deer",

where you have the same word and it can refer to one or it can refer to a million,

and it's the same word. So, there is a fish,

okay? Of course, if you're talking about one,

we're going to know that because you have that

article "a" or "a", okay? There is a fish in the...

In the aquarium. Or there are some fish in the

aquarium. So the singular form of "fish" is "fish",

and the plural form of "fish" is also "fish".

Okay? So, now that's what you do with the

uncountable and irregular nouns. That was the

intermediate level. Are you still with me?

Okay. So, let's go forward now and see what

happens at an advanced level. Okay? Keep watching.

Okay, so now let's look at a noun phrase. A

noun phrase is a group of words that behaves

like a noun, basically. And they can be singular

or plural. Okay? So, let's look at some examples.

We would say, "There is a team of experts." Now,

this could be confusing to some people because

you have here the word "team", but you also

have the word "experts". And "team" is singular,

but "experts" sounds like it's plural. But what

we need to do in this case is to ignore everything

after the preposition. So, the real noun that

we're talking about here that decides on the verb

that we use is this one. "There is a team", okay?

"Of experts" doesn't matter. Forget about what's

in the prepositional phrase, okay? So, "There is

a team", that's singular, or "There is a group

of doctors". Same situation, right? "There is a

group". It doesn't matter that we say after that

"of doctors" and that the word "doctors" is plural because that doesn't matter. Okay?

Next, "There are major challenges in the world."

Okay? So, here, how do we decide that it was "are"?

Is it because of "challenges" or because of the

word "world"? It's because of the word "challenges",

because as I said, "in the world" doesn't matter, right? That's part of a phrase,

prepositional phrase within that that just explains a little bit about challenges,

but that doesn't matter in terms of deciding

the verb that we use. So, we say "There are

major challenges" or "There are employees around

the globe." Okay? Again, "globe" doesn't matter,

"around the globe" doesn't matter. What matters?

The word "employees", and in this case, that's

plural. Okay? So, this is at a slightly more

advanced level, but it's really important,

and if you are doing an exam like the IELTS or

the TOEFL, or even if you're just writing business

letters and you want to be able to write correctly

and fluently, then these rules are really

important. Let's do a really tiny quiz today

of a little bit of what we've learned from that

basic and intermediate and advanced use of "there is" and "there are". Let's try this,

okay? And then you can do some more on our website. So, what should we say here?

"There blank snacks available." Snacks are

a little something that you eat while you're

watching TV. Okay? All right. "There are",

good, because that's... There's an "s" there,

and it's actually just a regular, countable noun. "There blank a lot of furniture."

So, what's that one? There... Yeah, I heard you. "There is a lot of furniture." Okay?

"Furniture" is one of those uncountable nouns. "There blank a pack of markers."

What should it be? Good, good, good. I hear you.

Somebody's not sure. Wait a minute. Okay, yeah,

you got it. Okay. "There is a pack of markers."

And the last one, "There blank several errors

in this report." What would that be? There? Yep, you got it.

"There are several errors in this report." Okay? Now, these were just a few examples,

just to get you to a little bit practice what

we've learned. But really, to get this completely

right, to know it inside out, go to our website

at www.engvid.com. There, you can do a full quiz

on this. Okay? And really master it once and for

all. Okay? And next, don't forget to subscribe

to my YouTube channel. All right? Which you can

do, and you can also ring the bell so you'll know

every time I have a new lesson, and I hope that

I can help to shorten your journey in really

mastering the English language. Okay? Have a good time. Take care. Bye for now.