Definition & Examples

The sentence structure of “there be” is a grammatical construction in English that is used to talk about the existence of something or someone in a particular place or situation. It is also used to describe a state or condition.

The basic structure is:

There + be + noun/pronoun

For example:

"There is a book on the table."
"There are some cookies in the jar."
"There will be a party at the park tomorrow."
"There was a traffic jam on the highway this morning."

In negative sentences, the word “not” is added after the auxiliary verb “be”:

"There is not a book on the table."
"There are not any cookies in the jar."
"There will not be a party at the park tomorrow."
"There was not a traffic jam on the highway this morning."

In interrogative sentences, the word order changes to:

Be + there + noun/pronoun

For example:

"Is there a book on the table?"
"Are there any cookies in the jar?"
"Will there be a party at the park tomorrow?"
"Was there a traffic jam on the highway this morning?"

It is important to note that the verb tense in the “there be” structure can be changed to express past, present or future time.

There will be & There is/are going to be

In English, “there be” sentences can be changed to the simple future tense by using the auxiliary verb “will” followed by the base form of the verb “be”. For example:

Present tense: There is a book on the table.
Future tense: There will be a book on the table.

Present tense: There are some flowers in the vase.
Future tense: There will be some flowers in the vase.

So, to change a “there be” sentence to the simple future tense, you need to insert “will” before “be”. Note that the form of “be” remains the same in both the present and future tenses, regardless of the subject of the sentence.

“There is going to be” is another way to express the future in English language. It is a more formal or emphasized version of the simple future tense, and is used to express a future event that has already been planned or arranged. The structure is “there is/are + going to be + noun/pronoun”.

For example:

“There is going to be a concert at the park next weekend.”
“There are going to be some changes in the company’s policies next month.”

In this construction, “going to” functions as an auxiliary verb and is used to express future intentions or predictions. The use of “going to” makes the future event sound more certain or definite than simply using the simple future tense with “will”.

中文解析

习题-Exercise

Here are some exercises to help you practice using the “there be” sentence structure in English:

Complete the following sentences using the present tense of "there be":

__________ a cat under the table. (key: There is)
__________ some books on the shelf. (key: There are)
__________ a car in the garage. (key: There is)

Change the following sentences to the future tense using “will be”:

There is a party at the park tomorrow.
There are some guests coming to the dinner tonight.

Answers:
There will be a party at the park tomorrow.
There will be some guests coming to the dinner tonight.

Write 5 sentences using the present tense of “there be” and 5 sentences using the future tense of “there be”.

Answers:
Present tense:

There is a bird on the branch.
There are some apples in the basket.
There is a bike in the shed.
There are some children playing in the park.
There is a dog barking in the backyard.

Future tense:

There will be a storm tonight.
There will be a new movie at the cinema next week.
There will be a concert in the city center next month.
There will be some tourists visiting the museum next year.
There will be a book fair at the library next weekend.