Is there a strike, or are there strikes?
We use there is and there are to say that something exists or is present. In the news about the easyJet cabin crew strike, there is one union and there are three airports.
Use there is with one thing, or with a thing you cannot count (news, information). Use there are with more than one thing.
- Positive: There is a strike. / There are three airports.
- Negative: There isn’t a delay. / There aren’t any seats.
- Question: Is there a delay? / Are there any seats?
- Short answer: Yes, there is. / No, there aren’t.
How we use it
We use there is and there are to talk about people, places and things at an airport. The noun after the verb decides if you say is or are.
- There is a long queue at the gate.
- There is some news about my flight.
- There are two pilots in the cockpit.
- There are not enough staff today.
Watch out for these mistakes
- ✗ There is three airports. → ✓ There are three airports. (Three airports is plural.)
- ✗ Is there many flights? → ✓ Are there many flights?
- ✗ It is a strike at Lisbon airport. → ✓ There is a strike at Lisbon airport. (Do not use it is to say that something exists.)
Try these
Read each sentence about a busy day at the airport. Type the missing words, or choose the correct answer.
At Lisbon airport this morning, ____ a long queue at the check-in desk.
A queue is one thing. Use the singular form: there is.
A queue is one thing, so we use there is (or the short form there’s).
____ three airports in the strike: Lisbon, Porto and Faro.
Three airports is a plural noun. Use there are.
Three airports is more than one thing, so we use there are.
____ any flights to Faro this morning? (Make a question.)
For a question, turn the words round: are there. Flights is plural, so we need are.
In a question we put are before there: Are there any flights…?
There ____ enough staff, so the crew must work extra hours. (Make it negative.)
Staff means several people here, so the verb is plural: there aren’t or there are not.
Staff here means the people who work, which is plural. The negative is there aren’t (or there are not).
Is there a union for easyJet cabin crew in Portugal? Yes, ____.
A short answer needs there and the verb, and union is singular. Write: there is.
A short answer repeats there and the verb: Yes, there is.
There ____ some news about the strike on the airline’s website.
News is uncountable, so we use there is, not there are. Meaning decides here, not the final -s.
Now make it real
Write one or two true sentences about your own airport, airline or training school. Use there is or there are. For example: At my airport, there are two runways.
Check your sentences before you look at the samples:
- Is your sentence true about your own work or study?
- Did you choose is or are to match the noun after it?
- Does your sentence say what you wanted to say?
- Does it start with a capital letter and end with a full stop?
Here are two samples to compare with your own:
- At my airport, there are two terminals and one very long runway.
- In my training school, there is a simulator for the Boeing 737.
Now read your sentences again. Can you make them clearer? Try to add one more detail.
CEFR Level A2 / ICAO Level 3
Next, learn how to talk about amounts in Structure: ‘Much, many, a little, a few’. You often need these words with there is and there are.
