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Describing Places: There Is/Are & Prepositions

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A2 (Elementary)Writing

Describing Places: There Is/Are & Prepositions

Describing a place — a room, a city, a picture — uses two key tools: there is / there are to say what exists, and prepositions of place to say where things are. Together they let you paint a clear picture in words. This lesson shows you how.

Describing a place — a room, a city, a picture — uses two key tools: there is / there are to say what exists, and prepositions of place to say where things are. Together they let you paint a clear picture in words. This lesson shows you how.

1. There is / There are

Form Use Example
There is one thing (singular / uncountable) There is a sofa in the room.
There are more than one (plural) There are two windows.

Negative: There isn’t a lift. / There aren’t any chairs.

2. Prepositions of place

Preposition Meaning
in inside
on on a surface
under below
next to / beside at the side of
between in the middle of two things
in front of / behind before / after
above / below higher / lower
  • The book is on the table.
  • The cat is under the chair.
  • The bank is next to the school.

3. Structure of a place description

A good description often moves from general to specific: name the place, give an overview, then details, then your opinion.

Model descriptionMy bedroom is small but comfortable. There is a bed next to the window and there is a desk in the corner. There are two pictures on the wall above the bed. There isn’t a television, but there are many books. I love my room because it is quiet.
Tutor tip for Arabic speakersMatch “there is/are” to the noun that follows it, not the first idea in your head: “There are two chairs” (plural). Also, English prepositions rarely translate one-to-one from Arabic — learn them as fixed pairs with example pictures (on the table, in the box, at the door) rather than translating word by word.

Examples from EduCareer

  • There is a library next to the café.
  • There are three students in the classroom.
  • The whiteboard is on the wall behind the teacher.
Common mistakes

There is two windows.  →  There are two windows.

The book is in the table.  →  The book is on the table.

There are a sofa.  →  There is a sofa.

The cat is under of the chair.  →  The cat is under the chair.

Check your understanding

Answer the questions below. You will see instantly if you are right.

1.Use "there is" for:
there is + singular.
2.Use "there are" for:
there are + plural.
3."___ two windows in the room."
two windows (plural) \u2192 there are.
4."___ a sofa in the room."
a sofa (singular) \u2192 there is.
5.The book is ___ the table (on a surface).
On a surface \u2192 on.
6.The cat is ___ the chair (below it).
below \u2192 under.
7.The bank is ___ the school (at the side).
at the side \u2192 next to.
8."between" means:
between = in the middle of two things.
9.Fix: "There is two windows."
plural \u2192 there are.
10.Fix: "The book is in the table."
On a surface \u2192 on the table.
11.Negative of "There are chairs":
plural negative \u2192 there aren\u2019t.
12."in front of" is the opposite of:
in front of \u2194 behind.
13.Fix: "There are a sofa."
singular \u2192 there is.
14.The picture is ___ the bed (higher, on the wall).
higher \u2192 above.
15.Which is correct?
No "of" after under: under the chair.
16."___ three students in the class."
three students \u2192 there are.
17.Best opening for describing a room:
Start with a clear topic sentence describing the place.
18."The desk is ___ the corner."
We say "in the corner".
19.Which sentence is fully correct?
there is + singular; "next to" is the correct phrase.
20.Which description sentence is best?
Correct there are + prepositions (on, above).

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