Exercise 1
Put in there is/was or it is/was. Some sentences are questions (is there … ? / is it … ? etc.) and some are negative (isn’t/wasn’t).
1 The journey took a long time. ……………………. a lot of traffic.
2 What’s this restaurant like? ……………………. good?
3 ……………………. something wrong with the computer. Can you check it for me?
4 I wanted to visit the museum, but ……………………. enough time.
5 ‘What’s that building? ……………………. a hotel?’ ‘No, ……………………. a theatre.’
6 How do we get across the river? ……………………. a bridge?
7 A few days ago ……………………. a big storm, which caused a lot of damage.
8 I can’t find my phone. ……………………. in my bag – I just looked.
9 It’s often cold here, but ……………………. much snow.
10 ‘How was your trip?’ ‘……………………. a disaster. Everything went wrong.’
11 ……………………. anything on television, so I turned it off.
12 ‘……………………. a bookshop near here?’ ‘Yes, ……………………. one in Hudson Street.’
13 When we got to the cinema, ……………………. a queue outside. ……………………. a very long queue, so we decided not to wait.
14 I couldn’t see anything. ……………………. completely dark.
15 ……………………. difficult to get a job right now. ……………………. a lot of unemployment.
Answers
1
1 There was
2 Is it
3 There’s / There is
4 there wasn’t
5 Is it … it’s I it is
6 Is there
7 there was
8 It isn’t / it’s not
9 there isn’t
10 It was
11 There wasn’t
12 Is there … there’s / there is
13 there was … It was
14 It was
15 It’s / It is … There’s / There is
Exercise 2
Read the first sentence and then write a sentence beginning There … .
1 The roads were busy yesterday. …………………….
2 This soup is very salty. There ……………………. in the soup.
3 The box was empty. ……………………. in the box.
4 The film is very violent. …………………….
5 The shopping mall was crowded. …………………….
6 I like this town – it’s lively. …………………….
Answers
2
1 There was a lot of traffic.
2 There’s I There is a lot of salt in the soup. or … too much salt …
3 There was nothing in the box. or There wasn’t anything in the box.
4 There’s I There is a lot of violence in the film.
5 There were a lot of people in the shopping mall.
6 There is a lot to do in this town. / There is a lot happening in this town.
Exercise 3
Complete the sentences. Use there will be, there would be etc. Choose from:
will may would wouldn’t should used to (be) going to
1 If people drove more carefully, ……………………. fewer accidents.
2 ‘Do we have any eggs?’ ‘I’m not sure. ……………………. some in the fridge.’
3 I think everything will be OK. I don’t think ……………………. any problems.
4 Look at the sky. ……………………. a storm.
5 ‘Is there a school in the village?’ ‘Not now. ……………………. one, but it closed.’
6 People drive too fast on this road. I think ……………………. a speed limit.
7 If people weren’t aggressive, ……………………. any wars.
Answers
3
1 there would be
2 There may be
3 there will be / there’ll be or there are going to be
4 There’s going to be / There is going to be
5 There used to be
6 there should be
7 there wouldn’t be
Exercise 4
Are these sentences right or wrong? Change it to there where necessary.
1 They live on a busy road. It must be a lot of noise. …………………….
2 It’s a long way from my house to the nearest shop. …………………….
3 After the lecture it will be an opportunity to ask questions. …………………….
4 I like where I live, but it would be nicer to live by the sea. …………………….
5 Why was she so unfriendly? It must have been a reason. …………………….
6 It’s three years since I last went to the theatre. …………………….
7 A: Where can we park the car?
B: Don’t worry. It’s sure to be a car park somewhere. …………………….
8 It was Ken’s birthday yesterday. We had a party. …………………….
9 The situation is still the same. It has been no change. …………………….
10 It used to be a church here, but it was knocked down. …………………….
11 I was told that it would be somebody to meet me at the station, but it wasn’t anybody. …………………….
12 I don’t know who’ll win, but it’s sure to be a good game. …………………….
Answers
4
1 There must be a lot of noise
2 OK
3 there will be an opportunity
4 OK
5 There must have been a reason.
6 OK
7 There’s sure to be a car park somewhere.
8 OK
9 There has been no change.
10 There used to be a church here
11 there would be somebody … but there wasn’t anybody.
12 OK