Unit 37: there was/were / there has/have been / there will be

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GRAMMAR
EXAMPLES
EXERCISES
PAST
there was/were
PRESENT
there is/are
PRESENT PERFECT
there has/have been
FUTURE
there will be

A. there was / there were (past)

There is a train every hour.
The time now is 11.15.
There was a train at 11 o'clock.
station
Compare:
There is a good film on TV tonight.
There was a good film on TV last night.
We stayed at a very big hotel. There were 250 rooms.
Were there any letters for me yesterday?
When I got home, I was hungry but there wasn’t anything to eat.

B. there has been / there have been (present perfect)

Look! There’s been an accident.
(there’s been = there has been)
This road is very dangerous. There have been many accidents.
Compare there was (past):
There was an accident last night.
(not There has been an accident last night)
For past simple and present perfect see Unit 20.

C. there will be

Do you think there will be a lot of people at the party on Saturday?
The manager of the company is leaving, so there will be a new manager soon.
I’m going away tomorrow. I’ll do my packing today because there won’t be time tomorrow.
(there won’t be = there will not be)
was/were → UNIT 10 | has/have been → UNITS 15–18 | will → UNIT 28 | there is/are → UNIT 36

Examples

There was a train at 11 o'clock.
There were 250 rooms.
There wasn’t anything to eat.
There’s been an accident.
There have been many accidents.
There will be a lot of people at the party.
There won’t be time tomorrow.

Exercises 37.1 – 37.3

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37.1 Look at the two pictures. Now the room is empty but what was in the room last week? Write sentences with There was … or There were … + the words in the list.

an armchair
a carpet
some flowers
a clock
some books
a sofa
three pictures
a small table
  1. There was a clock on the wall near the window.
  2. on the floor.
  3. on the wall near the door.
  4. in the middle of the room.
  5. on the table.
  6. on the shelves.
  7. in the corner near the door.
  8. opposite the door.
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37.2 Put in there was / there wasn’t / was there / there were / there weren’t / were there.

  1. I was hungry but there wasn’t anything to eat.
  2. Were there any letters for me yesterday?
  3. __________ a football match on TV last night. Did you see it?
  4. ‘We stayed at a very nice hotel.’ ‘Did you? __________ a swimming pool?’
  5. ‘Did you buy any eggs?’ ‘No, __________ any in the shop.’
  6. The wallet was empty. __________ any money in it.
  7. ‘__________ many people at the meeting?’ ‘No, very few.’
  8. We didn’t visit the museum. __________ enough time.
  9. I’m sorry I’m late. __________ a lot of traffic.
  10. Twenty years ago __________ many tourists here. Now there are a lot.
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37.3 Put in there + is / are / was / were / has been / have been / will be.

  1. There was a good film on TV yesterday evening.
  2. __________ 24 hours in a day.
  3. __________ a party at the club last Friday but I didn’t go.
  4. ‘Where can I buy a newspaper?’ ‘__________ a shop at the end of the street.’
  5. ‘Why are those policemen outside the bank?’ ‘__________ a robbery.’
  6. When we arrived at the cinema, __________ a long queue to see the film.
  7. When you arrived tomorrow, __________ somebody at the station to meet you.
  8. When you arrive tomorrow, __________ 50 children at the school. Now __________ .
  9. Ten years ago __________ 500 children at the school. Now __________ .
  10. Last week I went back to the town where I was born. It’s very different now. __________ a lot of changes.
  11. I think everything will be OK. I don’t think __________ any problems.
  7. /
  8. /

Unit 37: there was/were / there has/have been / there will be • Full Interactive Textbook