From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishthere is/arethere is/areEXISTused to say that something exists or happens There’s a hole in your trousers. There was a loud explosion. ‘I thought there was going to be a party.’ ‘No, there isn’t.’ Is there a problem? → be
Examples from the Corpus
there is/are• Is there life on other planets?• I didn't know there was Chinese restaurant in your neighborhood.• Because the teachers are so friendly there is a good atmosphere for getting on with your work.• In Britain there is a preference for a tactical step-by-step approach against a background of traditional consensus.• But there is another, more essential respect for nature itself, which we dishonour at our peril.• While this may not mean they are preventable, there is at least the possibility of fortifying the individual against their effects.• Smokeless powder, for which there are many formulas, is used in modern ammunition.• The effect of the order is that even though youths are being sentenced, there is no room for them.• Don't give them a sales pitch because there is nothing more irritating.• There's no evidence to prove that Gray is the murderer. 