"Where is there?" "There is school." --- Can I use "there" like that???

[sula54]

Dear Teachers,

"there" can mean "that place", so can we make a queston sentance like "Where is there?" mean "Where is that place?"

And please look at the following conversation:

"Please look at the picture."
"Where is there?"
"There is a school."

Dose this conversation sound right? In this case, does "there" mean "that place" or as an introductory subject?

[Temico]

"Please look at the picture."
"Where is there?"
"There is a school."

"Please take a look at the picture."
"Where/what is that place?"
"It's a picture of a school (e.g. in a foreign land)."

Another example:
A. "Can you please point out where the school is in the map?"
B. "You can find it there (pointing to a big area on the map)"
A. "Where exactly is "there" please?

[Casiopea]

Sula, the conversation does not sound right as is. More context is needed. Consider, Max and Sam are looking specifically for a picture of a school.

Max: Please look at the picture, there.
Sam: Where is "there"?
Max: There is a school. (this is not in reply to Sam's question, but it works if Max is trying to express, "We are looking for a picture of a school and I found one. (pointing) There is a school, right here.

Here's another way of expressing the first two sentences:

Max: Please look at the picture, (over) there.
Sam: Where is (over) "there"? (Sam is asking where the picture is located.)
Max: There is a school.

Note, quotation marks (". . .") tell us that Sam is repeating Max's word. So both underlined words are the same; they refer to a location.

The last utterance, Max's "There is a school" doesn't fit the conversation. Sam is asking where the school is located, and Max replies with something very odd indeed; it's not even related to the topic, which is 'the picture'. It should be,

Max: Please look at the picture, (over) there.
Sam: Where is "there"?
Max: On the wall in front of you. (Max gives a location, on the wall . . . .)

The phrase 'On the wall in front of you' represents 'there'.

Here's the grammar:

Max: Please look at the picture, there (adverb of location).
Max: There is a school, right here. (existential there subject)

'there' and 'There' do not refer to the same thing. The first one is an adverb and the second one is an empty subject.