Why do we use "There is" and "There are"?

[Sammy Sam]

Are both the sentences grammatical? Do they have different meanings? Why do we use "There is" and "There are"?

Example with "There is"
A cat is under the table.
There is a cat under the table.

Example with "There are"
A couple of cows are ploughing the field.
There are a couple of cows ploughing the field.

 

[emsr2d2]

"There is" goes before a singular noun ("a cat").
"There are" goes before a plural noun ("a couple of cows"). Bear in mind that "a couple of" means at least two, so it's plural. Is the use of "a couple" there confusing you?

 

[Rover_KE]

FUN FACT: Cows don’t pull ploughs — oxen (castrated bulls) do.

 

[Tarheel]

**Are both sentences grammatical?**
Yes, they are.

**Do they have different meanings?**
Of course they do!

This is some pretty basic stuff. Do you have a decent grammar book?

 

[jutfrank]

FUN FACT: Cows don’t pull ploughs — oxen (castrated bulls) do.

Whew! That's quite enough fun for me for one day. Thanks.

(What's even more fun is castrating them.)

 

[jutfrank]

Are both the sentences grammatical?

Yes.

Do they have different meanings?

They have different focus. That's not quite the same as different meaning.

Why do we use "There is" and "There are"?

The use of 'there-be' here is locative. That means the focus is on expressing what exists in a certain location. In the first case, 'a cat' is a thing that exists, and 'on the table' is where it exists. I'm quite sure you have something similar in your language.