Episode 2: The Room with Yellow Light

There is / There are — Vincent van Gogh, 1889 (A1-A2)

Grammar Box

Meaning: We use there is and there are to say that something exists in a place. It tells us what we can find or see somewhere.

Form: There is + one thing (singular) / There are + many things (plural)

Example 1: There is a cup on the table. (one cup)

Example 2: There are two chairs in the room. (two chairs)

Common mistake: Wrong: There is three books. Better: There are three books.

The Question

Luna looks at her messy desk. “There is a cup. There are books everywhere.” She frowns. “Why ‘is’ for one thing and ‘are’ for many?” The watch glows. Professor Wisdom appears. “Let’s visit a room where every object tells a story.”

The Journey

They arrive in a small bedroom. Yellow walls glow like the sun. The air smells like paint and lavender. Everything feels warm but also lonely.

This is Vincent van Gogh. He is 36 years old. He paints to stay alive. Not for money—for his mind. Most days, his head feels like a storm. Painting is his only peace. He has sold almost nothing. People call his work “too strange.”

This is Arles, France. May 1889. Vincent painted this bedroom three times. Why? Because here, in this simple room, he found something rare. Calm. “There is a bed,” he writes to his brother. “There are two chairs. There is peace here.” He wants others to feel it too.

The room is tiny but full of life. There is a wooden bed with a red blanket. There are two chairs—one for him, one for a friend who never comes. There is a small table. There are paintings on the wall. Each object sits exactly where it should.

Luna watches Vincent step back from his canvas. His hands are covered in yellow paint. You can hear his brush moving. You can smell the oil paint drying. Outside, cicadas sing in the heat. Inside, Vincent is completely still. For this moment, his mind is quiet.

The Insight

Professor Wisdom points around the room. “Vincent says ‘there is’ and ‘there are’ to show what exists. ‘There is’ comes before one thing. A bed. A table. A dream. ‘There are’ comes before many things. Two chairs. Three paintings. Endless possibilities. These words don’t describe. They announce. They say: Look. This exists. Pay attention.”

Practice Zone

More Examples:

1. “There is a problem with my computer.” — One problem exists.
2. “There are three people waiting outside.” — Multiple people exist.
3. “There is no time to waste.” — Time doesn’t exist here.
4. “There are many reasons to be happy.” — Multiple reasons exist.
5. “Is there a doctor here?” — Question: Does a doctor exist?
6. “Are there any questions?” — Question: Do questions exist?

Exercises:

1. Fill in the blank: ___ a cat under the table. (There is / There are)

2. Choose the correct:
   a) There is two books on the shelf.
   b) There are two books on the shelf.

3. Match to complete:
   – There is → a restaurant nearby
   – There are → five students in class
   – Is there → any milk left?

4. Complete: ___ a meeting tomorrow. ___ ten people coming.

5. Your turn: Look around you. Write two sentences about what you see using “there is” or “there are.”

Answer Key:

1. There is (one cat = singular)
2. b) There are two books (two = plural, so we use “are”)
3. There is a restaurant nearby / There are five students / Is there any milk left?
4. There is / There are (meeting = one = is; people = many = are)
5. Check: Did you use “there is” for one thing? “There are” for multiple things?

The Lesson

They return to Luna’s desk. The watch dims. Luna looks at her room differently now. “There is beauty in simple things. There are stories in every object.” Professor Wisdom smiles. “What exists matters. Naming it is the first step to seeing it.”