there
(thâr)adv.1. At or in that place: sit over there.
2. To, into, or toward that place: wouldn't go there again.
3. At that stage, moment, or point: Stop there before you make any more mistakes.
4. In that matter: I can't agree with him there.
5. In a readily accessible or discoverable state: The answer is out there. All we have to do is look for it.
pron.1. Used to introduce a clause or sentence: There are numerous items. There must be another exit.
2. Used to indicate an unspecified person in direct address: Hello there.
adj.1. Used especially for emphasis after the demonstrative pronoun that or those, or after a noun modified by the demonstrative adjective that or those: That person there ought to know the directions to town.
2. Nonstandard Used for emphasis between a demonstrative adjective meaning "that" or "those" and a noun: "You see them there handles?" (Cormac McCarthy)."I tell you ... that you buried paving-stones and earth in that there coffin" (Charles Dickens).
n. That place or point: stopped and went on from there.
interj. Used to express feelings such as relief, satisfaction, sympathy, or anger: There, now I can have some peace!
Idioms: be there for (someone) To be available to provide help or comfort to someone in a time of difficulty.
out there Extremely unconventional or eccentric.
Usage Note: According to the traditional rule, when there precedes a verb such as be, seem, or appear, the verb agrees in number with the following grammatical subject: There is a great Italian deli across the street. There are some boats in the harbor. There appears to be a mistake. There seem to be several problems with the car. In spoken English, however, people often use there's instead of there are with a plural subject, as in There's two slices of pizza left. The Usage Panel dislikes this construction. In our 2014 survey, only 17 percent accepted the sentence There's only three things you need to know about this book (down slightly from 21 percent in 1995). But the results are very different when there's is followed by a compound subject whose first element is singular: 89 percent accepted the sentence In each of us there's a dreamer and a realist. Even more, 95 percent, accepted the sentence When you get to the stop light, there's a gas station on the left and a grocery store on the right. In these sentences, it's possible that the noun phrase following is is considered elliptical: there's a gas station on the left and [there's] a grocery store on the right. The Panel also accepted, but with far more ambivalence (58 percent), a singular verb when the subject is grammatically singular but notionally plural: There's a large number of broken windows in the building.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
there
(ðɛə) advin, at, or to that place, point, case, or respect: we never go there; I'm afraid I disagree with you there.
pronused as a grammatical subject with some verbs, esp be, when the true subject is an indefinite or mass noun phrase following the verb as complement: there is a girl in that office; there doesn't seem to be any water left.
adj1. (postpositive) who or which is in that place or position: that boy there did it.
2. all there (predicative) having his or her wits about him or her; of normal intelligence
3. so there an exclamation that usually follows a declaration of refusal or defiance: you can't have any more, so there!.
4. there and then then and there on the spot; immediately; instantly
5. there it is that is the state of affairs
6. there you are a. an expression used when handing a person something requested or desired
b. an exclamation of triumph: there you are, I knew that would happen!.
nthat place: near there; from there.
interjan expression of sympathy, as in consoling a child
[Old English thǣr; related to Old Frisian thēr, Old Saxon, Old High German thār, Old Norse, Gothic thar]
Usage: In correct usage, the verb should agree with the number of the subject in such constructions as there is a man waiting and there are several people waiting. However, where the subject is compound, it is common in speech to use the singular as in there's a police car and an ambulance outside
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
there
(ðɛər; unstressed ðər)
adv. 1. in or at that place (opposed to
here):
She is there now. 2. at that point in an action, speech, etc.: He stopped there for applause.
3. in that matter, particular, or respect: Your anger was justified there.
4. into or to that place; thither: We went there last year.
5. (used by way of calling attention to something or someone): There they go.
pron. 6. (used in place of a noun of address): Hello, there.
7. (used to introduce a phrase or clause in which the verb comes before its subject): There is no hope. There's someone at the door.
n. 8. that place or point: I come from there, too.
adj. 9. (used for emphasis, esp. after a noun modified by a demonstrative adjective): Ask that man there.
interj. 10. (used to express satisfaction, relief, encouragement, approval, consolation, etc.): There! It's done.
[before 900; Middle English (adv.); Old English
thǣr, thēr, c. Old Frisian
thēr, Old Saxon thār, Old High German
dār; akin to Old Norse, Gothic
thar; compare
that]
usage: The verb following the pronoun
there is singular or plural according to the number of the subject that follows the verb:
There is a message for you. There are patients in the waiting room. With compound subjects in which all the coordinate words are singular, a singular verb often occurs, although the plural may also be used:
There was (or
were)
a horse and a cow in the pasture. When a compound subject contains both singular and plural words, the verb usu. agrees with the subject closest to the verb, although a plural verb sometimes occurs regardless, esp. if the compound has more than two elements:
There were staff meetings and a press conference daily. There was (or
were)
a glass, two plates, two cups, and a teapot on the shelf.― It is nonstandard usage to place
there between a demonstrative adjective and the noun it modifies:
that there car. The same is true of
here:
these here nails. Placed after the noun, both
there and
here are entirely standard:
that car there; these nails here. -there
a combining form meaning “wild animal, beast,” usu. denoting an extinct mammal, as an adaptation of a zoological taxon ending in -therium or -theria: megathere.
[< New Latin -therium (singular), -theria (pl.) < Greek thēríon, derivative of thḗr beast of prey]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
there
There has two main uses. You use it in front of a verb such as be, or you use it as an adverb to refer to a place.
1. used in front of 'be'You use there in front of be to say that something exists or happens, or that something is in a particular place. When there is used like this, it is usually pronounced /ðe/ or /ðə/. In slow or careful speech, it is pronounced /ðeə/.
There must be a reason.
There was a new cushion on one of the sofas.
After there, you use a singular form of be in front of a singular noun phrase, and a plural form in front of a plural noun phrase.
There is a fire on the fourth floor.
There are several problems with this method.
In conversation, some people use there's in front of a plural noun phrase. For example, they say 'There's several problems with this method'. This use is generally regarded as incorrect, and you shouldn't use it in formal speech or in writing.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'there is' or 'there are' with since to say how long ago something happened. Don't say, for example, 'There are four days since she arrived in London'. Say 'It's four days since she arrived in London' or 'She arrived in London four days ago'.
It's three months since you were here last.
Her husband died four years ago.
2. used as an adverbIn its other main use, there is used for referring to a place which has just been mentioned. When there is used like this, it is always pronounced /ðeə/.
I must get home. Bill's there on his own.
Come into the kitchen. I spend most of my time there now.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'to' in front of there. Don't say, for example, 'I like going to there'. Say 'I like going there'.
My family live in India. I still go there often.
Be Careful!
Also, don't use 'there' to introduce a subordinate clause. Don't say, for example, 'I went back to the park, there my sister was waiting'. Say 'I went back to the park, where my sister was waiting'.
The accident took place in Oxford, where he and his wife lived.
3. 'their'Don't confuse there with their, which is also pronounced /ðeə/. You use their to show that something belongs or relates to particular people, animals, or things.
I looked at their faces.
What would they do when they lost their jobs?
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012