There Have Been or There Has Been can be confusing, but the correct choice depends on the noun that follows there. Use “there has been” with a singular or uncountable noun, such as “there has been a problem.” Use “there have been” with a plural noun, such as “there have been several problems.” The key is to focus on the noun that controls verb agreement.
Both phrases use the present perfect tense and describe past events or situations connected to the present. Use “there has been” for one event or situation, such as “there has been a change.” Use “there have been” for multiple events or changes, such as “there have been several updates.” These constructions are common in everyday and formal writing.
The easiest way to remember the rule is to look at the noun, not the word there. If the noun is singular or uncountable, use there has been. If it is plural, use there have been. For example, “there has been a delay” and “there have been several delays.” This simple rule can improve your grammatical correctness, clarity, and writing skills.
What Does “There Has Been” Mean?
There has been is a present-perfect construction used to say that something has existed, happened, or occurred and remains relevant to the present.
The structure is
There + has + been + noun
Use it when the noun that follows is singular or uncountable.
Examples of “There Has Been”
- There has been a mistake in the report.
- There has been a delay at the airport.
- There has been an unexpected change.
- There has been some confusion about the instructions.
- There has been significant progress this year.
Notice the difference between a mistake and mistakes. The first is singular, while the second is plural.
That small difference controls the verb.
What Does “There Have Been” Mean?
There have been follows the same basic pattern. However, it introduces a plural noun.
The structure is
There + have + been + plural noun
For example:
- There have been several mistakes.
- There have been many complaints.
- There have been three meetings this week.
- There have been major improvements.
- There have been several changes to the schedule.
The present perfect is useful here because it connects a past occurrence with the present. English commonly uses the present perfect for past situations that have a current connection.
There Has Been vs. There Have Been: The Main Difference
The core rule is straightforward:
Singular or uncountable noun → there has been
Plural noun → there have been
| Form | Use it with | Example |
| There has been | Singular noun | There has been a problem. |
| There has been | Uncountable noun | There has been confusion. |
| There have been | Plural noun | There have been problems. |
| There have been | Plural noun phrase | There have been several delays. |
Compare these pairs:
- There has been a change.
- There have been several changes.
And:
- There has been a complaint.
- There have been many complaints.
The noun changes from singular to plural. The verb changes with it.
Why “There” Does Not Control the Verb
This is where many learners get tripped up.
In an existential construction, there introduces the existence or presence of something. The noun phrase that follows carries the important number information for agreement. Cambridge describes “there is” and “there are” as forms used to introduce someone’s or something’s existence or presence.
Compare a normal sentence with an existential sentence:
| Normal sentence | There construction |
| A problem has occurred. | There has been a problem. |
| Several problems have occurred. | There have been several problems. |
| A change has occurred. | There has been a change. |
| Several changes have occurred. | There have been several changes. |
The word order changes. The agreement rule doesn’t.
A useful trick is to mentally identify the noun after there.
There has been a problem.
The key noun is problem. It’s singular, so use has.
There have been several problems.
The key noun is problems. It’s plural, so use have.
There Has Been With Uncountable Nouns
Not every noun that represents a large amount takes a plural verb. Uncountable nouns usually take singular verb forms.
That’s why these sentences are correct:
- There has been progress.
- There has been damage.
- There has been confusion.
- There has been traffic.
- There has been improvement.
- There has been information about the incident.
For example, information doesn’t normally become information in standard English. Therefore:
There has been new information about the case. ✅
Not:
There have been new information about the case. ❌
However, if you change the noun to a plural count noun, the verb changes too:
- There has been new information.
- There have been new details.
That’s an important distinction.
There Have Been With Plural Nouns
Plural nouns require have been in standard formal English.
Consider:
- There have been several delays.
- There have been many requests.
- There have been two accidents.
- There have been numerous improvements.
- There have been unexpected problems.
The same rule applies even when several words separate the main noun from other information.
There have been several unexpected changes to the company policy.
The phrase “to the company policy” doesn’t change the fact that “changes” is plural.
Tricky Cases With There Has Been and There Have Been
Long Noun Phrases
Long sentences can hide the noun that controls agreement.
Consider:
There have been several unexpected changes to the company’s hiring policy.
The sentence contains many words, but the important noun is changes.
Now compare:
There has been a significant change to the company’s hiring policy.
Here, change is singular.
Don’t let words such as “unexpected,” “significant,” or “company’s” distract you.
Prepositional Phrases
Prepositional phrases can create another common trap.
Look at:
There has been a series of delays.
The noun immediately controlling the construction is “series,” which is singular in this sentence.
Now compare:
There have been several delays.
Here, “delays” is clearly plural.
The phrase “delays in a series of delays” doesn’t make “series” plural.
Quantities and Expressions of Amount
Some expressions deserve extra attention:
- a number of + plural noun → usually plural agreement
- a lot of + plural noun → plural agreement
- a lot of + uncountable noun → singular agreement
- a series of + plural noun → singular agreement because the series is singular here
Examples:
There have been a number of complaints.
There has been a lot of confusion.
The noun phrase’s grammatical structure matters more than the amount being discussed.
There Has Been vs. There Had Been
Don’t confuse “there has been” with “there had been.”
There has been use of the present perfect. It connects a past occurrence with the present.
There had been uses of the past perfect. It places one past event before another past event.
| Form | Main purpose | Example |
| There has been | Past event connected to now | There has been a delay. |
| There have been | Past plural events connected to now | There have been several delays. |
| There had been | Earlier event before another past event | There had been a delay before we arrived. |
The present perfect commonly describes past events or states that still matter now. It can also describe experiences or situations within an unfinished time period.
For example:
There has been a major change in the schedule.
The change happened before now, but its effect matters now.
For a clearly completed past sequence, the past perfect can establish which event happened first:
There had been a major change before the employees arrived.
Common Mistakes With “There Has Been” and “There Have Been”
Mistake 1: Using “Has Been” With a Plural Noun
❌ There has been several problems.
✅ There have been several problems.
“Problems” is plural, so use “have.”
Mistake 2: Using “Have Been” With a Singular Noun
❌ There have been a problem.
✅ There has been a problem.
The problem is singular, so use has.
Mistake 3: Treating “There” as the Controlling Noun
❌ There has been many complaints.
✅ There have been many complaints.
The word “there” doesn’t tell you whether to use “has” or “have.” Look at complaints.
Mistake 4: Getting Distracted by a Nearby Noun
❌ There has been several reports from customers.
✅ There have been several reports from customers.
The noun “customers” is also plural, but it isn’t the noun that controls the construction. Reports is.
Mistake 5: Confusing Present Perfect With Past Perfect
There has been a problem.
There had been a problem before the technician arrived.
The first connects the situation to the present. The second places it earlier within a past sequence.
There Has Been and There Have Been in Real Writing
These constructions appear naturally in everyday, professional, and academic English.
Everyday English
There has been a mistake on my bill.
There have been several accidents on this road.
Workplace Communication
There has been a delay in processing your request.
There have been several updates to the project schedule.
Academic Writing
There has been considerable interest in this subject.
There have been several studies on the topic.
News and Public Information
There has been a significant increase in demand.
There have been several reports of service interruptions.
The present perfect works particularly well when the writer wants to emphasize a connection between earlier events and the current situation.
A Quick Test for “There Has Been” or “There Have Been”
When you’re unsure, use this five-second method:
- Find the noun after there has/have been.
- Decide whether that noun is singular, plural, or uncountable.
- Use has been with singular nouns.
- Use has been with uncountable nouns.
- Use “have been” with plural nouns.
Try these:
- There has been a problem. ✅
- There has been progress. ✅
- There have been problems. ✅
- There have been several improvements. ✅
- There had been a problem before the meeting. ✅
There Has Been or There Have Been? Quick Reference
| If the noun is… | Use… | Example |
| Singular count noun | There has been | There has been an error. |
| Uncountable noun | There has been | There has been confusion. |
| Plural count noun | There have been | There have been errors. |
| Earlier past situation | There had been | There had been an error earlier. |
A Simple Memory Trick
Think:
One → has been
More than one → have been
So:
There has been one complaint.
There have been five complaints.
That simple contrast solves most everyday questions about there have been or there has been.
FAQs
Q1. When should I use there has been?
Use “there has been” with a singular or uncountable noun. For example, “There has been a mistake” or “There has been some progress.”
Q2. When should I use there have been?
Use “there have been” with a plural noun. For example, “There have been several changes” or “There have been many problems.”
Q3. Is there has been grammatically correct?
Yes, there has been grammatical correctness when the following noun is singular or uncountable. The verb has must agree with that noun.
Q4. Is there have been grammatical correctness?
Yes, there have been is correct when the noun is plural. For example, “There have been many improvements.”
Q5. How can I remember the difference?
Focus on the noun, not there. If the noun is singular or uncountable, choose there has been. If it is plural, choose there have been.
Conclusion
Choosing between There Have Been or There Has Been becomes easy when you identify the noun after there. There has been with a singular or uncountable noun, and there have been with a plural noun. Once you focus on subject-verb agreement instead of the word “there,” you can use both forms correctly and write with greater confidence.
