There + Form of BE + (Indefinite) Subject + (Optional: Place/Time Adverbial)

There – Dummy Subject (Expletive). This is the key. This “there” is not an adverb of place. It’s a grammatical placeholder that fills the mandatory subject slot at the beginning of the sentence. It carries no meaning.

BE Verb – The verb (is, are, was, were, has been, will be, etc.). Its number (singular/plural) is determined by the real subject that comes after it.

Real Subject – The noun phrase that names the thing that exists. It is very often indefinite (a, an, some, many, a few, any, no, three, etc.).

Optional Adverbial – Often added to specify location or time (e.g., “…on the table,” “…in my life,” “…last night”).

3. Key Characteristics & Rules

A. Subject-Verb Agreement
The verb agrees with the real subject that follows it, not with the word “there.”

There is a book on the table. (Singular subject)

There are three books on the table. (Plural subject)

There has been an update. (Singular, present perfect)

There were shots fired. (Plural, past)