There has been vs there have been: Quick answer: “There has been” pairs with a singular or uncountable noun. “There have been” pairs with a plural noun. The word there is a placeholder — the real subject always sits after the verb, and that noun decides everything.
Understanding this distinction matters beyond a grammar test. It shows up in job emails, academic essays, news headlines, and everyday conversation. Get it wrong and a sharp reader notices. Get it right and your writing signals confidence and precision.
Why Does Your Brain Stumble Over This Construction?
Most grammar rules follow a predictable pattern: subject first, verb second. You see she runs and the agreement is obvious. The trouble starts when there opens the sentence. Your brain scans left to right, spots there, files it as the subject, and picks a verb to match. But there isn’t the subject at all — it’s a grammatical placeholder, or what linguists call an expletive subject or dummy subject.
The genuine subject is hiding behind the verb. By the time you reach it, you’ve already made a choice. That lag between reading there and landing on the real noun is exactly why even fluent speakers pause, or worse, guess wrong.
Core Concepts and Historical Evolution
Etymology and Existential Construction
The structure there + be belongs to a category called the existential construction. It announces the presence or existence of something rather than describing it. Instead of “A problem arose,” you say “There has been a problem.” The focus shifts from the event itself to the fact that it exists — a subtle but powerful rhetorical move.
Old English writers rarely used this structure. Pre-modern texts tended to front the real subject: “A great storm came upon the land.” The existential there construction grew gradually through Middle English, and by the 18th century it had become a natural feature of both literary and spoken prose. Today it saturates news reporting, academic writing, and business communication.
Grammatical Mechanics and Notional Subject
The grammar follows a single principle: subject-verb agreement. In English, singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs.
| Auxiliary Verb | Works With | Present Perfect Form |
|---|---|---|
| has | singular noun / uncountable noun | there has been |
| have | plural noun | there have been |
Because there is not the real subject, it cannot control agreement. The notional subject — the noun that carries the actual meaning — does. Once you train your eye to skip there and locate that noun, the choice becomes automatic.
How to Use There Has Been vs There Have Been in Context
Formal and Academic Usage
Academic and professional writing relies on these constructions to present findings without assigning responsibility to a specific actor. Notice how the verb tracks the noun in each case:
- There has been a significant increase in renewable energy investment. (singular: increase)
- There have been three peer-reviewed studies on the subject. (plural: studies)
- There has been considerable debate about the methodology. (uncountable: debate)
- There have been improvements in patient outcomes since 2019. (plural: improvements)
In formal writing, always identify the noun before committing to has or have. A mismatched verb in a business report or academic paper reads as careless — the kind of error that undermines credibility.
Casual and Conversational Examples
In everyday speech, the same rule applies, though people sometimes bend it informally:
- There has been a lot of noise from the neighbours lately.
- There have been so many changes at work this year.
- There has been some confusion about the meeting time.
- There have been several cancelled flights today.
One common spoken shortcut is the contraction there’s been — used loosely even with plural nouns in informal chat. In writing, avoid this: there’s been delays is grammatically non-standard, while there have been delays is correct.
The Nuance Trap: Correct But Awkward Versus Native-Sounding
Grammatically correct sentences are not always idiomatically natural. Consider:
Correct but stilted: There have been a number of people who have expressed concern. More natural: A number of people have expressed concern.
The existential construction adds emphasis on existence. When that emphasis isn’t needed, restructuring the sentence often sounds more fluent. Use there has been / there have been when you genuinely want to spotlight the presence or occurrence of something. Otherwise, a direct sentence may serve you better.
See also : Sais vs Says: Which Spelling Is Correct?
Literary Evidence: There Has Been and There Have Been in Print
Classic Literature
Published literature offers the clearest proof of how skilled writers handled subject-verb agreement within existential constructions.
In Bleak House (1853), Charles Dickens wrote: “There has been an unseasonable drought for many weeks.” The singular noun drought governs has been — clean and unambiguous. Later in the same novel: “There have been mysterious transactions in the house.” Plural transactions, plural verb. Dickens never misstepped on this.
Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) includes: “There has been a great deal of talk about it.” The phrase a great deal functions as a singular mass noun — the kind of tricky quantifier that fools modern writers into defaulting to plural.
Modern Stylistic Usage
Contemporary genre fiction uses these constructions deliberately. Thriller writers reach for there has been to plant urgency with minimal words: a terse “There has been movement in the warehouse” creates threat without elaborate description. Mystery writers use there have been to establish patterns: “There have been three incidents in two weeks” compresses exposition efficiently while signalling escalation.
Journalism and business reporting lean on both forms constantly. “There have been advances in quantum computing” maintains neutral, impersonal tone — a style standard in technical and scientific writing where the actor matters less than the action.
See also : Let One’s Hair Down meaning and usage
Synonyms and Variations: Understanding Your Options
Semantic Neighbors and Illocutionary Force
When there has been / there have been feels repetitive or too formal, these alternatives carry a similar meaning:
- “A [noun] has occurred” — more active, slightly formal
- “[Noun] have taken place” — common in event reporting
- “We have seen [noun]” — warmer, often used in speeches
- “[Noun] have emerged” — common in analytical writing
- “Reports indicate [noun]” — journalistic register
Each option shifts the emphasis slightly. There has been spotlights existence; has occurred spotlights event; we have seen involves the reader. Choose based on what you want to foreground.
Visualizing the Agreement Pattern
Sentence: There + [has/have] + been + [SUBJECT NOUN]
↑
Agreement is controlled HERE
Singular / Uncountable → “has been”
- There has been a delay.
- There has been progress.
- There has been an error.
Plural → “have been”
- There have been delays.
- There have been reports.
- There have been three errors.
Regional Variations
The core rule — singular uses has, plural uses have — holds across both American and British English. One meaningful difference: British English occasionally treats collective nouns as plural.
| Construction | American English | British English |
|---|---|---|
| The team | singular — has been | can be plural — have been |
| The committee | singular — has been | often plural — have been |
| Clearly countable plural noun | have been | have been |
When writing for a British audience, follow the convention of the publication or house style guide. When in doubt, restructure the sentence to make the number explicit.
Common Mistakes
Knowing the rule doesn’t always prevent errors. These are the most frequent traps:
- Treating there as the subject. The word there never controls agreement. Skip it; find the real noun.
- Misreading quantifiers. Phrases like a number of, a series of, and a range of trip up writers. They are typically followed by a plural noun, which means have been: “There have been a number of complaints.”
- Letting the contraction there’s been creep into plural contexts in writing. There’s been delays may pass in speech, but it’s non-standard on the page.
- Collective noun confusion. “There has been a committee formed” (the committee as one unit) vs. “There have been committees formed across departments” (multiple units). Think about what you actually mean.
- Over-using the construction. Every sentence does not need an existential opener. Varying your sentence structure keeps writing from feeling mechanical.
See also : Roofs vs Rooves: Which Plural Is Correct?
Practical Tips and Field Notes
The Editor’s Field Note
Professional editors apply a simple two-step check before confirming has or have:
- Locate the real subject. Read past there and identify the first meaningful noun or noun phrase after been.
- Test the number. Ask: is this noun singular, uncountable, or plural? Singular or uncountable → has been. Plural → have been.
If you’re editing quickly, mentally substitute it (singular) or they (plural) for the noun: “It has been a problem” vs. “They have been problems.” The agreement becomes instantly obvious.
Memory Aids and Mnemonics
- S–H rule: Singular goes with Has. Both begin with a consonant. Plural goes with Have. Both begin with open sounds that feel expansive.
- The substitute test: Replace there with a proper subject. “Several delays have been reported” — plural confirmed, use have been.
- Count on your fingers: If you can count the nouns (one problem, two delays), have been serves the plural. If you can’t count it (confusion, progress, evidence), has been is your anchor.
Conclusion
Understanding the difference between there has been vs there have been can make your writing clearer and more accurate. The choice depends on whether the noun that follows is singular or plural. Use there has been with singular nouns and there have been with plural nouns. Learning this simple rule helps you avoid common grammar mistakes.
With regular practice, using there has been vs there have been becomes natural. Always check the noun after the phrase before choosing the verb. This small grammar point can improve both spoken and written English. Clear grammar makes your message easier to understand and helps you communicate with confidence in everyday situations.
FAQs
Is “there has been” vs “there have been” correct?
Both are correct — the choice depends on whether the subject noun is singular or plural.(there has been vs there have been)
Can I use “there’s been” in writing?
In informal writing, yes — but only when the subject is singular. Avoid there’s been with plural nouns in any formal context.
What is the subject in “there has been a change”?
The subject is a change, not there. The word there is a grammatical placeholder. (there has been vs there have been)
Does “there have been” work in past contexts?
For events before a specific past moment, use there had been — the past perfect form.
Is “there has been many changes” correct?
No. Changes is plural, so the correct form is “there have been many changes.”
What about uncountable nouns like “progress” or “evidence”?
Uncountable nouns are grammatically singular. Always use there has been: “There has been significant progress.” (there has been vs there have been)
