There Have Been or There Has Been: Which Is Correct? 2026

There Have Been or There Has Been can seem confusing, but the correct choice depends on whether the noun that follows is singular or plural. These phrases look nearly identical, yet they follow strict grammar rules. Use there has been with a singular noun or an 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 word there doesn’t control the verb because it works as a grammatical placeholder. Instead, the noun that follows determines whether you need has or have.

This difference may seem small, but it matters when you want your writing to sound grammatically correct and clear. You’ll often see both forms in emails, business reports, blog posts, and everyday communication. When you’re unsure, look at the noun after the verb and match it with the correct form. This simple approach can improve clarity, precision, and your overall command of English grammar.

Let’s dive in!

Quick Answer:

“There Have Been or There Has Been” depends on the noun that follows the phrase. Use “there has been” with singular or uncountable nouns, and “there have been” with plural nouns.

TL;DR:

• There has been works with singular and uncountable nouns.
• There have been works with plural nouns.
• The noun after the phrase controls the verb.
• “There has been a problem” is correct.
• “There have been several problems” is correct.
• The same rule applies across many English tenses.

There Has Been vs. There Have Been

The basic difference is grammatical agreement. Has is singular, while have is plural.

However, sentences beginning with there can make this rule feel less obvious. The real subject usually comes after the verb.

When to Use “There Has Been”

Use there has been before a singular noun or an uncountable noun.

For example:

• There has been a delay.
• There has been an accident.
• There has been a change.
• There has been enough progress.
• There has been some confusion.

In each sentence, the following noun is singular or uncountable.

When to Use “There Have Been”

Use there have been before a plural noun.

For example:

• There have been several delays.
• There have been two accidents.
• There have been many changes.
• There have been some complaints.
• There have been serious problems.

Here, the nouns delays, accidents, changes, complaints, and problems are plural.

What Does “There Has Been” Mean?

“There has been” describes something that existed, happened, or occurred before now. It commonly connects a past event with the present.

This construction uses the present perfect tense. Therefore, it often suggests that the past situation still matters now.

Examples in Everyday English

Consider these examples:

• There has been a mistake in the report.
• There has been a lot of rain today.
• There has been a noticeable improvement.
• There has been an unexpected change.
• There has been too much noise.

The exact meaning depends on the noun and surrounding context. Still, the grammar remains the same.

Why “Has” Is Singular

The word has agrees with a singular subject.

For example:

There has been a problem.

The important noun is problem, which is singular. Therefore, has is appropriate.

What Does “There Have Been” Mean?

“There have been” describes multiple things that happened or existed before now. It normally appears before a plural noun.

For example:

There have been several problems.

The noun problems is plural, so have is required.

Common Examples

You might hear or write:

• There have been many opportunities.
• There have been several attempts.
• There have been major improvements.
• There have been numerous discussions.
• There have been unexpected results.

Because the noun is plural, have is the correct auxiliary verb.

The Simple Pattern

A useful pattern is:

There has been + singular or uncountable noun

There have been + plural noun

This simple structure solves most cases.

Why Do People Confuse “There Has Been” and “There Have Been”?

The confusion often comes from the word there. In ordinary sentences, people expect the subject to appear before the verb.

However, existential there constructions work differently. The word there introduces the existence of something.

Look at the Noun After the Verb

Compare these sentences:

There has been a disagreement.

There have been disagreements.

The difference is easy to see when you focus on the nouns.

A disagreement is singular. Disagreements is plural.

Therefore, the verb changes from has to have.

Don’t Let Nearby Words Distract You

Longer sentences can make agreement harder to spot.

For example:

There have been several unexpected changes in the company’s policy.

The phrase “in the company’s policy” doesn’t control the verb. The noun changes does.

Likewise:

There has been a series of delays.

The noun series is singular. Therefore, has is standard.

There Has Been or There Have Been With Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns usually take there has been. These nouns describe things that aren’t normally counted as separate individual items.

Examples include information, advice, progress, traffic, money, and water.

Common Examples

• There has been enough progress.
• There has been little information.
• There has been considerable confusion.
• There has been heavy traffic.
• There has been some disagreement.

Even though these nouns may describe large amounts, they remain grammatically singular.

For example, information doesn’t normally become informations in standard American English. So we say:

There has been a lot of information shared.

Not:

There have been a lot of information shared.

There Has Been or There Have Been in Questions

The same agreement rule applies when asking questions. You simply move has or have before there.

Questions With “Has”

Use has with singular or uncountable nouns.

• Has there been a problem?
• Has there been any progress?
• Has there been a change?
• Has there been enough time?

These questions ask about one thing or an uncountable situation.

Questions With “Have”

Use have with plural nouns.

• Have there been any problems?
• Have there been several complaints?
• Have there been changes?
• Have there been other attempts?

The plural noun determines the use of have.

Read More: Year Old vs Years Old: The Simple Grammar Guide for 2026

There Has Been or There Have Been in American English

American English follows the same basic agreement rule. In formal writing, choosing the form that agrees with the following noun is the safest approach.

However, spoken English can sometimes make agreement less noticeable. Speakers may move quickly through phrases, especially in casual conversation.

Common American Examples

Context	Correct Form	Example
One event	There has been	There has been an accident.
Several events	There have been	There have been several accidents.
Uncountable noun	There has been	There has been progress.
One problem	There has been	There has been a problem.
Multiple problems	There have been	There have been many problems.

For professional, academic, and edited writing, follow standard subject-verb agreement.

Why This Matters

The distinction may seem small, but it can affect how polished your writing sounds. Correct agreement also makes longer sentences easier to understand.

There Has Been or There Have Been With “A Number Of”

One especially common source of confusion is a number of. This expression normally takes a plural noun and a plural verb.

For example:

There have been a number of changes.

The noun changes is plural, and a number of means several.

Compare “A Number” and “The Number”

Now compare:

There have been a number of complaints.

There has been an increase in the number of complaints.

The first sentence uses have because the construction refers to several complaints.

The second uses has because the subject is an increase, which is singular.

This distinction is useful in formal American writing.

There Has Been or There Have Been in Different Tenses

“There has been” and “there have been” are forms of the present perfect. However, similar existential constructions appear in other tenses too.

Past Simple

For past events, use there was or there were.

• There was a problem yesterday.
• There were several problems yesterday.

Present Perfect

For situations connected to the present, use:

• There has been a problem.
• There have been several problems.

Future

For future situations, use there will be.

• There will be a meeting tomorrow.
• There will be several meetings next week.

The same basic singular and plural distinction remains visible in the past tense.

Common Mistakes With There Has Been and There Have Been

These expressions are easy to understand once you identify the noun. Still, several mistakes appear frequently in everyday writing.

Mistake: Using “Have” With a Singular Noun

Incorrect:

There have been a problem.

Correct:

There has been a problem.

The noun problem is singular, so has is required.

Mistake: Using “Has” With a Plural Noun

Incorrect:

There has been several problems.

Correct:

There have been several problems.

The noun problems is plural, so have is necessary.

Mistake: Matching the Verb With “There”

Some writers assume that there controls the verb. It doesn’t work that way in these constructions.

Instead, look at the noun that follows has been or have been.

How to Choose the Correct Form Quickly

You don’t need to analyze the entire sentence. Instead, find the noun that comes after the verb.

A Three-Step Method

Use this quick method:

• Find the noun after there has/have been.
• Decide whether that noun is singular, plural, or uncountable.
• Choose has for singular or uncountable nouns; choose have for plural nouns.

For example:

There ___ been three accidents.

Accidents is plural, so the answer is have.

There ___ been an accident.

Accident is singular, so the answer is has.

This method works in most everyday situations.

There Has Been or There Have Been: More Examples

Examples are often the fastest way to make the distinction stick. The following pairs show how changing the noun changes the verb.

Singular Examples

• There has been a misunderstanding.
• There has been an unusual delay.
• There has been a significant improvement.
• There has been another complaint.

Plural Examples

• There have been several misunderstandings.
• There have been unusual delays.
• There have been significant improvements.
• There have been additional complaints.

Notice how the verb changes whenever the noun changes from singular to plural.

Uncountable Examples

• There has been enough evidence.
• There has been considerable interest.
• There has been little progress.
• There has been too much confusion.

These nouns aren’t normally treated as plural in standard English.

Is “There Have Been” Always Plural?

In standard usage, there have been is followed by a plural noun or coordinated plural subject.

For example:

There have been several reports.

It can also appear when two or more singular nouns form a plural subject.

For example:

There have been a delay and several cancellations.

However, this structure can sound awkward. Writers often improve clarity by restructuring the sentence.

Clearer Alternatives

Instead of forcing a complicated construction, you might write:

There has been a delay, and several cancellations have followed.

This version makes each subject and verb relationship clearer.

What Is the Difference Between “There Has Been” and “There Was”?

Both expressions can describe past events, but they don’t always carry the same meaning.

There was is simple past. It often describes something completed at a specific past time.

There has been is present perfect. It often connects a past event with the present.

Compare the Meaning

There was a problem yesterday.

The sentence focuses on yesterday.

There has been a problem.

The sentence emphasizes that the problem occurred and may still matter now.

Time expressions can help you choose the correct tense. Words such as yesterday, last year, and in 2020 commonly point toward the simple past.

Is “There Has Been” More Formal?

Not necessarily. Both forms are normal parts of everyday American English.

You’ll find them in conversations, emails, news writing, business communication, and academic writing.

However, formal writing makes correct agreement especially important. A sentence such as “there has been several issues” can look noticeably incorrect in edited prose.

Where You Might See These Forms

They commonly appear in:

• Business reports describing recent developments
• News stories discussing recent events
• Emails explaining delays or changes
• Academic writing describing research findings
• Everyday conversations about recent experiences

The grammar doesn’t change simply because the setting changes.

How the Meaning Changes With Context

The words there has been and there have been don’t carry one symbolic or emotional meaning. Instead, they introduce information about existence or occurrence.

Still, context can change how a sentence feels.

For example, “There has been progress” sounds positive. Meanwhile, “There has been a serious problem” signals concern.

Positive Contexts

You might say:

There has been significant progress.

There have been many improvements.

These sentences highlight development or success.

Negative Contexts

You might instead say:

There has been a serious delay.

There have been several complaints.

Here, the same grammatical structure introduces an unfavorable situation.

The grammar stays constant while the context changes the emotional effect.

FAQs:

1. Is “there have been” or “there has been” correct?

Both are correct, but they are used with different nouns. Use there has been with singular or uncountable nouns and there have been with plural nouns.

2. When should I use “there has been”?

Use there has been when the noun that follows is singular or uncountable. For example, “There has been a change” or “There has been some confusion.”

3. When should I use “there have been”?

Use there have been when the noun that follows is plural. For example, “There have been several changes” or “There have been many complaints.”

4. Is “there have been a problem” correct?

No. There have been a problem is incorrect because “problem” is singular. The correct sentence is “There has been a problem.”

5. Is “there has been problems” grammatically correct?

No. Since “problems” is plural, you should use have. The correct form is “There have been problems.”

6. Does “there” determine whether I use “has” or “have”?

No. There acts as a grammatical placeholder. The noun that follows determines whether you need has or have.

7. What is an easy way to remember the difference?

Look at the noun after been. If it’s singular or uncountable, use there has been. If it’s plural, use there have been.

Conclusion:

Understanding There Have Been or There Has Been becomes much easier when you focus on the noun that follows the verb. Use there has been for singular or uncountable nouns and there have been for plural nouns. Once you learn this simple agreement rule, you can use both phrases confidently in everyday communication, academic writing, emails, and professional documents.