There Have Been or There Has Been: The Simple Grammar Rule Explained

Choosing between “there have been” and “there has been” can be confusing because the sentence begins with “there,” not with the noun that controls the verb. The key is simple: look at the noun that comes after been. If that noun is plural, use “there have been.” If it is singular or uncountable, use “there has been.”

Both forms are used to say that something has existed, happened, appeared, or occurred up to a particular time. For example, “There has been a problem” refers to one problem, while “There have been several problems” refers to more than one. Understanding this agreement rule will help you write and speak more naturally in everyday English, academic writing, and professional communication.

Quick Answer

Use “there has been” with a singular or uncountable noun and “there have been” with a plural noun. For example: “There has been a delay” but “There have been several delays.” The verb agrees with the noun following it, not with the word “there.”

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

The confusion happens because there is placed at the beginning of the sentence. It does not determine whether the verb should be singular or plural.

Compare:

• There has been a mistake. → one mistake
• There have been mistakes. → multiple mistakes

The noun mistake/mistakes determines the form of has/have.

This pattern is called an existential there construction. It is commonly used to introduce something that exists or has happened.

First Word: “There Have Been”

“There have been” is used when the noun that follows is plural.

Examples

• There have been many changes.
• There have been several accidents this year.
• There have been three meetings today.
• There have been a few complaints.
• There have been many improvements.

The plural subject requires have.

Second Word: “There Has Been”

“There has been” is used with a singular noun or an uncountable noun.

Examples

• There has been a problem.
• There has been an accident.
• There has been a major change.
• There has been some progress.
• There has been a lot of confusion.

Both singular and uncountable nouns take has in this structure.

There Have Been vs There Has Been: Comparison Table

Expression	Used With	Example
There has been	Singular noun	There has been a delay.
There has been	Uncountable noun	There has been progress.
There have been	Plural noun	There have been delays.
There have been	Plural countable noun	There have been several meetings.

When Should You Use Each?

Use “There has been” for one thing

Use it when the noun is singular.

There has been a change in the schedule.

There has been an error in the report.

Use “There has been” with uncountable nouns

Some nouns are not normally counted individually.

There has been progress.

There has been some confusion.

There has been too much noise.

Use “There have been” for multiple things

Use it when the noun is plural.

There have been several changes.

There have been many questions.

There have been two delays.

12 Examples of “There Have Been” and “There Has Been”

1. There has been a misunderstanding between the two teams.
2. There have been several changes to the schedule.
3. There has been a problem with the computer.
4. There have been many visitors this week.
5. There has been significant progress on the project.
6. There have been three meetings this month.
7. There has been an increase in demand.
8. There have been several improvements to the website.
9. There has been too much traffic today.
10. There have been many questions about the new policy.
11. There has been a noticeable difference in his performance.
12. There have been some unexpected problems.

Notice how has and have change according to the noun that follows.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using “has” with a plural noun

❌ There has been several problems.

✅ There have been several problems.

Problems is plural, so use have.

Mistake 2: Using “have” with a singular noun

❌ There have been a problem.

✅ There has been a problem.

A problem is singular, so use has.

Mistake 3: Looking at “there” instead of the noun

The word there does not tell you whether to use has or have.

Look at the noun:

• There has been a mistake.
• There have been mistakes.

Mistake 4: Confusing “there” with “their”

• There = used in this grammatical structure or refers to a place.
• Their = shows possession.

There have been several problems.

Their problems have been solved.

Memory Trick

Think:

One → HAS
More than one → HAVE

So:

• One problem → There has been a problem.
• Many problems → There have been problems.

You can also remember:

Has = one
Have = more than one

American vs British English

The basic rule is the same in both American English and British English:

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

The difference between American and British English does not normally change this subject-verb agreement rule.

Similar Words and Expressions

Several expressions are related to there has been and there have been.

There is

Used mainly for something singular in the present:

There is a problem.

There are

Used mainly for plural things in the present:

There are several problems.

There was

Used with a singular noun in the past:

There was a problem yesterday.

There were

Used with a plural noun in the past:

There were several problems yesterday.

There will be

Used to talk about something expected in the future:

There will be a meeting tomorrow.

Final Verdict

The choice between “there have been” and “there has been” depends on the noun that follows.

Use “there has been” with a singular or uncountable noun:

There has been a delay.

Use “there have been” with a plural noun:

There have been several delays.

The easiest way to choose correctly is to ignore there and identify whether the following noun is singular, uncountable, or plural.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it “there has been” or “there have been”?

Both are correct, but they are used differently. Use “there has been” with a singular or uncountable noun and “there have been” with a plural noun.

Is “there has been many” correct?

No, not in standard English when many refers to a plural noun.

❌ There has been many problems.

✅ There have been many problems.

Is “there have been a lot” correct?

It depends on the noun that follows.

There have been a lot of changes.

Here, changes is plural, so have is correct.

Is “there has been” singular?

Yes. “There has been” is normally used with a singular noun or an uncountable noun.

There has been a mistake.

There has been progress.

Is “there have been” plural?

Yes. “There have been” is used when the following noun is plural.

There have been several mistakes.

Can I use “there has been” with an uncountable noun?

Yes. Uncountable nouns generally take has in this construction.

There has been some progress.

There has been enough evidence.

What is the easiest way to remember the difference?

Remember one = has and more than one = have.

Remember This

There has been + singular/uncountable noun

There has been a problem.

There have been + plural noun

There have been several problems.

The noun—not there—determines the verb.

Conclusion

The difference between “there have been” and “there has been” is mainly a matter of subject-verb agreement. Use has been when the following noun is singular or uncountable, and use have been when the noun is plural.

Once you identify the noun after been, the choice becomes much easier. Whether you are writing an email, completing an English exercise, or speaking in everyday conversation, this simple rule will help you avoid a common grammar mistake.