There Has Been vs. There Have Been depends on whether the following subject is singular or plural, making subject-verb agreement clear today. The key is to look beyond there because it acts as a grammatical placeholder, while the noun after the verb controls agreement.
Use there has been with a singular noun or uncountable noun, such as “There has been one problem.” Use there have been with a plural noun, such as “There have been several problems.” Understanding these present perfect tense constructions helps you describe events, situations, and changes that connect the past with the present.
With regular practice, you can use both forms naturally in formal writing, everyday conversation, and news reporting, while improving clarity, accuracy, and overall communication..
Quick Answer
The difference between there has been and there have been depends on whether the noun that follows been is singular, uncountable, or plural.
- Use there has been with a singular noun.
- There has been a mistake.
- There has been an accident.
- Use there has been with an uncountable noun.
- There has been progress.
- There has been some confusion.
- Use there have been with a plural noun.
- There have been several mistakes.
- There have been many accidents.
A handy rule is:
Singular or uncountable = has been. Plural = have been.
The word there doesn’t decide whether you should use has or have. Instead, the noun that follows the verb determines the correct form.
Comparison Overview
| 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 several delays. |
| Has there been | Singular or uncountable noun in questions | Has there been a delay? |
| Have there been | Plural noun in questions | Have there been any delays? |
| There hasn’t been | Singular or uncountable noun | There hasn’t been much progress. |
| There haven’t been | Plural noun | There haven’t been many changes. |
The simplest way to choose between them is to look beyond there and identify the noun being introduced.
Main Differences Between There Has Been vs. There Have Been
The main difference is number. Grammar uses “number” to describe whether a noun is singular or plural.
With a singular noun, use has:
- There has been a problem.
- There has been an update.
- There has been one complaint.
With a plural noun, use have:
- There have been problems.
- There have been several updates.
- There have been many complaints.
This rule remains the same even when the sentence becomes longer. Consider these two examples:
There has been a significant change in the company’s policy.
There have been several significant changes in the company’s policy.
The extra words don’t affect the agreement. The important nouns are change and changes.
When to Use “There Has Been”
Use there has been when the noun that follows been is singular or uncountable.
With Singular Countable Nouns
A singular countable noun refers to one person, thing, place, event, or idea. It often appears with a, an, one, each, or another singular determiner.
Examples include:
- There has been a mistake.
- There has been an accident.
- There has been one complaint.
- There has been a change in the schedule.
- There has been another delay.
Notice the pattern:
There has been + singular noun
You wouldn’t write “There have been a mistake.” The noun “mistake” refers to one thing, so has been is required.
With Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns don’t normally take a plural -s and don’t refer to separate countable items in the usual sense.
Common examples include:
- progress
- information
- advice
- traffic
- money
- evidence
- confusion
- equipment
- research
Therefore, you can write:
- There has been progress.
- There has been enough evidence.
- There has been a lot of traffic.
- There has been some confusion.
- There has been considerable research on the subject.
Although “progress” might describe a large amount, it remains an uncountable noun. That’s why has is correct.
When to Use “There Have Been”
Use there have been when the noun is plural.
A plural noun refers to two or more people, things, events, or ideas.
Examples include:
- There have been several problems.
- There have been many changes.
- There have been three meetings.
- There have been numerous complaints.
- There have been significant improvements.
The basic structure is:
There have been + plural noun
For example, compare:
There has been a complaint.
There have been several complaints.
The only important change is the number of the noun. Complaint is singular, while complaints is plural.
“There Has Been” With Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns deserve special attention because they can refer to large amounts without becoming plural.
For example:
There has been a lot of traffic today.
The amount of traffic might be enormous. Still, “traffic” remains uncountable. Therefore, has been is correct.
Other examples include:
- There has been little progress.
- There has been enough evidence.
- There has been considerable interest in the project.
- There has been too much noise.
- There has been some confusion about the instructions.
A common mistake is to focus on the quantity rather than the noun itself. Words such as a lot of, some, much, and little don’t automatically determine the verb.
Look at the noun:
- There has been a lot of traffic.
- There have been a lot of cars.
Here, “traffic” is uncountable while “cars” is plural. That’s why the verb changes.
“There Have Been” With Plural Nouns
Plural nouns require have been in this structure.
Consider:
- There have been several meetings this month.
- There have been many questions about the new policy.
- There have been two major delays.
- There have been numerous changes to the website.
- There have been unexpected developments.
The plural noun may appear several words after been, but the agreement still depends on it.
For example:
There have been several unexpected changes to the schedule.
The phrase “several unexpected” sits between the verb and the noun. However, the noun changes remains plural.
A Useful Comparison
| Singular | Plural |
| There has been a delay. | There have been several delays. |
| There has been one problem. | There have been many problems. |
| There has been a change. | There have been several changes. |
| There has been an error. | There have been multiple errors. |
| There has been a complaint. | There have been several complaints. |
This side-by-side comparison makes the pattern much easier to remember.
There Has Been vs. There Have Been in the Present Perfect
Both expressions use the present perfect tense.
The present perfect generally connects a past event or situation with the present. It uses:
has/have + past participle
In these expressions, been is the past participle of be.
So:
- has + been
- have + been
The choice between has and have isn’t about the tense. Both forms are present perfect. The choice depends on subject-verb agreement.
Compare:
There has been a problem.
There have been problems.
Both sentences use the present perfect. The difference comes from problem versus problems.
This distinction matters because changing the tense doesn’t remove the agreement rule.
How “There” Affects Subject-Verb Agreement
The word there can make subject-verb agreement seem backward.
In sentences such as “There has been a problem,” the sentence begins with “there,” but “there” isn’t the noun determining whether the verb should be singular or plural.
Instead, look at the noun phrase that follows the verb.
Consider:
There has been one problem.
The important noun is problem, which is singular.
Now change it:
There have been several problems.
The noun problems is plural.
This structure is often called an existential there construction because it introduces the existence or occurrence of something.
You can think of there as a signpost. It introduces what exists, but the noun that follows tells you whether to use has or have.
There Has Been vs. There Have Been in Questions
The same agreement rule applies when you turn these sentences into questions.
With a singular noun:
Has there been a change?
With a plural noun:
Have there been any changes?
Compare these examples:
- Has there been an update?
- Has there been a problem?
- Has there been enough progress?
- Have there been any updates?
- Have there been any problems?
- Have there been major improvements?
The question form moves has or have before there, but the noun still controls the choice.
Common Question Mistakes
Incorrect:
Have there been a problem?
Correct:
Has there been a problem?
Incorrect:
Has there been several problems?
Correct:
Have there been several problems?
The mistake usually happens because writers look at there rather than the noun that follows been.
There Has Been vs. There Have Been in Negative Sentences
Negative sentences follow exactly the same agreement rule.
Use hasn’t been with singular or uncountable nouns:
- There hasn’t been a problem.
- There hasn’t been an update.
- There hasn’t been much progress.
- There hasn’t been enough time.
Use haven’t been with plural nouns:
- There haven’t been any problems.
- There haven’t been many updates.
- There haven’t been enough opportunities.
- There haven’t been significant changes.
In everyday American English, contractions sound natural:
- There hasn’t been a response yet.
- There haven’t been any complaints.
In formal writing, you may choose the full forms when the context calls for a more formal tone:
- There has not been a response.
- There have not been any complaints.
Both forms are grammatically valid.
There Has Been vs. There Have Been With “Any”
The word any doesn’t decide whether you should use has or have. The noun does.
Consider:
There hasn’t been any problem.
Here, “problem” is singular.
Now compare:
There haven’t been any problems.
Here, “problems” is plural.
You can also use any with uncountable nouns:
There hasn’t been any information about the decision.
The noun information is uncountable, so hasn’t been is correct.
Examples at a Glance
- There hasn’t been any evidence.
- There hasn’t been any progress.
- There hasn’t been any confusion.
- There haven’t been any mistakes.
- There haven’t been any delays.
- There haven’t been any complaints.
Don’t let any distract you. Find the noun and determine whether it’s singular, plural, or uncountable.
There Has Been vs. There Have Been With Time Expressions
Both expressions commonly appear with present-perfect time expressions.
Useful expressions include:
- recently
- lately
- so far
- this week
- this month
- this year
- over the past few days
- over the last several months
- since Monday
Examples:
- There has been a noticeable improvement this year.
- There have been several updates this week.
- There has been considerable interest recently.
- There have been many changes over the past few months.
- There has been little progress so far.
The time expression doesn’t change the agreement rule.
There have been several delays this week remains plural because delays is plural.
Read More: Where Are You Headed vs Where Are You Heading? What’s the Difference?
There Has Been vs. There Have Been: Common Mistakes
Mistake: “There has been many problems.”
This is incorrect because problems is plural.
Correct:
There have been many problems.
Mistake: “There have been a problem.”
This is incorrect because a problem is singular.
Correct:
There has been a problem.
Mistake: “There has been several changes.”
“Changes” is plural, so use have.
Correct:
There have been several changes.
Mistake: “There haven’t been a solution.”
“Solution” is singular.
Correct:
There hasn’t been a solution.
Mistake: “Has there been any problems?”
“Problems” is plural.
Correct:
Have there been any problems?
Mistake: “There have been much progress.”
“Progress” is uncountable.
Correct:
There has been much progress.
However, in natural American English, “There has been a lot of progress” often sounds more conversational.
There Has Been vs. There Have Been Examples
Real examples make this grammar rule easier to apply.
Everyday Conversation
- There has been a change in our plans.
- There have been some changes to the schedule.
- There has been a lot of traffic today.
- There have been several accidents on this road.
Workplace English
- There has been an issue with the software.
- There have been several issues with the software.
- There has been progress on the project.
- There have been delays in completing the project.
Education
- There has been a change in the exam schedule.
- There have been several changes to the curriculum.
- There has been considerable interest in the course.
- There have been many questions from students.
News and Reports
- There has been a significant increase in demand.
- There have been several developments since the announcement.
- There has been widespread concern about the decision.
- There have been reports of delays.
These examples show that the same rule works across casual, professional, academic, and formal writing.
FAQs:
What is the main difference between “there has been” and “there have been”?
There has been is used with a singular or uncountable noun, while there have been is used with a plural noun. For example, “There has been a delay” is correct, but “There have been several delays” is correct.
Is “there has been” singular?
Yes. There has been is used when the noun that follows is singular or uncountable. For example, “There has been a change” and “There has been some progress” are both correct.
When should I use “there have been”?
Use there have been when the noun that follows is plural. For example, “There have been many changes” and “There have been several complaints” are grammatically correct.
Is “there” the subject in “there has been”?
No. There is a grammatical placeholder. The noun that follows the verb determines whether you need has been or have been. This is why subject-verb agreement matters.
Which is correct: “there has been problems” or “there have been problems”?
There have been problems is correct because problems is plural. Since the noun is plural, the verb must also use the plural form have been.
Conclusion:
Understanding there has been and there have been becomes simple once you identify the noun that follows the verb. Use there has been for singular or uncountable nouns and there have been for plural nouns. Remember that there doesn’t control the verb agreement. With regular practice, choosing the correct form will become natural and help you write and speak with greater clarity and accuracy.
