There Has Been vs There Have Been: Which One Is Correct?

Choosing between “there has been” and “there have been” can be confusing, especially when the sentence begins with there. Both expressions are grammatically correct, but they are used with different types of nouns. The key is to look at the noun that comes after been, not simply the word there.

The expression “there has been” is used with a singular noun or an uncountable noun, while “there have been” is used with a plural noun. For example, “There has been a problem” is correct because problem is singular. On the other hand, “There have been several problems” is correct because problems is plural. Once you understand this simple subject agreement rule, choosing between the two becomes much easier.

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” is correct, while “There have been several delays” is correct.

Why People Confuse It

The main reason people confuse these expressions is that there appears at the beginning of the sentence.

For example:

There has been a problem.

There have been several problems.

The word there is not the noun that determines whether we use has or have.

Instead, look at the noun that follows the verb.

In:

There has been a problem.

problem is singular, so we use has.

In:

There have been several problems.

problems is plural, so we use have.

This is an example of subject verb agreement in an existential sentence.

A useful question to ask is:

What comes after “been”?

If it is singular or uncountable, use has been.

If it is plural, use have been.

First Word: There Has Been

There has been is used when the noun following the verb is singular or uncountable.

The basic structure is:

There has been + singular noun

Examples:

There has been a mistake.

There has been an accident.

There has been a change.

There has been a problem.

You can also use it with uncountable nouns.

There has been progress.

There has been significant improvement.

There has been some confusion.

There has been a lot of traffic.

Because uncountable nouns are generally treated as singular in English, they take has, not have.

There has been a problem

This means that one problem has occurred or existed.

There has been a problem with the computer.

There has been an increase

Here, increase is singular.

There has been an increase in prices.

This is a very common structure in formal and academic English.

Second Word: There Have Been

There have been is used when the noun following the verb is plural.

The basic structure is:

There have been + plural noun

Examples:

There have been several problems.

There have been many changes.

There have been numerous complaints.

There have been three accidents.

Here, the nouns problems, changes, complaints, and accidents are plural, so we use have.

There have been several changes

This means that multiple changes have occurred.

There have been several changes to the schedule.

There have been many complaints

Because complaints is plural, have is required.

There have been many complaints about the service.

Comparison Table

Expression	Used With	Example	Why
There has been	Singular noun	There has been a problem.	Problem is singular.
There has been	Uncountable noun	There has been progress.	Progress is uncountable.
There have been	Plural noun	There have been problems.	Problems is plural.
There have been	Plural countable noun	There have been three accidents.	Accidents is plural.
There has been a	Singular noun	There has been a delay.	Delay is singular.
There have been several	Plural noun	There have been several delays.	Delays is plural.

When to Use Each

Use “there has been” with one thing

If the noun is singular, use has.

There has been a delay.

There has been an error.

There has been an announcement.

There has been a misunderstanding.

The article a or an can often help you recognize that the noun is singular.

Use “there has been” with uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns are also treated as singular.

There has been progress.

There has been considerable damage.

There has been some confusion.

There has been enough evidence.

Be careful because these nouns may describe large quantities, but grammatically they remain singular.

Use “there have been” with multiple things

When the noun is plural, use have.

There have been many questions.

There have been several accidents.

There have been significant changes.

There have been numerous attempts.

Look at the noun, not “there”

This is the most important rule.

There has been a problem.

One problem.

There have been problems.

More than one problem.

Examples

Here are more than ten examples showing how to use both expressions correctly.

Examples with “there has been”

1. There has been a misunderstanding.
2. There has been a significant change in the schedule.
3. There has been an increase in demand.
4. There has been a delay in the delivery.
5. There has been some confusion about the instructions.
6. There has been considerable progress this year.
7. There has been an accident on the highway.
8. There has been a problem with the website.
9. There has been a noticeable improvement in his performance.
10. There has been enough evidence to support the claim.

Examples with “there have been”

11. There have been several changes to the policy.
12. There have been many complaints from customers.
13. There have been three meetings this week.
14. There have been numerous attempts to solve the problem.
15. There have been several delays at the airport.
16. There have been significant developments in the case.
17. There have been many improvements since last year.
18. There have been several accidents in this area.
19. There have been numerous questions about the new system.
20. There have been some unexpected difficulties.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: “There have been a problem”

This is incorrect because problem is singular.

Incorrect:

There have been a problem.

Correct:

There has been a problem.

Mistake 2: “There has been several problems”

This is incorrect because problems is plural.

Incorrect:

There has been several problems.

Correct:

There have been several problems.

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

Some learners think there determines the verb.

It does not.

Compare:

There has been a mistake.

There have been mistakes.

The noun determines the number.

Mistake 4: Treating uncountable nouns as plural

For example:

There have been progress.

This is incorrect.

Correct:

There has been progress.

Other commonly uncountable nouns include:

• information
• advice
• progress
• evidence
• research
• equipment
• furniture
• traffic
• damage

For example:

There has been a lot of progress.

Not:

There have been a lot of progress.

Mistake 5: Getting confused by a long phrase

Sometimes a long noun phrase comes after been.

For example:

There has been a significant increase in the number of visitors.

The main noun is increase, which is singular.

Therefore, has is correct.

Compare:

There have been significant increases in the number of visitors.

Here, increases is plural, so have is correct.

Memory Trick

Use this simple rule:

One = HAS

More than one = HAVE

For example:

There has been one problem.

There have been three problems.

You can also remember:

Has = singular or uncountable

Have = plural

Think of the noun immediately after been.

There has been a problem.

There have been problems.

There has been progress.

There have been changes.

This simple pattern works in most cases.

American vs British English

“There has been” and “there have been” follow the same basic grammar rules in both American and British English.

Both varieties use:

There has been a problem.

and:

There have been several problems.

The difference between American and British English is not significant here.

However, speakers of both varieties may sometimes differ in their choice of tense depending on context, particularly when discussing recent events.

For example:

There has been a change.

is natural when the change is relevant to the present.

The same basic grammatical agreement applies regardless of whether you are writing in American or British English.

Similar Words

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

There was

Use there was for a singular noun when talking about the past.

There was a problem yesterday.

There were

Use there were for plural nouns when talking about the past.

There were several problems yesterday.

There is

Use there is with a singular or uncountable noun in the present.

There is a problem.

There is some confusion.

There are

Use there are with plural nouns in the present.

There are several problems.

There has been

Use this for a singular or uncountable noun with the present perfect.

There has been a change.

There have been

Use this for a plural noun with the present perfect.

There have been several changes.

The important difference is both number and tense.

FAQs

Is “there has been” correct?

Yes. “There has been” is correct when followed by a singular or uncountable noun.

There has been a problem.

Is “there have been” correct?

Yes. “There have been” is correct when followed by a plural noun.

There have been several problems.

Which is correct, “there has been” or “there have been”?

Both are correct. The choice depends on the noun that follows been. Use has for singular or uncountable nouns and have for plural nouns.

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

The correct form is:

There have been several.

The word several is followed by a plural noun, so have is required.

For example:

There have been several mistakes.

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

The correct form is:

There have been many.

For example:

There have been many changes.

Because many is used with plural countable nouns, have is required.

Is “there has been a lot of” correct?

Yes, when the noun after a lot of is uncountable or singular in meaning.

There has been a lot of progress.

But with a plural noun:

There have been a lot of changes.

Why do we say “there has been” instead of “there have been”?

We use has when the following noun is singular or uncountable.

There has been an accident.

We use have when the following noun is plural.

There have been several accidents.

Final Verdict

The choice between “there has been” and “there have been” is determined by the noun that follows the verb.

Use:

There has been + singular or uncountable noun

There has been a problem.

There has been progress.

Use:

There have been + plural noun

There have been problems.

There have been several improvements.

Do not let the word there confuse you. The important word is the noun that tells you whether the subject is singular or plural.

Remember This

The easiest rule is:

There has been = one thing or an uncountable thing

There have been = two or more things

Examples:

There has been a change.

There have been several changes.

There has been progress.

There have been improvements.

If you remember has for singular and uncountable, have for plural, you will be able to choose correctly in almost every sentence.

Conclusion

“There has been” and “there have been” are both grammatically correct expressions, but they cannot always be used interchangeably. The correct choice depends on whether the noun that follows been is singular, uncountable, or plural. This is a basic example of subject verb agreement in English.

The easiest way to avoid mistakes is to ignore there and focus on the noun. If you are talking about one thing or an uncountable noun, choose there has been. If you are talking about multiple things, choose there have been. With this simple rule, sentences such as “There has been a delay” and “There have been several delays” become easy to distinguish.