英語存在句的表現形式很多，但要數“there be...”句型最引人注目。雖然CET-6考試中取消了考查語法的題目，但其依然滲透在閱讀、改錯、完形及寫作等項目中，仍應引起廣大考生的注意。
“there be...”句型是存在句的常用基本結構，there在句中處於主語位置，起形式主語的作用，真正的主語是隨後的名詞詞組。其謂語動詞通常是be的各種時、體等形式。如：
There is ice on the lake. 湖上有冰。
There were three students in the classroom then. 當時教室有三個學生。
There has never been anybody like you. 從來還沒有像你這樣的人。
There will be snow on high ground.在高地上將會有雪。
除此之外, there be句型還有一些特殊的結構：
1. there + 情態助動詞 + be表示 “預見”、“可能”、“必然”或“過去習慣存在”等。如：
There might be some desserts if you wait a bit. 如果你等一會兒，可能會有甜點。
There ought to have been someone on duty all the time. 本來應該有人全天值班。
There shall be no more wars. 再也不會打仗了。
也可以用there + 某些半助動詞 + be(很少使用完成體形式)，如：be going to, be certain to, be sure to, be likely to, have to be等。
There is going to be a rain. 要下雨了。
There's likely to be an interview.可能會有一場面試。
There has to be a mistake. 必定有錯。
2. 在正式文體中，某些表示存在、發生、出現、坐落等意義的不及物動詞也可以與there連用，如：appear, seem, come, remain, exist, live, stand, lie, arise, enter, follow, occur, rise, grow, happen, belong, arrive, fly, flash, sail, pass, run, spring up, emerge等。如：
There exist many ancient temples in the country. 那個國家有很多古老的寺廟。
There lies a small village in the mountain.山裡有個小村子。
Once upon a time, there lived an old queer man in the city. 從前，城裡住著個怪老頭。
There remains nothing more to be done. 沒有什麼別的事可做了。
There followed the first world war. 接著就是第一次世界大戰。
There flashed through his mind the image of a heroic fighter.他的頭腦中閃過英雄戰士的形象。
There sprang up a wild gale.突然颳起一陣狂風。
偶爾也能見到there後接及物動詞：
There struck me a sudden idea. 突然我有了一個主意。
如果句中的地點狀語前移就可以省略there。 如：
Behind the house (there) is a small river.
3. there + 不定式 to be 或there + being形式，稱為非限定存在句，可以作主語、賓語、介詞補足成分。
1) 作主語
There being a railway station in the town is a great advantage. 鎮上有個火車站，真方便呀！
“there to be+NP”作主語時，通常用for作引導詞:
For there to be a mistake in a computer's arithmetic is impossible. 計算機計算錯誤是不可能的。
It was seldom for there to be no late comers. 新來者很少沒有遲到的。
2) 作賓語
The committee anticipated there being less debate in the second discussion. 委員會期望在第二次討論中爭議能少一些。
We expect there to be no objections. 我們希望不會有人反對。
I'd prefer there to be more cooperation. 我希望有更多的合作。
3) 作介詞補足成分： 介詞是for, 用there to be形式； 介詞不是for，則用there being形式。
What's the chance of there being an election this year?今年進行選舉的可能性有多大？
We have no objection to there being a meeting here. 在這兒舉行會議，我們不反對。
Jill is waiting for there to be a big party.吉爾等著舉行一次盛大的晚會。
此外，there + being形式還可以用作狀語分句，形成獨立主格結構：
There being no further discussion, the chairman stood up and left the meeting-room.沒有可討論的了，主席站了起來，離開了會議室。
There having been no rain，the stream was dry. 一直沒有下雨，小溪都乾涸了。
“there be...”句型的難點在於它的非限定形式, 怎樣分辨使用there to be 和there being 呢? 兩個要點是關鍵：它們在句子中的成分及與句子中其他成分的搭配關係。如非限定形式的第2小點中的例句：anticipate與there being搭配，而expect 和prefer與there to be配伍。
“there be...”句型是我們寫作中常用的句型，多瞭解及掌握它的使
3．There be的非限定形式及用法
There be結構也可以以不定式（there to be）、動名詞（there being）和現在分詞（there being）的形式出現在句子中，作主語、賓語或狀語。這種非限定形式中的there在形式上起著邏輯主語的作用，因此，不定式there to be前有時需加介詞for，從形式上滿足引出不定式邏輯主語的需要，而分詞there being則具有獨立主格結構的意味。例如：
I don’t want there to be any more trouble．我不希望再有麻煩了。（不定式作賓語）
I expect there to be no argument about this．我希望對此沒有什麼爭論。（不定式作賓語）
It was unusual for there to be so few people in the street．大街上人這麼少，這不大正常。（不定式作主語）
What’s the chance of there being an election this year？今年舉行大選的可能性有多大？（動名詞作介詞賓語）
There being a bus stop so near the house is a great advantage．離屋子這麼近有一個汽車站，這太便利了。（動名詞作主語）
There being nothing else to do，we went home．沒有別的事可做，我們就回家了。（分詞作狀語）
4．由there be構成的固定句型
由there be構成的一些固定句型在英語中很活躍，需很好地掌握。常見的有：
There is no point in ＋v-ing：沒道理，沒用，沒必要
There is no use（in）＋v-ing：毫無用處
There is no sense in ＋v-ing：毫無道理
There is no need to ＋v：沒有必要
There is no ＋v-ing：不可能，無法。
例如：
There is no use in hiding that fact from him ．對他隱瞞那個事實沒什麼用。
There is no point in arguing further．再爭下去也沒用。
Is there any point in going on？有必要再繼續下去嗎？
There was no need for him to remain in Shanghai．他沒有必要再留在上海。
There was no sense in making a child suffer like that．讓一個孩子受那樣的苦是毫無道理的。
There was no mistaking his intentions this time．這回不可能看錯他的意圖。
Once let this fellow start talking，there was no stopping him．一旦讓這個傢伙談起來，就無法讓他停下來了。
5．there與其它動詞連用
除動詞be外，其它一些動詞也可以與there連用。這些動詞有兩類：一類是表示存在概念的狀態動詞，如：exist，remain，live，lie，stand等；一類是表示某事發生或某人到達等概念的不及物動詞，如：come，enter，arise，occur，follow，appear等。例如：
There lies a river behind the house．屋後有一條河。
Then there came a knock at the door．然後聽到敲門聲。
At a later stage there arose new problem swhich seemed insoluble．在後期出現了似乎無法解決的新問題
練習：
1 ______ a reading lamp on the table.
A There is B There has C It is D It has
2 What a rainy summer we’ve had!
Yes, there______ only 3 sunny weekends the whole summer.
A have been B are C had been D has been
3 I didn't want _____ to be a war between these two countries.
A it B them C there D their
4 There is reported ______a number of the wounded on both sides.
A to be B being C was D will be
5 ______ no coffee left, they had to make do with tea.
A It being B There being C It was D There was
6 There is a little hope of ______ a settlement of the argument.
A to be B there to be C there being D being
7 I don't expect there ______ any misunderstanding.
A is B to be C being D will be
8 There are five pairs______ , but I’m at a loss which to buy.
A to choose B to choose from C to be chosen D for my choosing
9 There is no use______ a lot without ______ anything.
A to talk, do B talked, doing C talking, being done D talking, doing
10 If the storm had happened in the day-time, there ______ many more deaths.
A were B would have been C had been D would be
11 Look! ______.
A There comes the bus B There the bus comes C The bus comes here D There does the bus come
12 ______ Mary with a baby in here arms just when I was about to leave.
A There enter B There entered C Entered there D There entered into
13 There are a lot of people ______ for the bus to come.
A waiting B to wait C waited D is waiting
14 The little girl is afraid to enter the house, because ______ a big dog at the gate.
A lies there B lays there C there lies D there lays
15 About twenty-three centuries ago, ______.
A there lived in Greece a great thinker who called Aristotle
B a great thinker lived in Greece calling Aristotle
C lived there in Greece a great thinker called Aristotle
D there lived in Greece a great thinker named Aristotle
16 ______ plenty of water in this river.
A There used to being B There used to be C There is used to being D There was used to be
17 What a pity, my new computer doesn't work. ______ must be something wrong with it.
A It B There C This D That
18______ no need for us to discuss the problem again since it has already been settled.
A It has B There has C It is D There is
19 Let’s get through the work quickly. ______ seems to be little time left now.
A It B That C There D we
20 ______appeared to be a war between his heart and his mind.
A There B It C Where D What
答案：
1A 2A 3C 4A 5B 6C 7B 8B 9D 10B 11A 12B 13A 14C 15D 16B 17B 18D 19C 20A
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