Some folks could take a whole seminar
On whether to use "there is" or "there are."
It's really not hard. That being said,
The basic requirement is thinking ahead.

"There is" and "there are" start a sentence.° Okay?
The subject will follow. The verb must obey.
IF you begin with "there is" as a start,
A singular subject must then play its part.

"THERE'S not a lot of money to spare,"
But "THERE ARE a lot of people who care."
"THERE IS a problem when traffic has slowed,"
But "THERE ARE too many big trucks on the road."

"There is a fly in my soup," you will hear.
"Is" is correct. That should be clear.
But "There are a lot of cracks in the curb."
"Are" here, you see, is the right plural verb.

With multiple subjects some people get thrown.
If YOU find it tricky, then you're not alone.
"There are a woman, a man, and a dog
Crossing the street in the cool morning fog."

But, frankly, I'd say, even better yet,
Remove the "there are," and here's what you'll get:
"A woman, a man, and a dog" (short and sweet,
And right to the point) "are crossing the street…."

"There were drums in the song that we played."
Saying "there was" would be wrong, I'm afraid.
From this example, of course, you can tell
That the rule works with the past tense as well.

"There are two dishes that really stand out,"
"There are a lot of ways to cook trout."
Merely by thinking ahead when you speak,
You can perfect your verbal technique.

-by Bob B (6-18-23)

°Although "there is” and “there are” often start a sentence, they don't have to. Other words, phrases, and clauses can precede them.