Guide to English grammar

4 We form negatives and questions in the normal way.
There wasn't a van outside the house.
Are there any letters for me?

5 We can use there in a question tag.

There's a concert next week, isn't there?

A practical guide to English grammar 49

6 After there, the verb agrees with its complement. (But • 153(6) Note.)
There is a letter/There are some letters for you.
There was a van there , outside the house.

7 There can also be the subject of an infinitive or ing-form. I didn't expect there to be such a crowd. The village is very isolated, there being no bus service. But this is rather literary. A finite clause is more usual. I didn’t expect (that) there would be such a crowd. The village is very isolated because there's no bus service.

3 There + be with relative clauses

We can put an active or passive participle after the noun phrase.
There was a van blocking the road. (= A van was blocking the road.)
There was a van parked outside the house. (= A van was parked outside the house.)
But we use a finite relative clause for a single action.
There was a noise that woke me up.
We also use a finite clause when the pronoun is not the subject.
There's a small matter which we need to discuss.

For the infinitive after there, • 113(2).

There is a small matter to discuss/to be discussed.

4 There with other verbs
We use the subject there mostly with the verb be. Some other verbs are possible, but only in a formal or literary style.
On top of the hill there stands an ancient church tower.
There now follows a party political broadcast.
The next day there occurred a strange incident.
Verbs in this pattern are: arise, arrive, come, emerge, enter, exist, follow, lie, live, occur, remain, result, sit, stand, take place.

NOTE
We can use seem, appear, happen, chance, turn out, prove and tend with to be.