MyHometown
There is / there are + quantifiers · describing places
CEFR Pathway · You are here
Warm-up · Section 1
5 minGet talking
Describe your hometown in exactly three adjectives. Why those words?
A friend has 24 hours in your town. What's the ONE thing they must do?
What's one thing your town doesn't have but really needs?
Grammar focus · Section 2
8–10 minThere is / there are + quantifiers
Use 'there is/are' to say what exists in a place.
→ There's a lot of traffic in the city centre.
→ There are plenty of cafés near the river.
→ There aren't many parks in my neighbourhood.
→ There's hardly any nightlife after midnight.
→ There are no cinemas in my village — we drive to the next town.
More detail
Add quantifiers (a lot of, plenty of, a few, hardly any, no) to give a more natural picture. Remember: use 'there is' with singular and uncountable nouns, 'there are' with plural countable nouns.
Quantifiers from 'none' to 'a lot'.
- 95%
plenty of
There's plenty of parking.
- 80%
a lot of
There are a lot of tourists in summer.
- 50%
some
There's some green space near the river.
- 30%
a few / a little
There are a few good restaurants.
- 10%
hardly any
There's hardly any traffic on Sundays.
- 0%
no / none
There are no buses after 11pm.
Question 1.____ a great market in my town on Saturdays.
Question 2.There ____ many young people here — most have moved to the capital.
Question 3.There's ____ noise at night — I sleep really well.
Question 4.How ____ museums are there in your city?
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Quick check 1.Choose the correct option: 'There ____ a few problems with the bus service.'
Vocabulary · Section 3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
Don't just read these — say one out loud, then use it about your life.
lively
full of energy, action and people
"Our neighbourhood is really lively on Friday nights."
Is your area lively or quiet? Give one example.
quiet
calm, with few people or little noise
"I prefer quiet streets when I'm working from home."
Where in your city is the quietest spot you know?
outskirts
the outer parts of a town or city
"We moved to the outskirts for more space."
Do you live in the centre or the outskirts? Why?
landmark
a famous building or feature people recognise
"The bridge is the city's main landmark."
Name one landmark in your city. Have you been to it recently?
nightlife
entertainment available in the evening (bars, clubs)
"Madrid is famous for its nightlife."
How would you describe your city's nightlife?
rush hour
the busy time when people travel to/from work
"I avoid the metro at rush hour."
What time is rush hour where you live?
green space
areas with grass, trees and parks
"There's not enough green space in the city centre."
What's your favourite green space?
run-down
in poor condition, not well maintained
"The old station is a bit run-down but charming."
Name a run-down area near you — should it be renovated?
Discuss with a partner
- →Sell your neighbourhood to a tourist in 30 seconds — use 4 words.
- →What does your city need more of: green space, nightlife, or quiet?
Finish the sentence about you
- My area is …
- The best landmark near me is …
- Rush hour here is …
Rank & justify
Rank what matters most to you in a place to live.
- green space
- lively nightlife
- good transport
- quiet streets
60-second write
Write 60 words describing your neighbourhood using ≥3 of today's words.
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3–4 minWeak forms: 'there's' and 'there are'
- • There's a great café on the corner. → /ðeəz/
- • There are plenty of options. → /ðeərə/
- • Are there any tickets left? → /ə ðər/
- • There aren't many people here. → /ðeə rɑːnt/
How to say it
'There's' is almost always contracted in speech: /ðeəz/. 'There are' becomes /ðeərə/ — the 'are' is barely a vowel. Don't stress these words; stress what comes after them.
Reading · Section 5
8–10 minWelcome to Porto
Porto, in northern Portugal, is famous for two things: its wine and its old blue-tiled buildings. The historic centre is small enough to explore on foot, and there are plenty of viewpoints over the Douro river. The city is lively but not overwhelming — you'll find a lot of small family restaurants, a few buzzing nightlife streets, and hardly any of the big chain hotels you see in larger capitals. On the outskirts there are quiet beaches just twenty minutes away by tram. Locals will tell you the best landmark isn't a building at all — it's the iron bridge that crosses the river at sunset.
Question 1.What is Porto especially famous for?
Question 2.What does the text say about chain hotels?
Question 3.What do locals consider the best landmark?
Q1.The historic centre is too big to explore on foot.
Q2.There are quiet beaches near the city.
Q3.Porto has more chain hotels than small restaurants.
Listening · Section 6
8–10 minA new arrival in town
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Lena:So, how are you finding life here so far?
Marco:Honestly, I love it. There's so much going on — way more than in my old town.
Lena:Yeah? What's your favourite area?
Marco:Probably the river district. There are plenty of cafés and the nightlife is really lively.
Lena:Any downsides?
Marco:The rush hour is brutal — there's hardly any space on the metro. And the area near the station is a bit run-down.
Lena:Have you found a flat yet?
Marco:Yes, on the outskirts. It's quieter, and there's a lot of green space nearby.
Question 1.Why does Marco like the river district?
Question 2.What does Marco say about the area near the station?
Question 3.Why did Marco choose to live on the outskirts?
Exam skills · Section 7
5 minCambridge PET — Reading Part 1: matching information
Task
Read three short descriptions of towns and decide which town matches a given visitor's needs.
Strategy
Don't try to understand every word. Underline the visitor's KEY needs (e.g. 'quiet', 'nightlife', 'cheap'), then scan each town text for matching quantifiers ('plenty of', 'hardly any', 'no').
Example
Visitor wants: somewhere quiet with green space. Town A: 'lively nightlife and busy markets' ✗ — Town B: 'plenty of parks and hardly any traffic' ✓ — Town C: 'a lot of clubs but few green areas' ✗.
Practice · Section 8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.____ plenty of things to do in my hometown at the weekend.
Question 2.There ____ hardly ____ public transport after midnight.
Question 3.How ____ green space is there in your area?
Question 4.There ____ a few problems with parking, but nothing serious.
Question 5.The old market is the most famous ____ in our city.
Q1.Correct the mistake: 'There is many tourists here in summer.'
Q2.Complete: 'There ____ (be) hardly any noise at night.'
Q3.Make a question: 'a / good / there / restaurant / is / near / here / ?'
Writing · Section 9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a short paragraph (70–90 words) describing your hometown for a tourism website. Use at least three quantifiers (plenty of, a few, hardly any…) and two pieces of place vocabulary.
Show model answer
My hometown, Valencia, is on the east coast of Spain. There are plenty of beaches within walking distance of the centre, and the old town has a few beautiful landmarks, including a 13th-century cathedral. The nightlife is lively but never overwhelming, and you'll find a lot of small tapas bars in every neighbourhood. There's hardly any heavy industry, so the air feels clean. If you visit, don't miss the Turia park — a green space that used to be a river!
Speaking · Section 10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
Partner A is moving to Partner B's hometown for six months. A asks 5 questions about the town; B answers honestly using quantifiers and place vocabulary.
Useful phrases
- • Is there a good …?
- • Are there any … near …?
- • There's plenty of / hardly any …
- • It's a bit run-down / really lively.
- • If I were you, I'd live in the …
- AIs there much to do in the evenings?
- B_______________
- AWhat about green space? I love running outdoors.
- B_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Use these to extend speaking and personalise the target language. ~30 min total
Homework · Section 11
Take-homeTake it home
Record a 60-second voice note describing your hometown to a future visitor.
Write 5 sentences about your neighbourhood using 5 different quantifiers.
Find an English tourism video about any city; note 5 place-description expressions.
Recap · Section 12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- Use 'there is/are' to describe what exists in a place.
- Add quantifiers (plenty of, a few, hardly any) for natural fluency.
- Singular/uncountable → there is; plural countable → there are.
- Contract 'there's' and weaken 'there are' in natural speech.
- Use place vocabulary (landmark, outskirts, nightlife) to sound more confident.