Here and there

We use here for the place where the speaker or writer is. There is used for other places.

(On the telephone) ‘Hello, is James there?’ ‘No, he is not here.’ (NOT No, he is not there.)

Can you put this chair in that corner over there?

Why are you standing alone there? Come over here and talk to us.

I wish he was here with me.

Can you come here? (NOT Can you come there?)

Can you go there? (NOT Can you come there?)

Here and there cannot be used as nouns. That means they can’t be the subject or object of a verb.

This place is very cold. (NOT Here is very cold.)

But you can say, It is very cold here.

Did you like that place? (NOT Did you like there?)

Here and there often begin clauses. Note the word order:

Here is / here comes

There is / there goes

Here comes the bus! (NOT Here the bus comes!)

There goes the dinner bell! (NOT There the dinner bell goes.)

There is Peter. (NOT There Peter is.)

Pronoun subjects come directly after here and there.

Here it comes. (NOT Here comes it.)

There he goes. (NOT There goes he.)