In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 50 in the category of VERBS is defined as:
‘there’ with other verbs with modal meaning + ‘be’ + complement.
The EGP modality examples contain: ‘need, have, is going + to’
However, in the English Vocabulary Profile, ‘there needs to be’ is listed at C2 with the following example:
There needs to be more funding for education in this country.
And at C1 ‘ought to’ is listed in the EGP for a desired state of affairs:
So there ought to be one fairy for every boy and girl.
Also, note that there are various common verbs that have a modal meaning which might fit this structure:
appear, feel, know, reckon, suppose, believe, gather, look, seem, tend, expect, guess, promise, sound, think
An iWeb search for
there_EX * to be *
1 THERE SEEMS TO BE A 19253 (‘seem’ is a verb that carries modal meaning)
There seems to be a lot of confusion on this next question.
2 THERE HAS TO BE A 10944
Writing is a form of expressing how one feels but there has to be a limit to the amount that one can express through writing.
PELIC STUDENT: Arabic, Male, LEVEL 4, writing class.
3 THERE NEEDS TO BE A 9778
4 THERE SEEMS TO BE NO 6960
5 THERE APPEARS TO BE A 5777
6 THERE USED TO BE A 5232
7 THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME 3604
8 THERE HAS TO BE SOME 3325
9 THERE HAD TO BE A 3313
There had to be a second man.
10 THERE APPEARS TO BE NO 3208
11 THERE SEEMS TO BE AN 3090
12 THERE SEEMED TO BE A 2137
13 THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME 2007
14 THERE NEEDS TO BE AN 1669
15 THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE 1655
16 THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING 1640
17 THERE HAS TO BE AN 1546
18 THERE IS TO BE A 1316
19 THERE SEEMS TO BE LITTLE 1195
20 THERE SEEMED TO BE NO 1110
21 THERE APPEARS TO BE SOME 994
22 THERE OUGHT TO BE A 968 C1
23 THERE SEEMS TO BE MORE 968
24 THERE APPEARS TO BE AN 960
25 THERE SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING 946
26 THERE TENDS TO BE A 854
There tends to be water at the base of the ice sheet here.
27 THERE WAS TO BE NO 828
28 THERE CONTINUES TO BE A 800
29 THERE WAS TO BE A 728
30 THERE HAD TO BE SOME 677
31 THERE USED TO BE AN 603
32 THERE APPEARED TO BE A 574
33 THERE HAS TO BE MORE 562
34 THERE HAPPENS TO BE A 560
35 THERE USED TO BE . 555
36 THERE IS TO BE NO 533
37 THERE HAD TO BE SOMETHING 525
38 THERE APPEARED TO BE NO 504
39 THERE APPEARS TO BE LITTLE 498
40 THERE NEEDED TO BE A 492
41 THERE SEEMS TO BE SO 472
42 THERE SEEMS TO BE TWO 446
43 THERE SEEMS TO BE NOTHING 440
44 THERE SEEMS TO BE QUITE 440
45 THERE SEEMS TO BE THIS 438
46 THERE SEEMS TO BE VERY 425
47 THERE HAD TO BE AN 409
48 THERE SEEMED TO BE SOME 370
49 THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING 370
50 THERE WERE TO BE A 351
51 THERE IS TO BE ANY 334
52 THERE USED TO BE , 323
53 THERE SEEMED TO BE AN 317
54 THERE HAS TO BE AT 305
55 THERE SEEMS TO BE ONLY 305
56 THERE SEEMS TO BE PLENTY 305
57 THERE OUGHT TO BE SOME 288
58 THERE HAVE TO BE SOME 261
59 THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER 260
60 THERE HAPPENED TO BE A 258
61 THERE SEEMS TO BE ONE 234
62 THERE SEEMS TO BE MANY 217
63 THERE SEEM TO BE A 212
64 THERE WERE TO BE NO 212
65 THERE USED TO BE SOME 211
66 THERE SEEMS TO BE THE 203
67 THERE IS TO BE AN 202
68 THERE HAS TO BE SOMEONE 191
69 THERE USED TO BE TWO 172
70 THERE APPEARS TO BE SOMETHING 166
71 THERE SEEMS TO BE TOO 165
72 THERE SEEMS TO BE LOTS 162
73 THERE ARE TO BE NO 157
74 THERE IS TO BE FOUND 148
75 THERE NEEDS TO BE AT 147
76 THERE APPEARS TO BE TWO 146
77 THERE HAVE TO BE A 146
78 THERE LOOKS TO BE A 146
79 THERE NEEDS TO BE GREATER 144
80 THERE HAS TO BE THE 141
81 THERE SUPPOSED TO BE A 134
82 THERE NEEDS TO BE ENOUGH 128
83 THERE NEEDS TO BE BETTER 128
84 THERE SEEMS TO BE ANOTHER 127
85 THERE SEEMS TO BE AT 121
86 THERE GOING TO BE A 121
87 THERE APPEARS TO BE NOTHING 120
88 THERE USED TO BE MANY 118
89 THERE SEEM TO BE NO 114
90 THERE SEEMS TO BE LESS 113
91 THERE SEEMS TO BE SEVERAL 113
92 THERE HAS TO BE ENOUGH 111
93 THERE WAS TO BE AN 111
94 THERE HAS TO BE ONE 110
95 THERE HAD TO BE ANOTHER 110
96 THERE SEEMS TO BE ALOT 106
97 THERE USED TO BE ONE 106
98 THERE APPEARS TO BE VERY 104
99 THERE OUGHT TO BE NO 104
100 THERE SEEMED TO BE SOMETHING 101
there_EX * * to be
1 THERE’S GOING TO BE 12926
2 THERE ARE GOING TO BE 10395
3 THERE IS GOING TO BE 8914
4 THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE 3434
5 THERE WAS GOING TO BE 3319
6 THERE IS LIKELY TO BE 3242
7 THERE’S GOT TO BE 2620
8 THERE ARE LIKELY TO BE 2559
9 THERE ARE BOUND TO BE 2493
10 THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE 2328
11 THERE IS MUCH TO BE 2318
12 THERE DOES SEEM TO BE 2257
13 THERE’S SOMETHING TO BE 2196
14 THERE IS NOTHING TO BE 2178
15 THERE’S BOUND TO BE 1853
16 THERE IS BOUND TO BE 1732
17 THERE IS SURE TO BE 1680
18 THERE WOULD NEED TO BE 1335
19 THERE WILL NEED TO BE 1294
20 THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE 1161
21 THERE WILL HAVE TO BE 1132
22 THERE’S NOTHING TO BE 1108
23 THERE’S SURE TO BE 1098
24 THERE HAS GOT TO BE 1001
25 THERE IS SUPPOSED TO BE 966
26 THERE IS MONEY TO BE 892
27 THERE WERE GOING TO BE 888
28 THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE 864
29 THERE ARE SURE TO BE 823
30 THERE ‘S LIKELY TO BE 775
31 THERE DOES APPEAR TO BE 766
32 THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE 758
33 THERE IS MORE TO BE 706
34 THERE HAS YET TO BE 662
35 THERE IS WORK TO BE 643
36 THERE ARE LESSONS TO BE 629
37 THERE WOULD SEEM TO BE 619
38 THERE IS UNLIKELY TO BE 615
39 THERE’S SUPPOSED TO BE 483
40 THERE IS LITTLE TO BE 444
41 THERE ‘S MONEY TO BE 440
42 THERE IS SAID TO BE 406
43 THERE ARE ESTIMATED TO BE 402
44 THERE WOULD APPEAR TO BE 388
45 THERE’S MUCH TO BE 385
46 THERE ARE THOUGHT TO BE 364
47 THERE’S WORK TO BE 363
48 THERE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE 361
49 THERE IS EXPECTED TO BE 360
50 THERE ARE SAID TO BE 355
51 THERE ARE REASONS TO BE 337
52 THERE IS REASON TO BE 321
53 THERE DOES NEED TO BE 312
54 THERE ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE 300
55 THERE MAY NEED TO BE 293
56 THERE ARE EXPECTED TO BE 268
57 THERE’S MORE TO BE 260
58 THERE IS PLENTY TO BE 259
59 THERE ARE BELIEVED TO BE 255
60 THERE’S PLENTY TO BE 243
61 THERE ARE AUTHORIZED TO BE 219
62 THERE ARE THINGS TO BE 216
63 THERE IS YET TO BE 200
64 THERE ARE DEALS TO BE 199
65 THERE WAS MONEY TO BE 196
66 THERE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE 195
67 THERE IS ANYTHING TO BE 162
68 THERE DID SEEM TO BE 161
69 THERE WAS BOUND TO BE 142
70 THERE NEVER SEEMS TO BE 141
71 THERE STILL SEEMS TO BE 141
72 THERE ARE WAYS TO BE 131
73 THERE’S FUN TO BE 126
74 THERE ‘S REASON TO BE 125
75 THERE IS THOUGHT TO BE 124
76 THERE WAS MUCH TO BE 117
77 THERE WERE BOUND TO BE 117
78 THERE ALSO NEEDS TO BE 113
79 THERE ARE , TO BE 111
80 THERE WAS LIKELY TO BE 111
81 THERE ARE BARGAINS TO BE 110
82 THERE A WAY TO BE 110
83 THERE’S UNLIKELY TO BE 107
84 THERE ARE UNLIKELY TO BE 105
85 THERE WAS LITTLE TO BE 102
86 THERE WAS WORK TO BE 99
87 THERE IS CERTAIN TO BE 98
88 THERE WAS SOMETHING TO BE 95
89 THERE WAS NONE TO BE 93
90 THERE ALSO SEEMS TO BE 92
91 THERE STILL NEEDS TO BE 91
92 THERE ARE NONE TO BE 90
93 THERE TURNS OUT TO BE 89
94 THERE WERE NONE TO BE 86
95 THERE ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE 84
96 THERE WAS MORE TO BE 84
97 THERE’S LITTLE TO BE 82
98 THERE IS NONE TO BE 81
99 THERE’D HAVE TO BE 80
100 THERE’S ANYTHING TO BE 79