There was a sound

[99bottles]

There was a sound.

A sound was heard.

Are they both correct/natural?

 

[emsr2d2]

They're both grammatically correct. Whether they're natural or not depends on what you're trying to say. They don't mean the same thing.

 

[99bottles]

Suddenly, a sound was heard/there was a sound.

 

[5jj]

Adding the word 'suddenly' doesn't give us much more idea of what you want to say. In what context was the sound heard?

 

[99bottles]

Adding the word 'suddenly' doesn't give us much more idea of what you want to say. In what context was the sound heard?

The room was silent. Suddenly, a voice was heard/there was a voice.

 

[5jj]

The room was silent. Suddenly, a voice was heard [STRIKE]there was a voice[/STRIKE].

 

[emsr2d2]

In my opinion, you don't need either.

A sound/voice [suddenly] broke the silence.

 

[99bottles]

The room was silent. Suddenly, a voice was heard [STRIKE]there was a voice[/STRIKE].

In what cases would I use there was a voice?

 

[5jj]

I can't off-hand think of a situation in which I'd feel the need to say There was a voice.

 

[99bottles]

I can't off-hand think of a situation in which I'd feel the need to say There was a voice.

When do we say there was a sound?

 

[Rover_KE]

When the context calls for it.

 

[99bottles]

When the context calls for it.

Can I say, for instance, 'The room was silent. Suddenly, there was a sound.'?

 

[tedmc]

I think suddenly doesn't go well with there was something.
A direct subject works better than a dummy subject following suddenly.

 

[99bottles]

I think suddenly doesn't go well with there was something.
A direct subject works better than a dummy subject following suddenly.

I just found this on Longman...
Suddenly, there was a loud bang.

Is this the same as 'Suddenly, a loud bang was heard.'?

 

[emsr2d2]

I just found this on Longman:

Suddenly, there was a loud bang.

Is this the same as 'Suddenly, a loud bang was heard no full stop here'?

No! Without wanting to get into the whole "If a tree falls in the forest and no one's there to hear it, does it still make a sound?" debate, saying that something happened and saying that someone heard it aren't the same thing.

 

[99bottles]

No! Without wanting to get into the whole "If a tree falls in the forest and no one's there to hear it, does it still make a sound?" debate, saying that something happened and saying that someone heard it aren't the same thing.

So, I say that there is a sound when it's not important whether anyone heard it. Did I get it right?

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes and no. If it's important to say that someone heard a sound, say that. We've said several times in this thread that we find "there is/was a sound" is rather unnatural.

 

[Tarheel]

Perhaps:

The silence was broken by a loud bang.

The suddenness is implied.