Avoid "there is" & "it is"

You can postpone the sentence subject with the words there is (there are, there was, there were) and it is (it was). These constructions can be useful to emphasize the subject (as when introducing it for the first time) or to indicate a change in direction. But often they just add words and create limp substitutes for more vigorous sentences.

*There were delays and cost overruns that plagued construction of the Channel Tunnel. It is the expectation of investors to earn profits at last, now that there are trains passing daily through the tunnel.

Delays and cost overruns plagued constructions of the Channel Tunnel. Investors expect to earn profits at last, now that trains daily pass through the tunnel.