In English, there are many verbs that have similar meanings and appear quite interchangeable. However, there is a slight difference in the usage of these two verbs and a good writer will know when to use which one to convey the correct meaning. This article discusses the difference between were and was. These two words are both past tense forms of ‘to be’. While ‘was’ is the third person singular form of the present indicative and auxiliary verb with no past tense meaning, ‘were’ is used as the first person plural form of the past indicative and auxiliary verb in all other grammatical contexts. Let’s take a look at some examples to understand their usage better.
What is Were?
The first thing we need to understand is what is were. Were is the past tense form of the verb to be in the first person plural. It expresses the idea of something happening in the past with one group of people doing something with another group of people. This is a very specific form of the verb to be and is used to talk about the relationship between one group of people and another group of people in the past.
What is Was?
Was is the past tense form of the verb to be in the third person singular. It expresses the idea of something happening in the past with one person doing something with another person. This is a very specific form of the verb to be and is used to talk about the relationship between one person and another person in the past.
Difference between Were and Was
The main difference between were and was is their use; were is only used in the first person plural and was is only used in the third person singular.
Were is used to describe the relationship between two groups of people in the past such as a group of protesters and a group of people they were protesting against. Were is used to talk about the relationship between a group of people and a singular person in the past such as a group of friends and a person they were all fond of.
Was is used to describe the relationship between two people in the past such as a person and another person they were talking to. Was is used to talk about the relationship between a singular person and a group of people in the past such as a person being elected as president.
Tips to Remember
If you are confused about the difference between were and was, remember that were is used to describe the relationship between two groups of people and was is used to describe the relationship between two people.
- Were can be used to talk about the relationship between a group of protesters and a group of people they were protesting against.
- Were can be used to talk about the relationship between a group of friends and a person they were all fond of.
- Similarly, was can be used to talk about the relationship between a person and another person they were talking to.
- Was can be used to talk about the relationship between a person being elected as president.
Conclusion
Now that we have explored the difference between were and was, it is vital to remember that were is a past tense form of ‘to be’, which can only be used in the first person plural. Was is the past tense form of ‘to be’ in the third person singular, which can only be used as the past tense form of ‘to be’ with one person. We hope that this article has helped you understand the difference between were and was and when to use which one. Now that you know the difference between these two, you can use them more effectively in your writing.
