What is the difference between were and have been? What is the difference between "were" and "have been", and are these sentences gramatically correct? 1) some of the best known writers of detective fiction in the twentieth century were women
We was or We were which is correct? - English Language Learners Stack . . . We was is not standard English, it is used in some regional dialects: The verb 'to be' has two simple past forms in Standard English - I he she it was and you we they were Apart from the special case of you, the distinction is, therefore, between singular was and plural were In some regional dialects, however, this pattern is not observed In some parts of the country, speakers use was
Why do we use was not were here: There was a lot of wind and heavy . . . The rule of proximity applies here The nearest NP to the verb is the singular "a lot of wind", so singular agreement is normal But if it was a plural NP, the verb would be plural: There were a lot of heavy storms and heavy rain"
grammar - I wish I was vs. I wish I were - English Language . . . Yes, but despite what you may have read, "I wish I were rich" is not a subjunctive clause The subjunctive is a clause type that uses the plain form of the verb, as in "It is vital that I be kept informed" The "were" in your example is best called 'irrealis', a special mood form instanced solely by "were" with 1st or 3rd person singular subjects Many speakers prefer to use the preterite "was
Were you able to and are you able to, when to use which? Were you able to attend the meeting yesterday? I cannot understand in what kind of context a guy would say that, could someone make up a scenario? X misses the meeting He needs notes He asks his friend Y "were you able to attend the meeting yesterday?"
meaning in context - Use of were to in English grammar - English . . . But I cannot rule out the possibility that Indian English—and specifically Indian Political English—has evolved this usage of were to precisely in order to express firmness and caution in the same utterance Perhaps our Indian readers could speak to this † This use is called subjunctive in traditional grammar
there was were a number of - English Language Learners Stack Exchange My first example: (1) There were a great number of apples this year, bigger than usual I understand we cannot use " there was " here because " a great number of " is just the quantifier whereas the head noun is " apples "