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Jack
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 1:03 am
Post subject: were/was |
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I'm really sorry for such a silly question, but reading dictionary
definitions for this word just further confuses me. I am unsure when to
use "were" and when to use "was". I will give you an example:
"More than there was last month."
"More than there were last month."
Can somebody please explain to me, clearly, under what circumstances I
should use each one? Perhaps even some links to a site that can help me
study more about this?
Thank you all very much. :)
Jack |
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CyberCypher
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 1:10 am
Post subject: Re: were/was |
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Jack wrote on 23 Jan 2005:
| Quote: | I'm really sorry for such a silly question, but reading dictionary
definitions for this word just further confuses me. I am unsure
when to use "were" and when to use "was". I will give you an
example:
"More than there was last month."
"More than there were last month."
Can somebody please explain to me, clearly, under what
circumstances I should use each one? Perhaps even some links to a
site that can help me study more about this?
|
There was more water in the lake today than there was yesterday.
There were more boats on the lake today than there were yesterday.
Water can't be counted, so it's always singular and takes "was",
except, of course, when the reference to the containers the water comes
in is elided, as in "We'll have three waters (= three glasses/bottles
of water) here".
Boats can be counted, so when the plural is used, "were" is the proper
form.
--
Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor
For email, replace numbers with English alphabet. |
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Steve Hayes
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 7:12 pm
Post subject: Re: were/was |
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On 22 Jan 2005 10:03:17 -0800, "Jack" <jackhird@gmail.com> wrote:
| Quote: | I'm really sorry for such a silly question, but reading dictionary
definitions for this word just further confuses me. I am unsure when to
use "were" and when to use "was". I will give you an example:
"More than there was last month."
"More than there were last month."
Can somebody please explain to me, clearly, under what circumstances I
should use each one? Perhaps even some links to a site that can help me
study more about this?
|
Same as less and fewer.
There was less downtime than there was last month.
There were fewer breakdowns than there were last month.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk |
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John Lawler
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 1:17 am
Post subject: Re: were/was |
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Jack <jackhird@gmail.com> writes:
| Quote: | I'm really sorry for such a silly question, but reading dictionary
definitions for this word just further confuses me. I am unsure when to
use "were" and when to use "was". I will give you an example:
"More than there was last month."
"More than there were last month."
Can somebody please explain to me, clearly, under what circumstances I
should use each one? Perhaps even some links to a site that can help me
study more about this?
|
There can't be any rule about the use of 'were' vs 'was' with 'more',
because 'more' by itself doesn't mean anything. 'More' is a quantifier and
has to modify some noun, which is left out of the sentences you quote.
In other words, 'more WHAT'?
If the noun you left out is a plural count noun, for example 'more stones',
then the verb should be 'were' (or in the present, 'are') to agree with it.
If, on the other hand, the noun you left out is a singular mass noun, for
example 'more stone' ('stone' can work either way), then the verb should be
'was' (or in the present, 'is') to agree with that. E.g,
more (stones lying on the highway) than there were last month
vs ^^^^^^ ^^^^
more (stone installed on the fireplace) than there was last month
^^^^^ ^^^
Most grammatical puzzles arise from looking at sequences of words instead of
the constructions containing them. Grammar is really about constructions,
not strings of individual words.
-John Lawler http://www.umich.edu/~jlawler U Michigan Linguistics Dept
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"You can only find truth with logic if you have already found
truth without it." -- G.K. Chesterton |
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jerry_friedman@yahoo.com
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 2:44 am
Post subject: Re: were/was |
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CyberCypher wrote:
| Quote: | Jack wrote on 23 Jan 2005:
I'm really sorry for such a silly question, but reading dictionary
definitions for this word just further confuses me. I am unsure
when to use "were" and when to use "was". I will give you an
example:
"More than there was last month."
"More than there were last month."
Can somebody please explain to me, clearly, under what
circumstances I should use each one? Perhaps even some links to a
site that can help me study more about this?
There was more water in the lake today than there was yesterday.
There were more boats on the lake today than there were yesterday.
Water can't be counted, so it's always singular and takes "was",
except, of course, when the reference to the containers the water
comes
in is elided, as in "We'll have three waters (= three glasses/bottles
of water) here".
Boats can be counted, so when the plural is used, "were" is the
proper
form.
|
To add to the confusion, a lot of people around here (New Mexico) say
"there is" and "there was" even when the subject [*] is plural. I
don't think this is restricted to around here.
To further add to the confusion, a lot of people in this group say (or
hear others say) "there's" with a plural subject but not "there is" or
"there was". Thus they might say
There's more than there were last month.
"There's more old drunks than there are old doctors." (229 Google
hits)
"There are more old drunks than there are old doctors." (222)
"there's more old drunks than there is old doctors" (1)
"there is more old drunks than there is old doctors" (0)
"there's more old drunks than there's old doctors" (0)
The quotation is apparently from Willie Nelson (and George Jones?),
slightly paraphrasing Ralph Waldo Emerson. I haven't tried to
determine which version Nelson actually wrote.
However, as people are telling you, with a plural subject only "there
are" and "there were" are standard.
[*] If that's the right word for the thing(s) whose existence you're
asserting.
--
Jerry Friedman always thought it was Tom T. Hall |
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Robert Lieblich
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 4:29 am
Post subject: Re: were/was |
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John Lawler wrote:
[ ... ]
| Quote: | Grammar is really about constructions,
not strings of individual words.
|
Perhaps it's time to revive the search for an AUE slogan. What John
said.
--
Liebs |
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