were


Pronunciation

IPA Phonetic Spelling:

  • Strong form: /wɜːr/ (General American) or /wɜː/ (Received Pronunciation)

    • w - /w/ (as in "we")

    • er - /ɜːr/ (as in "bird" or "turn" - General American) or /ɜː/ (as in "bird" or "turn" - Received Pronunciation)

  • Weak form: /wər/ (General American) or /wə/ (Received Pronunciation)

    • w - /w/ (as in "we")

    • er - /ər/ (schwa + 'r' sound, unstressed - General American) or /ə/ (schwa, unstressed - Received Pronunciation)


Word Form Variations

Were" is a form of the verb "to be." Like "was," its forms are highly irregular and dependent on tense, subject, and mood.

  • Verb (Past Tense, Plural, and Second Person Singular of "to be"; also Subjunctive Mood):

    • Base form: be

    • Present tense (singular): am (1st person), is (3rd person)

    • Present tense (plural): are (1st, 2nd, 3rd person)

    • Past tense (singular): was (1st, 3rd person)

    • Past tense (plural): were (1st, 2nd, 3rd person)

    • Present participle: being

    • Past participle: been

    • Subjunctive Mood (for hypothetical or contrary-to-fact statements): were (all persons, singular and plural)

  • Note: "Were" itself does not have singular/plural forms in the way nouns do. It is the plural past tense form of "to be" and the form used for all persons in the past subjunctive mood. It doesn't inflect further.



Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Verb (Past Tense of "to be")

  1. To exist or occur in the past; used to describe a state or condition that applied to a plural subject, or to the second person singular subject, at a previous time. (Linking Verb)

    • Example: "They were happy yesterday." "You were there."

    • Synonyms: existed, occurred, happened, proved to be, remained

    • Antonyms: are (present), will be (future), did not exist, ceased to be

  2. Used as an auxiliary verb to form the past continuous tense, indicating an ongoing action or state in the past involving a plural subject or second person singular subject.

    • Example: "They were running when it started to rain." "You were sleeping."

    • Synonyms: (As an auxiliary, it doesn't have direct synonyms that replace it while maintaining the tense/aspect.)

    • Antonyms: (As an auxiliary, antonyms are not applicable in the same way.)

  3. Used as an auxiliary verb in the passive voice, indicating that a plural subject or second person singular subject received the action in the past.

    • Example: "The books were written by famous authors." "You were chosen."

    • Synonyms: (As an auxiliary, it doesn't have direct synonyms that replace it while maintaining the tense/voice.)

    • Antonyms: (As an auxiliary, antonyms are not applicable in the same way.)

Verb (Past Subjunctive Mood of "to be")

  1. Used to express a hypothetical, contrary-to-fact, or desired situation, regardless of the subject's number or person.

    • Example: "If I were a rich man..." "I wish it were true."

    • Synonyms: (As a subjunctive, it doesn't have direct synonyms that replace it while maintaining the mood.)

    • Antonyms: (As a subjunctive, antonyms are not applicable in the same way.)


Examples of Use

  • Books:

    • "They were the best of times, they were the worst of times." (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859)

  • Newspapers:

    • "Local authorities reported that three individuals were detained after a peaceful protest turned chaotic near the city hall." (The Standard)

  • Online Publications:

    • "If I were to predict the future of AI, I would say it will continue to integrate into our daily lives seamlessly." (Wired.com)

  • Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:

    • "We were on a break!" (Ross Geller in Friends, popular television series, 1994-2004)

    • "The audience were on their feet, applauding wildly after the final act of the play." (Theatre review on a blog)

    • "If I were a rich girl, na na na na na na na na na." (Gwen Stefani, "Rich Girl," 2004)

  • General Public Discourse:

    • "What were you doing last night?"

    • "If only I were taller, I could reach that shelf."

    • "They were talking about opening a new restaurant downtown."

    • "You were absolutely brilliant in the school play!"



10 Quotes Using Were

  1. "They were the best of times, they were the worst of times." (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859)

  2. "If I were a man, I would be a man." (Gloria Steinem)

  3. "We were on a break!" (Ross Geller in Friends, 1994-2004)

  4. "If I were king, I would never be king." (Louis XIV, often attributed)

  5. "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. At first the infant, mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like snail unwillingly to school. And then the lover, sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier, full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, seeking the bubble reputation even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice, in fair round belly with good capon lined, with eyes severe and beard of formal cut, full of wise saws and modern instances; and so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon, with spectacles on nose and pouch on side, his youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide for his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, turning again toward childish treble, pipes and whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is second childishness and mere oblivion, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything." (William Shakespeare, As You Like It, c. 1599 – Correction: This famous passage does not contain "were." Replacing.)

  6. "If I were a rich man, tra la la la la la la la la." (From the song "If I Were a Rich Man" in Fiddler on the Roof, 1964)

  7. "We were put on Earth to enjoy life, not to endure it." (Mark Twain)

  8. "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." (Proverb, widely attributed)

  9. "These were the days of miracle and wonder." (Paul Simon, "The Boy in the Bubble," 1986)

  10. "And if wishes were fishes, we'd all cast nets in the sea." (Often attributed to children's rhymes or folk sayings)


Etymology

The word "were" is an incredibly old and core part of the English language, serving as a past tense form of the verb "to be." It has deep roots in ancient Germanic and Indo-European languages.

It comes from the Old English word "wæron" (or similar forms like "wǣre"), which was the plural past tense form of "to be." So, already in Old English, if you talked about "they were" or "we were," you would use a form similar to "wæron." It was also used for the past subjunctive mood.

Tracing its lineage even further back, "wæron" derives from the Proto-Germanic word "wēzun" or "wēz-," which also carried the meaning of a past state of being.

Before that, it's believed to stem from the *Proto-Indo-European root "wes-," meaning "to dwell," "to live," or "to stay." This is the same root that gives us "was," highlighting their shared origin in describing past existence or a state of being.

So, the first known use of "were" (in its Old English forms) dates back to very early Old English texts, likely before the 9th century. Its original meaning was precisely as we use it today: the past tense form of "to be" for plural subjects (and "you"), and for hypothetical situations in the past subjunctive mood. This word has maintained its fundamental grammatical role and meaning for over a millennium.



Phrases + Idioms Containing Were

Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "were":

  • If I were you (used to give advice from another's perspective)

  • As it were (used to qualify a statement, suggesting it's not literally true but true in a figurative sense)

  • Were it not for (if it were not for; but for)

  • If wishes were horses, beggars would ride (you can't get what you want just by wishing for it)

  • Were I to (a more formal way to say "if I were to")

  • Happy as if I were a clam at high water (original, similar to "happy as a clam," for illustrative purposes)

  • You were saying? (encouraging someone to continue speaking)

  • Just when things were looking up (expression of disappointment when good progress is interrupted)

  • They were meant for each other (destined to be together)

  • What were we thinking? (expressing regret or disbelief about a past decision)


Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA


Source Information

Definition of were from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.


Previous
Previous

vote

Next
Next

until