Practice
There was or there were: choosing the verb
After the meeting, one person says, "There was a problem with the projector." Another says, "There were two empty chairs." The past time is the same. The noun after the verb changes the choice.
Choose there was or there were by finding the noun that comes after the verb, then explain why it is singular or plural.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
there were /ðer wər/
The short answer
Use there was before one thing or an uncountable noun. Use there were before more than one countable thing.
There were several messages in my inbox this morning.
Why it works: Messages is plural, so the sentence needs were.
5 more examples
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There was a long line outside the pharmacy.
Line is one countable thing, so was is correct.
Not this:
There were long linesoutside the pharmacy. What changes: Lines is plural, so the verb changes to were. -
There was some coffee left in the pot.
Coffee is uncountable here, so use was.
Not this:
There were two cupsof coffee left on the table. What changes: Cups is a plural countable noun, so use were. -
There was an error in the address.
Error is singular, even though the sentence begins with there.
Not this:
There were errorsin the address list. What changes: Errors is plural, so the sentence needs were. -
Was there a reason for the change?
Reason is singular, so the question begins with was.
Not this:
Were there any reasonsfor the change? What changes: Reasons is plural, so the question begins with were. -
There was not enough time to finish the form.
Time is uncountable in this sentence, so use was.
Not this:
There were not enough formsfor everyone. What changes: Forms is plural, so use were.
Read the full guide
Find the noun after the verb before you choose. In There was a delay, delay is singular. In There were delays, delays is plural. The word there does not decide the verb.
Find the noun after there
There starts the sentence, but it is not the noun that controls the verb. Read to the noun after was or were. That noun tells you whether the sentence is singular or plural.
There was a package at the front desk.
Package is singular, so use was.
Which noun decides the verb in There were four packages at the front desk?
Packages decides the verb. It is plural, so use were.
Use there was for one thing and uncountable nouns
Choose there was when the noun is one person, one thing, or an uncountable noun. Uncountable nouns such as water, traffic, and time do not normally take a plural ending.
There was heavy traffic on the bridge.
Traffic is uncountable, so it uses was.
There was a visitor in the lobby.
Visitor is one countable person, so it also uses was.
Choose the verb: There ___ enough water for the trip.
Use was because water is uncountable.
Use there were for plural countable nouns
Choose there were when the noun names two or more countable people or things. Numbers, many, several, and plural noun endings can help you notice the plural noun.
There were five names on the sign-up sheet.
Five names is plural, so the sentence needs were.
There were several buses at the station.
Buses is a plural countable noun.
Choose the verb: There ___ two elevators in the building.
Use were because elevators is plural.
Keep the agreement in questions and negatives
Questions move was or were before there. Negative sentences add not. The noun still controls the choice in both sentence types.
Were there any empty seats near the door?
Seats is plural, so the question begins with were.
There wasn't a map at the entrance.
Map is singular, so wasn't is correct.
Make this negative: There ___ any spare keys.
Use weren't: There weren't any spare keys.
Check the noun, not the first word
Long noun phrases can make the choice harder. Ignore extra words and find the main noun. A phrase after of does not always decide the verb.
There was a list of questions on the screen.
The main noun is list, not questions, so use was.
There were questions on the screen.
Here, questions is the main noun, so use were.
Which verb fits: There ___ a group of students outside?
Use was because group is the singular main noun.
Before you go
Remember this
Use there was with one thing or an uncountable noun, and there were with plural countable nouns. Read forward until you find that noun. Then choose the verb that agrees with it.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "There was or there were: choosing the verb"
When do I use there was?
Use there was when the noun after the verb is singular or uncountable. For example, There was a long line outside the pharmacy uses was because line is one thing. There was some coffee left in the pot also uses was because coffee is uncountable in that sentence.
There was a long line outside the pharmacy.
When do I use there were?
Use there were when the noun after the verb is plural and countable. In There were long lines outside the pharmacy, lines is plural. In There were two cups of coffee left on the table, cups is plural. Numbers and words such as several can help you spot this choice.
There were long lines outside the pharmacy.
How do I choose there was or there were in a question?
Move was or were before there, then check the noun that follows. Was there a reason for the change uses was because reason is singular. Were there any reasons for the change uses were because reasons is plural. The question word order does not change the agreement rule.
There was some coffee left in the pot.
Can I use there was with an uncountable noun?
Yes. Use there was with an uncountable noun such as coffee, traffic, time, or information. There was not enough time to finish the form is correct because time is uncountable. If you use a countable plural noun instead, choose there were.
There were two cups of coffee left on the table.
What noun controls there was or there were in a long phrase?
Find the main noun, rather than the closest plural word. There was a list of questions on the screen uses was because list is singular. There were questions on the screen uses were because questions is the main noun. Read the whole noun phrase before choosing the verb.
There was an error in the address.