There were or There was – Which is correct?

Grammar / By

We use “there was” for the singular form of there is/are in the past.

We use “there were” for the plural form of there is/are in the past.

We use “there + to be” to show that something exists. 

There was 

We use “there was” with singular nouns in the past. 

There was a man at the bus stop.

There was one car at the station.

There was a plate of food on the table.

The sentence is always in the past because of the verb “to be“ in the past form(was).

There were 

We use “there were” with plural nouns. 

There were two men at the bus stop.

There were three cars at the station.

There were several plates of food on the table. 

The sentence is always in the past because of the verb “to be“ in the past form(were).

There were or was many people?

We use “there were” with people because “people” is plural.

There were many people at the party. 

There were or there was a total?

We use “there were” with “a total” because “a total” is treated as a collective noun.

There were a total of seven people in the group. 

There were or there was no?

We can use “there was” or “there were” with “no”. It depends on the noun that follows “no”.

There was no ice cream left for me.

There were no people left at the party.

There were or there was a lot

We use “there were” with “a lot”.

There were a lot of people in the office.

Conor
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