were
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
How often you will meet it
Rank 38 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 761,531 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.362% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 100 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
auxiliary verb
- the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
were in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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In the grass, white daisies were tremulous.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1
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Her father and Brant were Bones men--why was the girl arguing against senior societies?
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1
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And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
The White Christmas and other Merry · Walter Ben Hare · Chapter 1
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These broken sentences were repeated more than once, and then she stood silent as though in a dream still.
Christian's Mistake · Dinah Maria Mulock Craik · Chapter 1
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At the mouth of each creek the river made a great bend, and in the sweep of each were rich bottom lands.
The Heart of the Hills · John, Jr. Fox · Chapter 1