The Major Difference Between Where and Were: The English language contains a lot of different words that sound exactly the same, but the words have very different interpretations. There are many of these similar-sounding words which are called ‘homonyms.’ So in this article, we will show you the major difference between where and were.
‘Where’ and ‘were’ are homonyms. ‘Where’ is the most flexible of the three words. It can also function as an adverb, conjunction, and a pronoun. The word ‘were’ is actually a state of being verb used to describe something that happened in the past.
The Meaning of the Word ‘Were’
Were is used in the conditional statements in the imaginary/ unrealistic situation. In this case, it can be used with singular subjects, e.g., If I were the head of this country, I would give a three day holiday for no reason.
‘Were’ is also known to be used as a verb. It is then referred to as the plural past word. The pronunciation of ‘Were’ /wə/ go along with the ‘schwa sound.’ Were is a verb according to the parts of speech, and it is used in imaginary conditional statements. Were is the plural past form of the verb “be” specifically used for plural subjects. The word ‘Were’ alliterate with ‘stir, fur, her, etc.’
The word ‘Were’ is referring to a state (past state of being). It has four alphabets. Were is a monosyllabic word. ‘Were’ is also a past verb form that is used for plural subjects. It is the past form of the word ‘’are,’’ and also of the word ‘‘was.’’ Were shows what happened in the past.
Examples of “Were”
They were studying for the whole night long.
His parents were not willing to send him abroad.
The exchange students were sent to London, Australia, and America.
What were you doing yesterday that you didn’t come to my house?
This is the school where I started my career.
The Meaning of the Word ‘Where’
Where is the most flexible of the three words. It can also function as an adverb, conjunction, and a pronoun. All of the uses of where have to do with a location, place or situation.
Where is also a word that is used when asking a question about a place or a location. You should use where only when you are enquiring about a place or asking the destination of a journey. Look at the following examples to understand the meaning of where.
London is the city where the Queen lives.
Where is your school?
Where are they going?
The Major Difference Between Where and Were
The Major Difference Between Where and Were includes the following:
1. ‘Where’ is an adverb of time; on the other hand, while ‘Were’ is known as a verb.
2. Where is not identified for any singular or plural nouns; while Were is determined to be used for plural subjects.
3. Where rhymes with “hair,” while the word ‘Were’ rhymes with “stir.”
4. The word ‘Where’ contains five alphabets; while ‘Were’ has four alphabets.
5. The word ‘Where’ is a -wh question; while ‘Were’ is referred to as the plural past word.
6. Where deals with the directions on the converse Were deals with a past state of being.
7. ‘Where’ is flexible; inversely, “Were” is less flexible.
8. Where cannot work as a verb whereas Were works as a verb.
9. The pronunciation of Where is /wɛː/ and the pronunciation of Were is /wə/.
10. ‘Were’ is pronounced with the schwa sound, while ‘where’ uses the ‘long e’ stress with a gentle ‘h’ sound at the start.