10 Significant Differences Between Where and Were

Difference Between Where and Were: The English language contains many different words that sound exactly the same, but the words have very different interpretations. There are many of these similar-sounding words that are called “homonyms.”

‘Where’ and ‘were’ are homonyms. ‘Where’ is the most versatile of the three words. It can function as an adverb, conjunction, and pronoun. The word ‘were’ is a state of being verb used to describe something that happened in the past.

English grammar is full of tricky concepts that confuse individuals, not just because of spelling, but more because of the similarity in pronunciation or sound. In this connection, two such words share the same fate, and they are the words ‘where’ and ‘were.’

The Word ‘Were’?

“Were” is also used in the conditional statements in the imaginary/ unrealistic situation. In such cases, it can also be used with the singular subjects, e.g., If I were the president, I would give three day holiday for no reason.

‘Were’ is known to be used as a verb. It is referred to as the plural past word. The pronunciation of ‘Were’ /wə/ accompanied by the ‘schwa sound.’ Were is a verb according to the parts of speech, and used in imaginary conditional statements. “Were” is the plural past form of the verb “be” specific to be used for plural subjects. The word ‘Were’ rhymes with “stir, fur, her, etc.”

Were is referring to a state (past state of being). ‘Were’ has four alphabets. It is a monosyllabic word. ‘Were’ is 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 indicates what happened in the past.

Examples

We were studying for the whole night long.

My parents were not willing to send me abroad.

The exchange students were sent to China, Australia, and America.

What were you doing yesterday that you didn’t come to my party?

This is the institute where I started my career.

The Word ‘Where’

Where is the most versatile of the three words. It can function as an adverb, conjunction, and pronoun. All of the uses of where have to do with a place, location, or situation.

Where is a word that is used when asking a question about a place or a location Use where only when you are enquiring about a place or asking the destination of a journey. Take a look at the following examples to understand the meaning of where.

London is the city where Queen lives.

Where is your office?

Where are we going?

In terms of sound or pronunciation, the two words really differ. Where is pronounced strictly as if you are saying it as ‘hwer’ instead of ‘wher’. Hence, there initially seems to be a very soft sound of the letter ‘h’. Its last letter ‘e’ is also silent because the word in itself is only composed of one syllable. The first ‘e’ though, is pronounced in the same way as you say the word ‘let.’ It puts emphasis on the word, and stresses the letter ‘e’ a little longer. On the other hand, ‘were’ is also a one-syllable word with a silent ‘e’ at the end, but is differently pronounced using the so-called schwa sound. This is a sound that seems to be somewhere in between the letters ‘a’ and ‘e’. As well, there is no ‘h’ sound heard in this word.

Differences Between Where and Were

The Difference Between Where and Were includes the following:

1. ‘Where’ is known as an adverb of time; on the other hand, ‘Were’ is known as a verb.

2. Where is not specified for any singular or plural nouns; in contrast, Were is determined to be used for plural subjects.

3. The word Where rhymes with “hair,” whereas the word ‘Were’ rhymes with “stir.”

4. Where contains five alphabets; on the flip side, ‘Were’ has four alphabets.

5. ‘Where’ is a -wh question; on the contrary, ‘Were’ is referred to as the plural past word.

6. Where is dealing with the directions on the converse Were is dealing with a past state of being.

7. “Where” is versatile; inversely, “Were” is less versatile.

8. Where cannot work as a verb. Were works as a verb.

9. The pronunciation of Where is /wɛː/, while the pronunciation of Were is /wə/.

10. ‘Were’ is pronounced using the schwa sound, while ‘where’ uses the ‘long e’ stress with a gentle ‘h’ sound at the start.

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CSN Team.