[Misc] Question for fellow grammar pedants out there.

[ringmerseagulltoo]

Just watched a tv programme where the questioner asked someone “and you was there?”.

That grated because I instinctively think the correct phrase should have been “you were there”.

However, I now suspect I am wrong if the question is addressed to just one person as in; I was, you was, he was, we were, you were, they were.

Advice please, really petty I know but it is bugging me.

 

[Knocky's Nose]

'Lord' Sugar says that all the time... Makes my shit itch. For a clearly intelligent man he speaks like a half-wit.

It's "you were there" if it's in the past tense referring to someone else.

Referring to yourself you'd say "I was there"

"You was there" is wrong....

 

[el punal]

Just watched a tv programme where the questioner asked someone “and you was there?”.

That grated because I instinctively think the correct phrase should have been “you were there”.

However, I now suspect I am wrong if the question is addressed to just one person as in; I was, you was, he was, we were, you were, they were.

Advice please, really petty I know but it is bugging me.

Quite right, it is incorrect. The questioner should have asked “And you was there, innit?”

 

[Triggaaar]

However, I now suspect I am wrong if the question is addressed to just one person as in; I was, you was, he was, we were, you were, they were.

You either were there or you weren't. I wasn't and quite frankly I'm glad.

 

[GT49er]

'You were there' is the correct form.

 

[Bakero]

'You was' is certainly non-standard but is widely used in certain dialects.

 

[dazzer6666]

Just watched a tv programme where the questioner asked someone “and you was there?”.

That grated because I instinctively think the correct phrase should have been “you were there”.

However, I now suspect I am wrong if the question is addressed to just one person as in; I was, you was, he was, we were, you were, they were.

Advice please, really petty I know but it is bugging me.

Why was you watching ?

 

[Diablo]

Just watched a tv programme where the questioner asked someone “and you was there?”.

That grated because I instinctively think the correct phrase should have been “you were there”.

However, I now suspect I am wrong if the question is addressed to just one person as in; I was, you was, he was, we were, you were, they were.

Advice please, really petty I know but it is bugging me.

Just out of interest.......was he/she there ? and where was there ?

 

[Murray 17]

It's just the way it is, unless you're from Essex.

Was is used in the first person singular (I) and the third person singular (he, she, it). Were is used in the second person singular and plural (you, your, yours) and first and third person plural (we, they).

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[bhafc99]

Oddly enough, football clubs are one of the few anomalies to the standard was/were rule.

Even though a club is singular, and should therefore be 'was', that usage never applies.

You'd never say "Brighton was in the cup final in 1983", you'd say "Brighton were in the cup final…".

But outside football, the opposite still applies. "Microsoft was started by Bill Gates", rather than "Microsoft were started by Bill Gates…"

(Not an answer to the original question, just thought I'd go off on a related tangent…)

 

[Diablo]

Oddly enough, football clubs are one of the few anomalies to the standard was/were rule.

Even though a club is singular, and should therefore be 'was', that usage never applies.

You'd never say "Brighton was in the cup final in 1983", you'd say "Brighton were in the cup final…".

But outside football, the opposite still applies. "Microsoft was started by Bill Gates", rather than "Microsoft were started by Bill Gates…"

(Not an answer to the original question, just thought I'd go off on a related tangent…)

Really.....I`d say "Brighton was in the cupfinal in 1983"

 

[Grassman]

'You was' is certainly non-standard but is widely used in certain dialects.

So ex-pro footballer turned pundit is a dialect now?

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Should your thread title not have been "A question for fellow grammar pedants out there?"?

 

[TheJasperCo]

Did you know that 'I ain't' is actually a legitimate contraction of the words 'I am not'?

 

[Tom Bombadil]

'You was' is certainly non-standard but is widely used in certain dialects.

I suspect if you speak a dialect which still distinguishes the singular and plural you ( eg you/youse), then was there / were there reinforces the distinction.

 

[Si Gull]

Really.....I`d say "Brighton was in the cupfinal in 1983"

'Brighton was' is technically correct as it refers to the singular club, not the plural players, but it still sounds odd to me!

 

[Bakero]

Oddly enough, football clubs are one of the few anomalies to the standard was/were rule.

Even though a club is singular, and should therefore be 'was', that usage never applies.

You'd never say "Brighton was in the cup final in 1983", you'd say "Brighton were in the cup final…".

But outside football, the opposite still applies. "Microsoft was started by Bill Gates", rather than "Microsoft were started by Bill Gates…"

(Not an answer to the original question, just thought I'd go off on a related tangent…)

In British English we tend to use to use were with collective nouns (police, stafff, team etc). Was preferred in AmE.

 

[Brightonfan1983]

Oddly enough, football clubs are one of the few anomalies to the standard was/were rule.

Even though a club is singular, and should therefore be 'was', that usage never applies.

You'd never say "Brighton was in the cup final in 1983", you'd say "Brighton were in the cup final…".

But outside football, the opposite still applies. "Microsoft was started by Bill Gates", rather than "Microsoft were started by Bill Gates…"

(Not an answer to the original question, just thought I'd go off on a related tangent…)

I like these peculiarities. But you would say "Brighton was the last team to....", wouldn't you? "Brighton were the last team to..." isn't correct. It's the whole collective noun thing isn't it.

Edit:Though, rereading it, both work. Don't they?

 

[Albion my Albion]

See, I have an official grammar police pendant. Only I'm not so well at it.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Past tense

I was
You were
He, she, it was
We were
You were
They were.