Although these three words have completely different meanings, some people seem to think they are interchangeable. Making such an error in a piece of academic writing, especially if it is an error which is repeated throughout the essay, will be a red flag to the person reading it. Such mistakes might even undermine the content of your argument, so it’s a good idea to get a handle on what each of these words mean and when you should use them.
Where
The word ‘where’ means ‘in the geographical place or circumstance’. It can be used in the interrogative as an adverb, like in the question ‘where is my book?’, or to describe the location of something, as in, ‘this library is where I usually do my research’. In a more abstract sense, it can also be used in statements such as, ‘this is where we stand on the issue’.
We’re
The word ‘we’re’ is a contraction of the two words ‘we’ and ‘are’. It would be used in a sentence like this: ‘We’re going to the grocery store’.
Were
The word ‘were’ is the past participle for the second person singular and the plural of the verb ‘to be’. Whilst that might seem confusing initially, if we break down what it actually means it becomes very simple. The second person singular is ‘you’ and the plural is ‘we’, ‘you’ (plural) and ‘they’. The past participle is the way the verb is changed when it is in the past tense. So the past tense of ‘to be’ runs thus:
I was
You (singular) were
He/she/it was
We were
You (plural) were
They were
It would be used in a sentence in the past tense: ‘As we were walking along…’.
There is one special usage of the word ‘were’ which is often ignored in speech but should be adhered to in writing. ‘Were’ should be used in the subjunctive, meaning that:
- ‘If I was to pass my exam, I would…’ is incorrect and
-‘If I were to pass my exam, I would…’ is correct.
Where
The word ‘where’ means ‘in the geographical place or circumstance’. It can be used in the interrogative as an adverb, like in the question ‘where is my book?’, or to describe the location of something, as in, ‘this library is where I usually do my research’. In a more abstract sense, it can also be used in statements such as, ‘this is where we stand on the issue’.
We’re
The word ‘we’re’ is a contraction of the two words ‘we’ and ‘are’. It would be used in a sentence like this: ‘We’re going to the grocery store’.
Were
The word ‘were’ is the past participle for the second person singular and the plural of the verb ‘to be’. Whilst that might seem confusing initially, if we break down what it actually means it becomes very simple. The second person singular is ‘you’ and the plural is ‘we’, ‘you’ (plural) and ‘they’. The past participle is the way the verb is changed when it is in the past tense. So the past tense of ‘to be’ runs thus:
I was
You (singular) were
He/she/it was
We were
You (plural) were
They were
It would be used in a sentence in the past tense: ‘As we were walking along…’.
There is one special usage of the word ‘were’ which is often ignored in speech but should be adhered to in writing. ‘Were’ should be used in the subjunctive, meaning that:
- ‘If I was to pass my exam, I would…’ is incorrect and
-‘If I were to pass my exam, I would…’ is correct.