What kind of verb is the word was

verb.
Was is a verb – Word Type.

What part of speech is the word was played?

It is the verb. There are thousands of words but they don’t all have the same job. In other words, each part of a sentence contains at least one part of speech. The word TO can be used as a Preposition and as an Adverb.

The most common linking verb can be found in the various forms of “to be” (am, are, is, was, were, etc.). Sometimes, the forms of “to be” are helping verbs. Example of the difference between a linking verb and an action verb.

Was is a verb or adverb?

Examples of action verbs are: walk, talk, think, see, eat, find, believe, sit. Examples of verbs that relate a state of being are: am, are, is, will, was, were.An adverb is used to show degree, manner, place, or time of the verb, adjective, or another adverb that it modifies.

Is was a verb or noun?

State of being verbs do not express any specific activity or action but instead describe existence. The most common state of being verb is to be, along with its conjugations (is, am, are, was, were, being, been).

What is the noun of played?

noun. /ˈpleɪɪŋ/ /ˈpleɪɪŋ/ ​[uncountable] the way in which somebody plays something, especially a musical instrument.

What is the adverb of played?

In play; without seriousness; playfully.

Was is a word?

First-person singular simple past tense indicative of be.

Why is was a verb?

The word “was” is classified as a verb, more specifically a linking verb, because it joins the subject with the part of the sentence that provides additional information about the suject. Moreover, this form of the verb “to be” also depicts a state of being.

Is were a word?

As detailed above, ‘were’ can be a noun or a verb. Verb usage: John, you were the only person to see him. Verb usage: We were about to leave.

Is was a verb yes or no?

Yes / No questions are made, using the verb (am, is, are, was, were, have, had, do, does, did, can, will, should etc.) at the beginning of a sentence. Namely, subject and verb change their position in statement and question.

Is went a noun or verb?

Yes, ‘went’ is the preterite (or simple past tense) of the verb ‘to go‘. It is an irregular verb. The past participle of ‘to go’ is ‘gone’.

What is a adjective verb?

Verbs & Adjectives:
Verbs are words used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and form the main part of the predicate of a sentence, such as hear, become, happen etc; while Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence. For example: This is a sweet mango.

Is was a past tense verb?

The simple past tense for was vs. were. The simple past tense is the only past tense form we use for were and was because “was” and “were” are the preterite forms of the verb ‘to be.

Is was and were a verb?

Actually, was/were are the past tense form of the verb “to be”. You can easily learn this subject. And these verbs are commonly used in daily life.If you want to remember easily, you can think of was/were as the past tense form of the auxiliary verbs am, is and are.

How do you use the word was?

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). I was driving to the park. You were drinking some water.

What type of noun is plays?

Play is also a noun. Both sides adopted the Continental style of play. When one person or team plays another or plays against them, they compete against them in a sport or game. Play is also a noun.

What is the adjective of played?

The adjectives forms are words or phrases that are used to describe a verb, noun or a pronoun.Boy – the common adjective forms will be – Boyish, Boying, and Boyed. 2. Play – Player, Playable, Playful, Playing, and Played.

What kind of verb is play?

[transitive, no passive, intransitive] play something to pretend to be or do something for fun Let’s play pirates. [transitive, intransitive] to be involved in a game; to compete against someone in a game play something to play football/chess/cards, etc.

What are the 5 types of adverbs?

There are five basic types of adverbs in the English language, namely that of Manner, Time, Place, Frequency, and Degree.

What are 15 adverbs?

abnormally absentmindedly accidentally actually adventurously afterwards almost always annually anxiously arrogantly awkwardly bashfully beautifully bitterly bleakly blindly blissfully boastfully boldly bravely briefly brightly briskly broadly busily calmly carefully carelessly cautiously certainly cheerfully clearly

The only function of the word “was” in verbal and written form of English, is as a Verb.

1. Verb

The word “was” is classified as a verb, more specifically a linking verb, because it joins the subject with the part of the sentence that provides additional information about the suject. Moreover, this form of the verb “to be” also depicts a state of being. In the sample sentence:

Jack was unwell last week.

The word “was” functions as a linking verb that connects the subject “Jack” with “unwell last week.”

Definition:

a. past 1st & 3d singular of be

• Example:
• She was at the mall yesterday.

Translingual[edit]

Symbol[edit]

was

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Washo.

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• wus
• wuz

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English was, from Old English wæs, from Proto-Germanic *was, (compare Scots was, West Frisian was (dated, wie is generally preferred today), Dutch was, Low German was, German war, Swedish var), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂we-h₂wós-e, from *h₂wes- (“to reside”), whence also vestal. The paradigm of “to be” has been since the time of Proto-Germanic a synthesis of three originally distinct verb stems. The infinitive form be is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to become”). The forms is and are are both derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”). Lastly, the past forms starting with w- such as was and were are from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes- (“to reside”).

Pronunciation[edit]

(stressed)

• (UK, New Zealand) enPR: wŏz, wŭz, IPA^(key): /wɒz/, /wʌz/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) enPR: wŭz, wŏz, IPA^(key): /wʌz/, /wɑz/
• (General Australian) enPR: wŏz, IPA^(key): /wɔz/
• Rhymes: -ʌz, -ɒz

(unstressed)

• (UK, US) enPR: wəz, IPA^(key): /wəz/
• (in the phrase “I was there.”)

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Verb[edit]

was

1. first-person singular simple past indicative of be.

2. third-person singular simple past indicative of be.

   It was a really humongous slice of cake.

   • 1915, John Millington Synge, The Playboy of the Western World, I:

     I killed my poor father, Tuesday was a week, for doing the like of that.
3. (now colloquial) Used in phrases with existential there when the semantic subject is (usually third-person) plural.

   There was three of them there.
4. (now colloquial or nonstandard) second-person singular simple past indicative of be.
5. (colloquial, nonstandard) first-person plural simple past indicative of be

   • 2001, Darrel Rachel, The Magnolias Still Bloom, page 104:

     “What happened here, Hadley?” the chief asked. “We was robbed, damn it, we was robbed.”

6. (colloquial, nonstandard) third-person plural simple past indicative of be

   • 1968, Etta James; Ellington Jordan; Billy Foster (lyrics and music), “I’d Rather Go Blind”, performed by Etta James:

     When the reflection in the glass that I held to my lips now baby / Revealed the tears that was on my face, yeah

Derived terms[edit]

• wasband
• wasbian

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• If I Was or If I Were: Easy Guide on Appropriate Use, grammar.yourdictionary.com
• When to use «If I was» vs. «If I were»?, english.stackexchange.com
• if I were you, if I was you at Google Ngram Viewer

Anagrams[edit]

• ASW, AWS, SAW, Saw, aws, saw

Afrikaans[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

was (uncountable)

1. wax

Verb[edit]

was

1. past of wees

Verb[edit]

was (present was, present participle wassende, past participle gewas)

1. to wash

Banda[edit]

Noun[edit]

was

1. water

References[edit]

• «Elat, Kei Besar» in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271-283.

Cebuano[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Slang variant of wala

Pronoun[edit]

was

1. (slang) (informal) nothing; none.

Adjective[edit]

was

1. (informal) absent.

Dutch[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ʋɑs/
• Rhymes: -ɑs

Etymology 1[edit]

Cognate with English wash.

Noun[edit]

was m (plural wassen, diminutive wasje n)

1. laundry, clothes that need to be washed, or just have been washed.

Derived terms[edit]

• een kind kan de was doen
• wasbeurt
• wasmachine
• wasmand

Descendants[edit]

• Negerhollands: wasch, was

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old Dutch *was, from Proto-Germanic *wahsą. Cognate with German Wachs, English wax, Danish voks, Swedish vax.

Noun[edit]

was m or n (plural wassen)

1. wax
2. growth

Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Cognate with English was.

Verb[edit]

was

1. singular past indicative of zijn
2. singular past indicative of wezen

Etymology 4[edit]

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb[edit]

was

1. first-person singular present indicative of wassen
2. imperative of wassen

Anagrams[edit]

• swa

German[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• wat (colloquial in western and parts of northern Germany)

Etymology[edit]

From Middle High German waz, from Old High German waz, hwaz, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷod. Cognate with Bavarian was, wås, Silesian German woas (was), Dutch wat, English what, Danish hvad. Doublet of wat.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /vas/
• (Bavaria)
• Rhymes: -as

Pronoun[edit]

was

1. (interrogative) what

   Was machst du heute?

   What are you doing today?

2. (relative) which (referring to the entire preceding clause)

   Sie tanzte gut, was er bewunderte.

   She was a good dancer, which he admired.

3. (relative) that, which (referring to das, alles, etwas, nichts, and neuter substantival adjectives)

   Das ist alles, was ich weiß.

   That’s all that I know.

   Das ist das Beste, was mir passieren konnte.

   That’s the best that could have happened to me.

4. (relative, colloquial) that, which (referring to neuter singular nouns, instead of standard das)

   Siehst du das weiße Haus, was renoviert wird?

   Do you see that white house, which is being renovated?

5. (indefinite, colloquial) something, anything (instead of standard etwas)

   Ich hab was gefunden.

   I’ve found something.

   • 2017, Simone Meier, Fleisch, Kein & Aber 2018, p. 39:

     Er wollte Anna was antun.

     He wanted to do something to Anna.

Usage notes[edit]

• Was is colloquially used with prepositions, chiefly but not exclusively in southern regions. Otherwise it is generally replaced with a pronominal adverb containing wo- (or in a few cases wes-). Hence: Womit hast du das gemacht? (“With what did you do that?”), instead of Mit was hast du das gemacht?, and weswegen instead of wegen was.
• The genitive case, and the dative case if necessary for clearness, can be paraphrased by means of welcher Sache (“what thing”). Possessive genitives are more commonly paraphrased with wovon (“of what”). It is also possible to use the genitive form wessen, but it wouldn’t be used in questions such as Wessen ist das? because here it would be understood as the genitive form of wer.
• The colloquial was meaning «something» can only be the first word in a sentence if followed by an adjective: Was Wichtiges fehlt noch. (“Something important is missing.”) Otherwise the full form etwas must be used: Etwas fehlt noch. (“Something is missing.”) The reason for this is that the latter sentence could be misinterpreted as a question if was were used.

Declension[edit]

Declension of was
nominative	was
genitive	wessen or (dated) wes
dative	—
accusative	was

Derived terms[edit]

• komme, was wolle
• was ist dir; was ist Dir
• was kostet es
• was zum Geier; was zum Kuckuck

• tun, was man nicht lassen kann
• was auch immer
• was der Bauer nicht kennt, das frisst er nicht
• was geht
• was gibt’s Neues
• was du nicht sagst; was ihr nicht sagt; was Sie nicht sagen

Determiner[edit]

was

1. (archaic) what; what kind of

   Synonym: was für

   • 1718, Johann Caspar Schwartz, Johann Caspar Schwartzens Fünfftes Dutzend Wund-artzneyischer Anmerckungen von vielerley Arten der Geschwülste und Geschwüre, Hamburg, page 97:

     […] denen Thieren und Gewächsen aber, von was Arten und Geschlechten selbige auch nur immer seyn mögen, […]

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   • 1742, Johann Christoph Gottsched, Versuch einer Critischen Dichtkunst, Leipzig, page 442:

     Held August, du kühner Krieger! / Du bist der beglückte Sieger, / Vor, und in, und nach dem Fall. / Auf was Arten, auf was Weisen, / Soll man deine Thaten preisen / Hier und da, und überall?

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   • 1786, Johann Michael Schosulan, Gründlicher Unterricht für das Landvolk: Wie und auf was Weise jedermann seinen etrunkenen, erhängten, erstickten, erfrornen, von Hitze verschmachteten und von Blitz berührten unglücklichen Nebenmenschen Hülfe leisten, der Retter aber für sein eigenes Leben sich selbst sicher stellen solle., Wien, title:

     Wie und auf was Weise jedermann seinen […] Nebenmenschen Hülfe leisten […] solle.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

Usage notes[edit]

• In the dative and genitive feminine, the inflected form waser occurred.

Adverb[edit]

was

1. (colloquial) a little, somewhat

   Ich komm was später.

   I’ll arrive a little later.

2. (interrogative, colloquial) why, what for

   Synonyms: warum, wieso, weshalb

   Was bist du heute so stumm?

   Why are you so silent today?

Gothic[edit]

Romanization[edit]

was

1. Romanization of 𐍅𐌰𐍃

Gros Ventre[edit]

Noun[edit]

was

1. bear

Hunsrik[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle High German waz, from Old High German waz, hwaz, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷod.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /vas/

Pronoun[edit]

was

1. (interrogative) what

   Was machst-du?

   What are you doing?

2. (relative) what

   Was-ich net esse, essd de Hund.

   What I don’t eat, the dog eats.

3. (indefinite) something, anything

See also[edit]

• etwas

Further reading[edit]

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Low German[edit]

Verb[edit]

was

1. first-person singular simple past indicative of węsen
2. third-person singular simple past indicative of węsen
3. apocopated form of wasse (“wash”), second-person singular imperative of wassen (mainly used in the Netherlands, equivalent to other dialects’ wasche/waske)
4. apocopated form of wasse (“wax”), second-person singular imperative of wassen
5. apocopated form of wasse (“grow”), second-person singular imperative of wassen

Usage notes[edit]

Notes on the verb węsen (to be): In recent times (~1800) the old subjunctive wer is used in place of was by many speakers. This might be the old subjunctive which is now used as a preterite or a reduction of weren, which is the preterite plural indicative of the verb. It might also be an imitation of the High German cognate war. Many smaller dialectal clusters do this, but no dialect does it. That means: even though there are many regions within e.g. Lower Saxony that use wer for was, maybe even the majority, there is no straight connection between them, i.e. which form is used can depend on preference, speaker and specific region. Due to this «one town this way, one town that way»-nature of the situation no form can be named «standard» for a greater dialect, such as Low Saxon.

Lower Sorbian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [was]

Pronoun[edit]

was

1. genitive of wy
2. accusative of wy
3. locative of wy

Mayangna[edit]

Noun[edit]

was

1. water
2. stream, river

References[edit]

• Smith, Ethnogeography of the Mayangna of Nicaragua, in Ethno- and historical geographic studies in Latin America: essays honoring William V. Davidson (2008), page 88: The location of 46 settlements from this list containing the term ”was» —meaning «water» or «stream» — were obtained[.]

Middle Dutch[edit]

Verb[edit]

was

1. first/third-person singular past indicative of wēsen

Middle English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old English wæs (first/third person singular indicative past of wesan), from Proto-Germanic *was (first/third person singular indicative past of *wesaną).

Verb[edit]

was

1. first/third-person singular past indicative of been

   • c. 1375, “Book VI”, in Iohne Barbour, De geſtis bellis et uirtutibus domini Roberti de Brwyß […] (The Brus, Advocates MS. 19.2.2)‎^[2], Ouchtirmunſye: Iohannes Ramſay, published 1489, folio 21, recto, lines 431-434; republished at Edinburgh: National Library of Scotland, c. 2010:

     Thyꝛwall þ[at] was þ[air] capitain / Wes þ[air] in þe baꝛgain slain / ⁊ off his men þe maſt p[ar]ty / Ϸe laue fled full affrayitly

     Thirlwall, who was their commander / was killed there in the struggle / with the greatest part of his men; / the rest fled very frightened.

2. (dialectal) second-person singular past indicative of been
3. (dialectal) plural past indicative of been

Descendants[edit]

• English: was
• Scots: was, wis
• Yola: waas, was, waz, ‘as, as

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

was

1. Alternative form of whos (“whose”, genitive)

Middle Low German[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• wass

Verb[edit]

was

1. first/third-person singular preterite indicative of wēsen

Old High German[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• uuas, ƿas – Manuscript spelling

Verb[edit]

was

1. first/third-person singular past indicative of wesan

Pennsylvania German[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Compare German was, Dutch wat, English what.

Pronoun[edit]

was

1. (interrogative) what

Polish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /vas/
• Rhymes: -as
• Syllabification: was

Pronoun[edit]

was

1. genitive/accusative/locative of wy

Proto-Norse[edit]

Romanization[edit]

was

1. Romanization of ᚹᚨᛊ

Scots[edit]

Noun[edit]

was

1. plural of wa

Seychellois Creole[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From French ouest.

Noun[edit]

was

1. west

References[edit]

• Danielle D’Offay et Guy Lionnet, Diksyonner Kreol — Franse / Dictionnaire Créole Seychellois — Français

Somali[edit]

Verb[edit]

was

1. fuck

Descendants[edit]

• → English: wass

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From WhatsApp.

Noun[edit]

was m (plural was)

1. a message sent or received over WhatsApp

[edit]

Tok Pisin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English watch.

Verb[edit]

was

1. angel; any supernatural creature in heaven according to Christian theology

   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:24:

     God i rausim pinis man na meri, na em i makim ol strongpela ensel bilong sanap na was i stap long hap sankamap bilong gaden Iden. Na tu em i putim wanpela bainat i gat paia i lait long en na i save tanim tanim long olgeta hap. Oltaim ol dispela ensel wantaim dispela bainat i save was i stap, nogut wanpela man i go klostu long dispela diwai bilong givim laip.

     →New International Version translation

Welsh[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /waːs/

Noun[edit]

was

1. Soft mutation of gwas.

Mutation[edit]

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
gwas	was	ngwas	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Yola[edit]

Verb[edit]

was

1. Alternative form of waas

   • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3:

     At by mizluck was ee-pit t’drive in.

     Who by misluck was placed to drive in.

References[edit]

• Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 84

Asked by: Dr. Estella Larson

Score: 4.8/5
(14 votes)

A singular verb is one that has an s added to it in the present tense, such as writes, plays, runs, and uses forms such as is, was, has, does. A plural verb does not have an s added to it, such as write, play, run, and uses forms such as are, were, have and do. E.g.

Were was singular plural?

Was Ka plural?

The plural form of is is are.

What is plural of I?

The plural form of i is ies (rare). Find more words! Another word for. Opposite of. Meaning of.

What is the plural of person?

As a general rule, you’re absolutely right – person is used to refer to an individual, and the plural form is people. … Similarly, persons is considered to be quite formal and isn’t used often in day to day language.

28 related questions found

The most common linking verb is the verb to be in all of its forms (am, are, is, was, were, etc.). This verb may also be used as a helping verb (see next section). To become and to seem are always linking verbs.

Follow this link for full answer

Together with, is the word was a verb or noun?

«Was» is the past form of the verb «be». You are right that «be» is a special verb in English. When it is the main verb in a sentence is nearly always used as a linking verb. It joins the subject to noun or adjective that describes or identifies the subject.

In any event, what kind of word is eventually? We use the adverb eventually to mean ‘in the end’, especially when something has involved a long time, or a lot of effort or problems: I looked everywhere for my keys, and eventually found them inside one of my shoes!7 days ago

Not only that, what kind of verb is could?

Modal verbs

What kind of verb is want?

transitive

17 Related Questions Answered

What do you call a word that is both a noun and a verb?

A gerund is a kind of noun that looks suspiciously like a verb.

What is the word of in parts of speech?

The word “of” is considered as a preposition because it is used to show that a person or an object belongs to, or is related to, something. For example, in the sentence: “The first page of the paper provides the history.” The word “of” indicates that the “first page” belongs to/ is connected with the “paper.”

What does eventually mean in English?

adverb. finally; ultimately; at some later time: Eventually we will own the house free and clear.

How do you use the word eventually?

In the English language, “eventually” means “finally”, “sometime in the future”, “sooner or later.” Examples of “eventually” in sentences: “I’m looking for a new job. It’s tough but I’m sure I’ll find one eventually.”

What tense is eventually?

past tense

What is the word could?

auxiliary verb (used to express conditional possibility or ability): You could do it if you tried.

IS can present or past tense?

The verb can is used to say that someone or something is able to do something. Can is called a modal verb. It doesn’t have all of the tenses that verbs usually have. It has the simple past tense could, but no past participle.

Is could present tense?

Could is used for past and future instances, or sometimes in the present tense (although in the present tense it is normally describing a possibility or is part of a question). … In the present, we use can. If this is in the present tense, the right way to write this sentence is with cannot, or can‘t.

What type of verb is start?

[transitive, intransitive] start (something) when you start a machine or a vehicle or it starts, it begins to operate Start your engines!

Is Want a action verb?

A verb that shows what the subject is doing is called an Action Verb. Obvious action verbs are concrete: run, walk, sing, swim, dance, play, talk, walk, etc. Don’t forget abstract actions that still count as action verbs: think, want, like, love, dream, wish, want, etc.

Can we say wanting?

Most uses of want involve the simple forms of the verb (want, wants, wanted). When we are talking about wishes or desires we can also use the continuous form (is wanting, was wanting, will be wanting).

What is the most common word?

What does the letter A stand for?

The letter A stands for the sound, the great mystical power and acts of magic. … The letter A is the first letter in words: alphabet, anagram, alchemy, astrology, angel, the Apocrypha … etc.

What type of word is hey?

interjection

What is the word why in grammar?

Grammar > Nouns, pronouns and determiners > Question words > Why. from English Grammar Today. Why is a wh-word. We use why to talk about reasons and explanations.

What is this called in grammar?

We use this, that, these and those to point to people and things. This and that are singular. These and those are plural. We use them as determiners and pronouns.

What is the first word of a sentence called?

incipit