there was two

USAGE SUMMARY

The correct phrase is "there were two".
You can use this phrase in written English whenever you want to indicate that there were two of something. For example: "When I opened the box, there were two toy cars inside."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

50 human-written examples

"There was two people sitting there.

Independent

The pay there was two times as high.

The Washington Post

"There was two years of noncommunication," Mr. Garr said.

The New York Times

But there was two months between the reports.

The Guardian - TV & Radio

From 9am there was two hours of Eamon Holmes on a bus.

The Guardian - Sport

There was two episodes on the Ellen Degeneres show that I remember in which Ellen pretended to be a Latina.

Princeton University

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

10 human-written examples

“There was two feet of snow in the living room, and we were working in raincoats through the spring,” chuckles Vercollone, a 32-year-old carpenter who decided to invest in distressed properties after working on renovations for other investors.

Forbes

"There is much more quality than there was two years ago," Dubi said.

The New York Times - Sports

And by any measure, there's much less cause for economic anxiety than there was two years ago.

The New York Times

But by now there was two-way traffic, as the orchestra took an increasing interest in hiring American conductors.

The New York Times - Arts

"We're feeling like there's a bit more spring in the step than there was two years ago," said their captain, Ryan Hoffman.

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use "there were" when referring to a plural number of items. For instance, instead of saying "there was two cars", say "there were two cars".

Common error

Avoid using "there was" with plural subjects. "There was" is for singular nouns, while "there were" is for plural nouns.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "there was two" functions as an existential clause, intending to assert the existence of two entities. However, it is grammatically incorrect due to the mismatch between the singular verb "was" and the plural quantity "two". Ludwig examples demonstrate this common error.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

58%

Science

29%

Academia

6%

Less common in

Wiki

4%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "there was two" is a common grammatical error where the singular verb "was" is incorrectly used with the plural quantifier "two". As Ludwig AI highlights, the correct form is "there were two". Although frequently found in various sources, especially News & Media and Science, it's crucial to use the correct grammatical form in formal writing. To avoid this error, remember that "there was" is for singular subjects, while "there were" is for plural subjects. Alternatives like "there were a couple" or simply stating "two existed" can also be used for clarity and correctness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

there were a couple

Replaces "two" with "a couple" and uses the correct verb conjugation "were" to match the plural subject.

there were a pair

Substitutes "two" with "a pair" and uses the correct plural verb "were".

there had been two

Emphasizes a past state with the past perfect tense, correcting the verb form to "were".

two were present

Replaces the original phrase with a more descriptive and grammatically sound statement indicating the presence of two entities.

two items were there

Rephrases the sentence for clarity and grammatical accuracy, emphasizing the presence of "two items".

there existed two

Replaces "was" with "existed" while maintaining the incorrect singular verb form.

a duo existed

Uses "duo" to represent two items and corrects the verb to match.

in that case there were two

Adds context while maintaining the correct grammar, providing a more specific scenario.

two existed

Inverts the sentence structure and corrects the verb form to imply the existence of two items.

it involved two

Shifts the focus to the involvement of two entities, maintaining grammatical correctness and altering the sentence structure.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "there was two"?

The correct way to phrase this is "there were two". The verb "were" is used because "two" indicates a plural subject.

Is it grammatically correct to use "there was two"?

No, it is not grammatically correct. The proper construction is "there were two". The subject "two" is plural, requiring the plural verb "were".

When should I use "there was" versus "there were"?

"There was" is used with singular nouns (e.g., "there was a cat"), while "there were" is used with plural nouns (e.g., "there were cats").

What are some alternative ways to express "there was two" correctly?

You could say "there were a couple", "there were a pair", or simply "two existed", depending on the context.