Overuse of WAS

[Anonymous Traveler]

Occasionally I get spoken to about the excessive use of was. Is there a target limitation I should aim for?

[janetbellinger]

Was has become a four letter word. Use it very sparingly, if at all. I'm sneaking it in a few times when it seems anything else would be pointless and awkward.

[Anonymous Traveler]

Was has become a four letter word.

As a bit of an exercise I posted a little humor piece and avoided the use completely. Good practice.

[Medievalist]

I don't think it's was per se that's the problem.

It is often seen as a marker for passive voice (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1002802).

[Judg]

You mean I can't start my novel with "It was a dark and stormy night?"

Rats.

[maestrowork]

"Was" (or any "be" word) is a weak verb. It's useful in places, but generally it's weak. It's lazy writing -- it's usually followed by a vague adjective or -ing verb, which is often used incorrectly, or passive voice, which is also weak.

"It was beautiful" -- how not show us how beautiful?

"It was a snow globe" or "There was a man in the corner" -- weak construction.

"It was raining" -- why not simply "It rained"?

"I was pushed" -- passive voice.

[SpookyWriter]

You mean I can't start my novel with "It was a dark and stormy night?"

Rats.Sure you can, but it will never make print. :D Was is passive, I agree with Lisa.

Examples: Hmmm....which is better?

There were two horses pulling the coach.

The coach was pulled by two horses.

Two horses pulled the coach.

[Judg]

Examples: Hmmm....which is better?

There were two horses pulling the coach.

The coach was pulled by two horses.

Two horses pulled the coach.
Actually, I would probably make the choice based on rhythm and flow.

Now I think I'll go use my search function and look for all my wases and weres.

Hmm, according to the forum spellchecker, wases is a word... And spellchecker isn't.

[SpookyWriter]

That's wase and plural is wases. "We put a whooping on their wases."

Wase: a bundle of straw. Go figure.

[SpookyWriter]

Was is passive only when it's used incorrectly. In your examples, "was" is used passively, but trying to avoid "was" because it's sometimes passive means you're going to be tying your writing in knots avoiding an imaginary problem.

Not all sentences can be active or passive, and a writer who doesn't know when "was" does and does not make a sentence passive is in deep trouble.I know, I wrote them that way as examples. :D

[Anonymous Traveler]

Supplemental question, your honors.

In dialog is/are was-were as critical? Or is grammar even important if it establishes the character's communications skills?

"You were too!" "I was not!" "You were too!" etc...

[janetbellinger]

Well you know everythng becomes trite within five years, and that will apply to verbs as well. Was is out of fashion right now as are adjectives but eventually people are going to get tired of reading five pages of description of somebody washing his face and will look at was and adjectives and adverbs with a balanced eye once again.