Possible agreement error 'there was' + plural noun

If you wrote "There was many..." you matched the verb to "there" instead of the real subject. The verb in there + be constructions agrees with the noun that follows, so plural subjects need were and singular subjects need was.

Quick answer

In there + be constructions, the verb agrees with the noun after it: use were for plural subjects and was for singular ones (e.g., "There were five emails." "There was one message.")

Find the logical subject after the verb (not "there").
If that subject is plural → use were. If singular → use was.
When unsure, rewrite so the subject comes before the verb: "Five emails arrived."

Core explanation - how the error happens

Sentences that begin with there are inverted: there + be + subject. The verb must agree with that subject. Mistakes occur when writers match the verb to "there" or to an intervening word instead of to the head noun.

Common plural triggers include numerals (two, 15), quantifiers (many, several, a few, a lot of), and multi-word noun phrases (the failures, these updates).

Structure: there + be + subject → verb agrees with the subject after be.
If the head noun after "there" is plural, use were; if singular, use was.

Wrong: There was many mistakes in the draft.
Right: There were many mistakes in the draft.
Wrong: There was a solution to the problem. (Correct as written because subject = solution.)

The flip-test and quick diagnostics (grammar)

Flip the clause so the subject comes before the verb. If the flipped sentence needs a plural verb, use were; if it needs a singular verb, use was. Ignore modifiers and parentheticals - only the head noun controls agreement.

Flip-test: "There were fifteen emails" → "Fifteen emails were..." (plural → were).
Ignore interruptions: "There was, after the review, several errors" → subject = errors (plural) → were.

School - Example: Wrong: "There was twenty students absent." → Flip: "Twenty students were absent."
Correct: "There were twenty students absent."
Example: Wrong: "There was the list of changes." → Flip: "The list of changes was..."
Correct: "There was the list of changes."

Real usage and tone - when to worry

In speech you will hear nonstandard forms, but in reports, essays, and customer-facing writing correct agreement matters. Agreement mistakes distract readers and undermine credibility.

Formal writing (reports, essays, proposals): always use correct agreement.
Casual speech can be forgiving, but aim for correct agreement in written communication.

Work - Wrong: There was many people at the meeting yesterday.
Work - Right: There were many people at the meeting yesterday.
Casual - Wrong: There was a lot of people at the party last night.
Casual - Right: There were a lot of people at the party last night.
Work - Wrong: There was several vendor issues in the deployment.
Work - Right: There were several vendor issues in the deployment.

Examples by situation - copyable wrong/right pairs

Practice with these realistic pairs you can paste into emails, notes, or study lists.

Work - Wrong: There was many issues with the quarterly report.
Work - Right: There were many issues with the quarterly report.
Work - Wrong: There was three candidates who met the minimum requirements.
Work - Right: There were three candidates who met the minimum requirements.
School - Wrong: There was several chapters left to read before the exam.
School - Right: There were several chapters left to read before the exam.
School - Wrong: There was two lab samples that failed the test.
School - Right: There were two lab samples that failed the test.
Casual - Wrong: There was a lot of people at the concert.
Casual - Right: There were a lot of people at the concert.
Casual - Wrong: There was three beers left in the fridge.
Casual - Right: There were three beers left in the fridge.

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence rather than a phrase. Context usually makes the right verb clear.

Rewrite help - three fast patterns and rewrites

If the agreement feels tricky, rewrite. Below are three reliable patterns with immediate examples.

Pattern A - Move the subject first: "Many errors were found."
Pattern B - Make the doer explicit: "We found many errors."
Pattern C - Narrow or rename the subject: "A lot of the team were late" → "Many team members were late."

Rewrite:
Wrong: "There was many reasons I couldn't attend." →
Rewrite: "I had many reasons for not attending."
Rewrite:
Wrong: "There was many people who disagreed." →
Rewrite: "Many people disagreed."
Rewrite:
Wrong: "There was many cars parked outside." →
Rewrite: "Many cars were parked outside."

Memory trick and short practice drills

Mnemonic: "Flip it and listen." Flip the clause so the subject comes first. If it sounds plural, use were; if singular, use was.

Drills: each week pick five sentences from your inbox, apply the flip-test, and correct them until it feels automatic.

Read flipped sentences aloud - your ear catches agreement mistakes faster than your eye.
When editing long sentences, remove parentheticals and count the head noun only.
Practice: Flip-test: "There were dozens of responses" → "Dozens of responses were..." (plural → were).

Similar mistakes and tricky cases to watch

Some constructions look plural but take a singular verb, and some ambiguous nouns depend on meaning or dialect. Watch for these common traps.

"One of the + plural" → verb matches one (singular): "One of my friends is coming."
"A number of + plural" → plural verb: "A number of applicants were invited."
"The number of + plural" → singular verb: "The number of errors is increasing."
Collective nouns vary by dialect and meaning: "The team is ready" (group) vs "The team are arguing among themselves" (individuals).

Wrong: One of my friends are coming to the party.
Right: One of my friends is coming to the party.
Wrong: A number of issues was raised at the meeting.
Right: A number of issues were raised at the meeting.
Wrong: The number of errors were high.
Right: The number of errors was high.

Spacing, punctuation, and hyphenation notes (editing tips)

Commas, parentheses, and hyphenated modifiers can separate the verb from its subject visually but do not change agreement. Locate the head noun to decide was vs were.

If interruptions make parsing hard, rewrite so the subject sits next to the verb.

Example: "There were, despite the delays, several volunteers." → subject = volunteers → were.
Hyphenated modifiers don't change number: "There were three long-term projects" → subject = projects (plural) → were.
If punctuation obscures agreement, rephrase: "Several volunteers arrived despite the delays."

Wrong: There was, despite repeated warnings, many mistakes in the protocol.
Right: There were, despite repeated warnings, many mistakes in the protocol.
Usage: There were three long-term projects remaining.

FAQ

Is "there was many" ever correct?

Not in standard written English. If the noun after there is plural, use were. You may hear the nonstandard form in casual speech, but write were in formal text.

Which is correct: "There was a lot of people" or "There were a lot of people"?

"There were a lot of people" is correct because the logical subject (people) is plural. Use were with plural subjects even with quantifiers like "a lot of."

What about "one of my friends" - is it is or are?

Use is: "One of my friends is coming." The grammatical subject is "one" (singular), so the verb is singular despite the plural noun that follows.

Quickest way to check a sentence?

Flip the sentence so the subject comes first (flip-test). If the flipped sentence needs a plural verb, use were; if singular, use was. If uncertain, rewrite the sentence with the subject first.

Will grammar checkers always fix this?

Most grammar tools flag "there was many" and suggest "there were many." Use the flip-test for complex phrases to understand why a change is needed.

Want faster confidence when editing?

Use the flip-test, try one of the rewrite patterns, and practice weekly with real sentences. Build a tiny checklist-flip it, listen, rewrite-and run it before important emails or submissions.