There Was A Few | Grammar Fix That Reads Clean

If a sentence sounds odd the moment you read it aloud, the verb is often the culprit. The phrase in this topic trips people up because “there” comes before the verb, but “there” isn’t the subject. The real subject comes after the verb.

That means the noun after “was” or “were” decides the verb. “A few” points to more than one countable thing, so it needs a plural verb. In polished writing, “there were a few” is the clean choice.

Why There Was A Few Sounds Off

The phrase feels tempting because “a” often sits with singular nouns. In this case, “a few” works as a unit that means “some” or “several.” It does not point to one thing.

Use “were” when the noun after the phrase is plural:

• There were a few cookies left.
• There were a few errors in the draft.
• There were a few people outside.

Use “was” when the noun is singular or uncountable:

• There was a cookie left.
• There was some confusion after the meeting.
• There was a little water in the glass.

The grammar rule is called subject-verb agreement. Purdue OWL explains that in sentences starting with “there is” or “there are,” the subject follows the verb, and the verb matches what follows. Their page on subject-verb agreement gives the same pattern with singular and plural nouns.

Using There Were A Few In Clean Sentences

Once you spot the noun after the verb, the choice gets easier. Ask one plain question: “Am I talking about one thing, or more than one?” If the answer is more than one countable thing, use “were.”

Countable Nouns Need Were

A countable noun is something you can count as separate items. Books, mistakes, chairs, messages, tickets, and ideas can all be counted. When “a few” comes before those nouns, the sentence needs “were.”

Clean versions read like this:

• There were a few books on the desk.
• There were a few mistakes in the report.
• There were a few seats near the back.

Cambridge Dictionary treats “a few” as a quantifier used with plural countable nouns. Its page on English quantifiers is useful when you want the wider grammar pattern behind words like “few,” “many,” and “some.”

Uncountable Nouns Need Was

Uncountable nouns refer to things you don’t normally count as separate units. Water, rice, advice, traffic, furniture, and information usually work this way. With these, “a few” doesn’t fit unless you add a countable unit.

Say “there was a little rice,” not “there were a few rice.” If you want “a few,” add a countable word: “There were a few grains of rice.” The countable noun becomes “grains,” so “were” is right.

Sentence Type	Clean Version	Why It Works
Plural countable noun	There were a few calls.	“Calls” is plural.
Singular countable noun	There was a call.	“Call” is singular.
Uncountable noun	There was some noise.	“Noise” is not counted here.
Unit plus uncountable noun	There were a few cups of tea.	“Cups” is plural.
Negative phrase	There weren’t many seats.	“Seats” is plural.
Question form	Were there a few delays?	The subject is still plural.
Past event	There were a few storms overnight.	“Storms” is plural.
Edited formal line	There were a few concerns raised.	“Concerns” is plural.

When Was Still Belongs In The Sentence

“Was” is not wrong by itself. It becomes wrong only when the subject after it is plural. If the subject is one item, one person, one place, or an uncountable noun, “was” fits.

Use Was For One Item

These sentences all use one countable noun, so “was” is the right verb:

• There was a note on the door.
• There was a reason for the delay.
• There was a child waiting by the gate.

The noun after the verb does the work. “Note,” “reason,” and “child” are singular. The word “there” only starts the sentence.

Use Was For Amounts You Don’t Count

Some nouns name a mass, idea, or material. They can have a lot or a little, but not “a few” by themselves. The British Council’s lesson on few and a few separates “a few” for countable nouns from “a little” for uncountable nouns.

That split helps with daily writing. Use “there was a little milk,” but use “there were a few bottles of milk.” Use “there was little time,” but use “there were a few minutes left.”

If You Mean	Use This	Not This
Some plural items	There were a few files.	There was a few files.
One item	There was a file.	There were a file.
A small amount	There was a little time.	There were a few time.
Several measured units	There were a few hours.	There was a few hours.
Several people	There were a few guests.	There was a few guests.

How To Fix The Phrase In Your Own Writing

Use this short check when editing email, essays, blog posts, reports, or captions. It works because it pushes your eye past “there” and toward the true subject.

1. Find the noun after “was” or “were.”
2. Check whether that noun is singular, plural, or uncountable.
3. Use “was” for one thing or an uncountable amount.
4. Use “were” for more than one countable thing.
5. Read the sentence aloud once before publishing.

Here are edits you can make right away:

• Wrong: There was a few cars in the lot.
  Right: There were a few cars in the lot.
• Wrong: There was a few reasons to wait.
  Right: There were a few reasons to wait.
• Wrong: There were a little dust on the shelf.
  Right: There was a little dust on the shelf.

Spoken English Can Be Looser

In casual speech, people often say things that don’t match edited grammar. You may hear “there’s a few” in conversation. It’s common in speech because contractions move fast and people care more about meaning than form.

For schoolwork, business writing, job applications, articles, and client emails, choose the cleaner form. “There were a few” sounds sharper when the noun is plural, and it avoids a correction from careful readers.

Clean Answer For Daily Use

Use “there were a few” when you mean several countable things. Use “there was” when you mean one thing or a small uncountable amount. The noun after the verb decides the form, not the opening word “there.”

That one rule handles most cases. If the noun is plural, write “were.” If the noun is singular or uncountable, write “was.” Your sentence will read clean, and the grammar will hold up in edited copy.