Where, We're, Wear, Were
Where are you going?
We're (we are) both going to need to wear (put on) our raincoats where (location) we're (we are) going!
where, we're & wear all sound the same but:
where is a question
we're is really we are, and
wear is an action
Where are we going?
We're [we are] going to the beach!
What you going to wear? Will you wear a hat?
"Were" is the past tense of "are" (we are, we were) and sounds like fur when pronounced.
When we were younger, we used to build sand castles.
If we were very good, our mother would buy us icecream.
Remember to use an *apostrophe* when you are
*removing a letter from a word*, for example WE ARE becomes WE'RE.
See? It's not so hard when it's explained!
U.S. Pronunciation
Thanks to Elizabeth from California :
In California's *dialect* (if there is such a thing ;-), *we're* [we are] is pronounced differently from *where* and *wear*.
The vowels in *veer*, *queer*, *here*,* and *tear* (as in weeping) match those of *we're*, and are different from *where*, *wear*, *there*, *fair*, and *tear* (as in ripping).
July 1999
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Thanks for the site, I needed an independent sanity check for a moment there.
As a Pom now residing in NZ I'm learning new and interesting ways of pronouncing the English language every day :) I too missed much of my English language education however I have no better excuse than I slept through it.
It's interesting to read this particular comment as it is one of the few occasions when the Californian pronunciation is the same as the British (regional variations excepted).
There is one glaring omission from your site though - unless I have yet to locate it - it's one of the most frequent and frustrating errors I see and yet, to me at least, isn't that difficult.
There, Their, They're
I look forward to your lesson on that one :)
Cheers,
Richard
Thank you Richard!
It's always lovely to get fanmail and I do appreciate your very kind words.
Yes! You're right - how could I have omitted this one?
There, Their, They're
The misuse of these words does drive me nuts :D
I'll write a page about this a.s.a.p.
Thanks for writing!
Cheers
Teena