"There was a traffic." vs "It was traffic"

Question

"There was a traffic." vs "It was traffic"

The phrases are not directly comparable as they are different in structure and meaning. 'There was a traffic' is not a correct construction in English, while 'It was traffic' is a valid phrase that can be used to describe a situation where traffic is present.

Last Updated: March 08, 2024

The correct way to express this idea is 'There was traffic.' without the article 'a'.

Alternatives:

There was traffic.
There was heavy traffic.
There was a lot of traffic.
There was a traffic jam.
There was a traffic congestion.

'It was traffic' is a simple way to convey that there was a significant amount of traffic.

Alternatives:

There was traffic.
There was heavy traffic.
There was a lot of traffic.
There was a traffic jam.
There was a traffic congestion.

Answer 1

There was a traffic.

This phrase is not correct in English. 'Traffic' is a mass noun and does not require an article before it.

Answer 2

It was traffic

This phrase is correct and can be used to describe a situation where traffic is present.

"There was a traffic." vs "It was traffic"

There was a traffic.

It was traffic

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