Was ahead of its time vs Were ahead of its time

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Was ahead of its time' is used when referring to a singular noun or entity, while 'were ahead of its time' is used when referring to plural nouns or entities. It's important to match the verb with the subject in terms of singular or plural form.

Last updated: March 19, 2024 • 880 views

Was ahead of its time

This phrase is correct when referring to a singular noun or entity that was innovative or advanced for its time.

Use 'was ahead of its time' when talking about a singular noun or entity that was ahead of its time in terms of innovation or advancement.

Examples:

The invention of the telephone was ahead of its time.
The movie was ahead of its time in terms of special effects.

Show examples from the web [+]

Everyone's a victim of bad timing sometimes. These gadgets brought revolutionary new features to the market. They just did it a little too soon.
Innovative and radical by the standards of the time:. Meaning, pronunciation and example sentences, English to English reference content.
Torigian believes his product was ahead of its time. Non Tobacco and Non Nicotine Smokes Introduced: "Bravo". With a history of being ahead of its time, the ...
Apple's Cube was ahead of its time. Comments. By Benj Edwards, Macworld. OK, so, from a commercial standpoint, the Power Mac G4 Cube flopped. But was it ...

Alternatives:

was ahead of the times
was ahead of its era
was ahead of its peers
was ahead of its competitors
was ahead of its class

Were ahead of its time

This phrase is correct when referring to plural nouns or entities that were innovative or advanced for their time.

Use 'were ahead of its time' when talking about plural nouns or entities that were ahead of their time in terms of innovation or advancement.

Examples:

The Beatles were ahead of their time in terms of music.
The ancient Greeks were ahead of their time in terms of philosophy.

Show examples from the web [+]

Aug 13, 2015 ... “Dune,” climate fiction pioneer: The ecological lessons of Frank Herbert's sci-fi masterpiece were ahead of its time. The Hugo and Nebula ...
What are some of the most awesome engineering inventions made by Leonardo Da Vinci which were ahead of its time? What are examples of people who ...
What are some of the most awesome engineering inventions made by Leonardo Da Vinci which were ahead of its time? How can we move ahead of time?
IBM has also had its fair share of products that were ahead of its time and met premature deaths; including their Token Ring LAN which was ultimately ...

Alternatives:

were ahead of the times
were ahead of their era
were ahead of their peers
were ahead of their competitors
were ahead of their class

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Was ahead of its time vs Were ahead of its time