was contaminated vs were contaminated

Both "was contaminated" and "were contaminated" are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "Was contaminated" is used when referring to a singular subject, while "were contaminated" is used when referring to plural subjects. The choice between the two depends on the subject of the sentence.

Last updated: March 15, 2024 • 567 views

This phrase is correct when referring to a singular subject that was contaminated.

"was contaminated "

Use "was contaminated" when the subject of the sentence is singular, such as "The water was contaminated with bacteria."

Examples:

The food was contaminated with mold.
The air in the room was contaminated with toxic fumes.
The soil was contaminated with chemicals.

Show examples from the web [+]

The families' homes had warnings painted on them, telling neighbours to stay away because the house was contaminated with HIV and even uninfected siblings ...
The contractor delivered repeated warnings to base officials, including base chemist Elizabeth Betz, that the water was contaminated. A representative from ...
Jan 5, 2015 ... Zilks Foods of Austin, Tx. is recalling all its eight-ounce hummus products; A spice ingredient from a single supplier was contaminated with ...
Jan 29, 2015 ... There was also a deposit of asbestos at that mine, so the vermiculite from Libby was contaminated with asbestos. Vermiculite from Libby was ...

Alternatives:

became contaminated
got contaminated
was infected with
was polluted with
was tainted with

This phrase is correct when referring to plural subjects that were contaminated.

"were contaminated "

Use "were contaminated" when the subject of the sentence is plural, such as "The samples were contaminated during the experiment."

Examples:

The dishes were contaminated with bacteria.
The water bottles were contaminated with lead.
The fruits were contaminated with pesticides.

Show examples from the web [+]

In Japan, the Health Ministry did not ban unheated products until December 1985 , despite knowing that they were contaminated. As a result, over 1,400 ...
... supplying water for the base were contaminated with trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. The contractor delivered repeated warnings to base officials, ...
More than 200 000 km2 of Europe were contaminated above the level of 37 kBq/ m2 of caesium-137 . Over 70 % of this area lies in the three most affected ...
Jul 15, 2014 ... Fourteen different rice paddies outside of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant evacuation zone were contaminated with radioactive ...

Alternatives:

became contaminated
got contaminated
were infected with
were polluted with
were tainted with

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was contaminated vs were contaminated