Wear, Were, We're, and Where

Wear, Were, We're, and Where

• "To wear" has two meanings: (1) to have clothing on, and (2) to deteriorate.
• I want to wear my new dress.
• The machine will wear a hole in my jeans.
• There is also a noun associated with each meaning.
• It is formal wear for the party.
• Look at the wear on this screw.

• "Were" is the past tense version of "are."
• They were happy, but now they are ecstatic.

• "We're" is a short for "we are."
• We're going home now.

• "Where" refers to a place.
• I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later. (Comedian Mitch Hedberg)

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Wear

• I wear a necklace because I want to know when I'm upside down. (Comedian Mitch Hedberg)
(Here, "wear" means to have clothing or decoration on.)
• Our constancy was necessary to wear down the oppressive forces of the old democracy. (Novelist Federica Montseny)
(Here, "wear" means to cause deterioration. It is being used figuratively in this example.)
• This heavy-duty wear is showing signs of wear.
(Here, the first "wear" means clothing and the second means deterioration. They are both nouns.)

Were

• If you were right, I'd have agreed with you. (Actor Robin Williams)

We're

• Individually, we're one drop. Together, we're an ocean. (Writer Ryunosuke Satoro)

Where

• A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain. (Poet Robert Frost)
• Where there is love there is life. (Indian statesman Mahatma Gandhi)

What Part of Speech Is "Where?

• Where are you going?
("Where" can be used to ask a question about a place.)

• It is the building where we met Janice.
("Where" can be used to head an adjective clause. Here, the adjective clause is shaded. It modifies "building.")

• Where two people remain, the winner is the person with the most money.
("Where" can be used to head a dependent clause. Here, the dependent clause is shaded.)