Can someone please tell me 'was' or 'were': which one should I choose in the context? Here is a homewok in my grammar book.
"They were beating the boy for not following rules."
Q: (Make a question using 'who') Who was/were beating the boy for not following rules?
Was or were? Which one should I use with 'who' in the context? I think I should use 'was' but I am not sure as it is referring to more than one person.
Best Answer
Who can take both sigular and plural verbs as exemplified here:
So, grammatically, both cases are sound. Logically, it would depend on context. For example, before asking the question, does the speaker know the beating was carried out by multiple people? If so, "who were" is suitable.