---
title: Standard English and dialect: "we was" in talk, "we were" in writing — how Mova does on the tests · English
description: Lesson 38 of the english course of Mova's primary school: 3 of 11 tests right, exam 1 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose.
---

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# Standard English and dialect: "we was" in talk, "we were" in writing

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**Tests:** 3 of 11 right · **Exam:** 1 of 4 right · **Kind:** ★ · **Understood:** 5 of 15 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72`

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Lesson 38 of the english course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/).

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Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson's questions in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/).

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### Test 1 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t1}

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Your mate laughs at the new kid's Glasgow accent and says "he can't even talk proper." What is wrong with that?

- **1.** He is right, accents are mistakes — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Only the new kid is allowed to laugh — no support
- **3.** Nothing, because Glasgow speech is not really English at all — no support
- **4.** It's unkind, and every accent and dialect has rules — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t1/)

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### Test 2 · ★ · right ✓ {#t2}

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★★★ Which sentence is Standard English but could be spoken in any accent?

- **1.** We were going to the beach. — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** Us were going to the beach. — no support
- **3.** We were going to't beach. — no support
- **4.** We was going t'beach. — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t2/)

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### Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t3}

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In a cartoon, the posh character always speaks "properly" and the farmer always "wrongly". What is the cartoon getting wrong?

- **1.** Cartoons must use only Standard English — no support
- **2.** Farmers never speak with an accent — no support
- **3.** Posh people never use any dialect — **← Mova's choice** · score 1
- **4.** The farmer's dialect has rules too — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 35, line 5: «Inside the marks, characters talk their own way, dialect and slang included: "'Wee eejit,' said Da" (Belfast for "little idiot", said fondly) is perfectly punc…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+1). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t3/)

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### Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t4}

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What would happen if Kai wrote "we was" in his SATs grammar test?

- **1.** He would get extra marks for using his own home dialect — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** He would lose the mark, as it asks for Standard English — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Nothing, because tests accept every dialect — no support
- **4.** The test would be cancelled — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t4/)

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### Test 5 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t5}

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A cousin from Newcastle says "Howay, man, we was robbed!" about a football match. ("Howay" means come on.) Is this wrong to say at the match?

- **1.** Yes, "howay" is not a real word — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** No, but only because it's about football — no support
- **3.** No, it's natural dialect for talking with mates — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** Yes, it's always wrong to say "we was", even at a match — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t5/)

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### Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t6}

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★★★ Which is the only sentence with NO dialect forms in it?

- **1.** I saw those books and I done my homework. — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** I saw them books and I did my homework. — no support
- **3.** I saw those books and I did my homework. — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** I seen those books and I did my homework. — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t6/)

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### Test 7 · ★ · right ✓ {#t7}

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A gran in Kerry says "Youse are grand." ("Grand" means fine.) Her grandson writes about her in a story. Should her words stay as she said them?

- **1.** No, all dialect must be removed from stories — score 0
- **2.** Yes, in speech marks, to show her voice — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 2
- **3.** No, only Standard English may go in speech marks — no support
- **4.** Yes, but he must change "youse" to "you" — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 2, against 0 for the next best. Its support: lesson 37, line 13: «Linking words such as "however", "because" and "as a result" show how ideas connect.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «show» (+1); the same doer «linking words» (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t7/)

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### Test 8 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t8}

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Your teacher, dry: "Innit is great at break time and not so great in a job application." What is she teaching?

- **1.** That job applications are written in slang — no support
- **2.** Code-switching for the audience — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** That break time has no rules — no support
- **4.** That "innit" is a rude word — **← Mova's choice** · score 6

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 5, line 17: «Slang in this lesson: «innit» is a London and South-East tag meaning «isn't it» or «right?»; «lush» is Welsh slang for lovely and «cariad» is Welsh for darling.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «innit» (+3); it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same thing acted on «east tag meaning» (+1). Against it: the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (-1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t8/)

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### Test 9 · ★ · right ✓ {#t9}

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★★★ "I didn't see nobody." Many languages, such as French and Spanish, use two negatives like this as standard. What does that show?

- **1.** French and Spanish copied English dialects — score 3
- **2.** They mean "I saw somebody" in every dialect — no support
- **3.** Double negatives are a real pattern, but not standard English — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 10
- **4.** Double negatives are wrong in every language in the world — score 7

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 10, against 7 for the next best. Its support: lesson 38, line 10: «Two negatives together, as in "I didn't see nobody", are a regular pattern in many dialects (and in languages such as French); Standard English says "I didn't…», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same doer «two negatives» (+4); it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same thing acted on «regular pattern» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t9/)

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### Test 10 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t10}

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A Gen Alpha kid writes "this lesson is bussin no cap" in his English book. ("Bussin" means really good, "no cap" means for real.) What would Standard English be?

- **1.** This lesson are bussin, for real, no lie. — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** This lesson is really good, honestly. — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** This lesson is no cap. — no support
- **4.** This lesson bussin, no cap, innit. — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t10/)

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### Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t11}

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A girl from Texas says "I'm fixin' to go." ("Fixin' to" means about to.) Is that Standard English?

- **1.** Yes, but only in writing — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** No, it's Southern US dialect for "I'm about to go" — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Yes, it's the standard form in every English-speaking country — no support
- **4.** No, it means she is going to repair something — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t11/)

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### Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e1}

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Identify the sentence composed in Standard English.

- **1.** Us was late for school. — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** We were late for school. — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** We been late for school. — no support
- **4.** We was late for school. — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/e1/)

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### Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e2}

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Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the relationship between Standard English and regional dialects?

- **1.** Standard English is the only variety possessing grammatical rules — **← Mova's choice** · score 7
- **2.** Regional dialects are erroneous forms of Standard English — score 7
- **3.** Regional dialects are not varieties of English — score 6
- **4.** Standard English is one variety among many, conventionally used in formal writing — **✓ the right answer** · score 6

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**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 7, tied with another option at 7 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 38, line 11: «Dialects follow rules: speakers of "we was" use "was" with every person, which is a regular pattern, not a random mistake.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «rules» (+4); it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same doer «dialects» (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-3). The right option, 4, scored 6. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/e2/)

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### Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓ {#e3}

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Select the definition consistent with established usage of the term "code-switching".

- **1.** The alteration of one's manner of speech according to audience and situation — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** The replacement of letters by numerals — no support
- **3.** The encryption of messages by means of a cipher — no support
- **4.** The translation of English into a foreign language — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/e3/)

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### Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e4}

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Ascertain the Standard English equivalent of "I done it".

- **1.** I do it yesterday — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** I have did it — no support
- **3.** I doned it — no support
- **4.** I did it — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/e4/)

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<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [37. Paragraphs and cohesion: holding a text together](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/37-paragraphs-and-cohesion-holding-a-text-together/)
- next →: [39. Planning before writing](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/39-planning-before-writing/)
- ↑ back to [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/)