When and when not to use "was"

Question

About a hundred people had already gathered, a guard rail the only thing separating them from the crater's edge.

Is it not more proper to say "About a hundred people had already gathered, a guard rail was the only thing separating them from the crater's edge."?

It naturally sounds more clear in my opinion when was is used.

To push that was in there, use period instead of the comma. Then "A guard rail was ..." — Yosef Baskin, Jul 10 '23 at 22:15

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 10 '23 at 23:33

2

This is an absolute nominative. That construction usually includes a nominal with a dependent adjectival phrase, but, as in this case, it can also include a nominal ("a guard rail") with a dependent appositive ("the only thing separating them from the crater's edge").

That construction is correct, but feel free to make it into a finite clause by adding "was". Just watch out for the comma splice (if you care about such things).

answered Jul 10 '23 at 23:33

MarcInManhattan

7,930

The “omitted” word would be being (a participle) — not was: About a hundred people had already gathered, a guard rail being the only thing separating them from the crater's edge. – Tinfoil Hat Jul 11 '23 at 02:44
@TinfoilHat Yes, inserting "being" would make it the more typical nominal + adjectival phrase. I only mentioned "was" because OP specifically asked about that in his question. – MarcInManhattan Jul 11 '23 at 03:24

When and when not to use "was"

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