The phrase "were possession of" may seem confusing when it comes to spelling, but it is fairly straight-forward when broken down phonetically. The word "were" is pronounced /wɜːr/ and the word "possession" is pronounced /pəˈzeʃən/. The combination of the two words flows together seamlessly with the "r" sound being shared between "were" and "possession". Therefore, the correct spelling of the phrase is "were possession of", despite any initial confusion caused by the combination of words.
"Was possession of" is an expression that refers to the state of being in ownership or control of an item or property in the past tense. The term "were" indicates that the possession was held by multiple individuals or entities. This phrase can be used to describe a situation where someone or an organization had the legal or physical ownership of something in the past.
For instance, if a house was previously owned by a couple, one could say that the couple "were in possession of the house." This indicates that, at a specific point in time, the couple owned and controlled the property.
The use of "were possession of" implies a temporary or incomplete status of ownership, emphasizing that the possession was not permanent or ongoing. It suggests that the ownership might have been transferred, lost, or changed in some manner. Therefore, the phrase can be useful when discussing the history or progression of ownership or control over an object or property. However, one must keep in mind that "were possession of" only applies to the past tense and is not used in current or ongoing possession.