Was this supposed to be ‘cupboard’ instead of ‘cupbard’?
Wasn’t this supposed to be ‘cupboard’ instead of ‘cupbard’?
I was asking about a spelling error and I was confused if I should use "was" or "wasn't". Which one is better and how are they different?
Let's look at a simpler example. Someone you haven't spoken to for a while phones you up, and you say "Great to hear from you!"...
1: ..."Was it a month ago when we last spoke?"
2: ..."Wasn't it a month ago when we last spoke?"
OR
you're walking down the street with your friend, who says...
3: "Is that your husband across the street there?"
4: "Isn't that your husband across the street there?"
The negated versions more strongly imply speaker thinks the answer should probably be Yes, but the non-negated versions don't really imply any "expected" answer.
I believe the answer by FumbleFingers is correct about the difference in meaning:
https://ell.stackexchange.com/a/337837/48147
The negative carries an implied presumption of "correctness", whereas without the negative it comes across as an actual question to be answered.
However, there is an additional implication, which I think is stronger in your specific case than in the examples in the other answer, which is that "wasn't" seems to imply this was something you already discussed or something they should have already known.
I would recommend using:
Was this supposed to be cupboard instead of cupbard?
in your specific case if you mean to show politeness about the error and allow the author to correct it; by making it a question you're sort of indicating it's an easy error anyone could make and prompting them to re-check their work.
I would recommend using:
Wasn't this supposed to be cupboard instead of cupbard?
if you have already discussed this and came to an agreement that the correct spelling is "cupboard" but your coworker keeps stubbornly spelling it a different way and you are frustrated with them.
The second form, “Wasn’t it ...?” is a rhetorical question. You expect the answer to be “yes.”
The first form, in written English, is a normal question that could be answered either way. In spoken English, you’d use different of tones of voice to hint that you think the person ought to disagree, that they ought to agree, or that you’re sincerely uncertain. You might indicate those with emphasis: “Was this supposed to be cupbard?” should be read aloud with the word was in a higher pitch, to mention only one way. You could also indicate this through word choice: “Was this really supposed to be ...?”
In this context, pointing out a student’s spelling mistake, making it into a rhetorical question was probably intended as a more polite way of saying, “You misspelled ‘cupboard.’” This further implies that the writer did know, and just made an accidental, minor typo. But the teacher doesn’t want to leave any ambiguity about whether it’s an error. Therefore, I think “wasn’t” is clearer. However, in many other situations, a rhetorical question could come across as rude, or even sarcastic. So use them with care. The “was” variant is gentler, but doesn’t communicate as clearly that there is a problem that needs to be fixed.
