Intermediate Grammar 1.

4
TENSES - VERB TO BE (WAS, WERE) - SIMPLE PAST
FORM
AFFIRMATIVE

NEGATIVE

I
He
She
It

was

I
He
She
It

We
You
They

were

We
You
They

Affirmative form:

QUESTION

was not
(wasnt)

were not
(werent)

Was

Were

I?
he?
she?
it?
we?
you?
they?

We use was, were to express states or situations in the past. To make

the simple past of BE we use:
I, HE, SHE, IT + WAS
WE, YOU, THEY + WERE

Examples:
Last year my sister was 22 years old, so she is 23 now.
The hotel was lovely, and the rooms were very comfortable.
The children were in the garden yesterday afternoon.

Negative Form:

We put not after was or were to make negative sentences.

SUBJECT + WAS / WERE + NOT

Examples:
You werent late yesterday.
He wasnt at home.
I wasnt in class last Monday.

Question Form:

We put was, were at the beginning of the question, before the subject.

Examples:
He was at school.
SHORT ANSWERS

Was he at school?

Yes, he was / No he wasnt.

You were at home.

Were you at home?

Yes, we were / No, we werent.

I 1.4 TENSES - Verb to be (was, were) Simple Past

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Intermediate Grammar 1.4

Wh-Questions:

To ask about the subject, we use:

WH-WORD + WAS + COMPLEMENT + ?
Examples:

QUESTION

ANSWER

Who was sick yesterday?

What was on the desk?

Peter was (sick).

My books were (there).

To ask about the complement, we use:

WH-WORD + WAS / WERE + SUBJECT + ?
Examples:

QUESTION

ANSWER

Where were you last night?

When was the concert?

I was at the opera.

It was last Friday.

USE
We use the past of BE to express the following:
1. Profession, trade, occupation:
Ex:
My grandfather was a famous lawyer.
2. Nationality:
Ex:
My great-grandparents were both from Germany.
3. Age:
Ex:

Wilma was 20 years old last year.

4. Characteristics:
Ex:
Einstein was a very intelligent man.
5. Condition:
Ex:
Clark was pretty sick a few days ago.
6. Place:
Ex:

We were at the movies yesterday evening.

7. Color:
Ex:

The leaves were yellow, orange, and red in the fall.

I 1.4 TENSES - Verb to be (was, were) Simple Past

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Intermediate Grammar 1.4

PRACTICE: SIMPLE PAST OF BE
I. Fill in the blanks using was or were.
1. Oswald ......was...... at work all day yesterday.
2. They .....................in class at 10 oclock this morning.
3. I ....................downtown this morning buying some winter clothes.
4. You ..................late for class yesterday.
5. Stella ..................sick in bed all week.
6. Akira and Tomiko ...................in Japan with their grandparents last year.
7. It .................very windy yesterday.
8. My friends grandmother ...................from Austria.
9. We .................at home last night.
10. My hair ....................black, but now its gray.

II. Fill in the blanks using wasnt or werent.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

As a boy, my brother .......wasnt........very fat.

We ....................in town the day before yesterday.
I ....................at the meeting this morning.
My aunt and uncle ..................in Europe last month.
It ..................so cold yesterday.
My friends and I ....................at the party.
The lecture ..................so good.
In 1998, my sister ................... in college yet.
We ....................very enthusiastic about the trip.
I ....................ready for the race.

III. Fill in the blanks and complete these sentences in the present
(am/is/are) or in the past (was / were).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

I ...... was...... 30 years old when I got married.

The weather .................awful yesterday, but today its lovely.
I .....................thirsty. Is there anything to drink?
We didnt like the hotel. The rooms .......................too small.
When ...................you in Denver?
I love those pants. They ....................very nice.
Look at Janet. Why ..................she so sad tonight?
This time last year we ..............in Brazil.
I ................exhausted when I arrived in town.
Where is Pam? She ..............here a minute ago.

I 1.4 TENSES - Verb to be (was, were) Simple Past

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Intermediate Grammar 1.4

IV. Ask the appropriate questions. Use the cues in parentheses.
1. ...Were the kids at home this morning?... (the kids / at home this morning)
No, they werent. They were at school.
2. ............................................................? (the play / good last Friday)
Yes, it was. It was fantastic!
3. ............................................................? (very hot / last week)
No, it wasnt. It was fairly cool.
4. ............................................................? (you / hungry after the trip)
Yes, we were. We were thirsty and tired too.
5. .............................................................? (the test / hard yesterday)
No, it wasnt. It was really easy.

V. Write questions for the answers in bold.

1. ....Who was Emma with at the party?........ (Emma / at the party)
She was with Josh.
2. ..................................................................? (you / last night)
I was at my grandparents house.
3. ......................................................................? (Molly / in Belgium)
She was there two months ago.
4. ......................................................................? (you and your family / in Miami)
We were there for 10 days.
5. ......................................................................? (class / last term)
I was in Miss Smiths.
6. ......................................................................? (those jeans)
They were $50.
7. ......................................................................? (people / at the conference)
There were around 200.
8. ......................................................................? (Betty / at the station)
She was there at 7:30.
9. ......................................................................? (Terrys essay)
It was about the Greenhouse Effect.
10. .....................................................................? (the speech)
It was boring.

I 1.4 TENSES - Verb to be (was, were) Simple Past

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Intermediate Grammar 1.4

ANSWERS: Practice I 1.4
Exercise I:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

was
were
was
were
was

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Exercise II:
were
was
was
were
was

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

wasnt
werent
wasnt
werent
wasnt

Exercise III:
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

werent
wasnt
wasnt
werent
wasnt

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

was
was
am
were
were

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

are
is
were
was
was

Exercise IV:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Were the kids at home this morning?

Was the play good last Friday?
Was it very hot last week?
Were you hungry after the trip?
Was the test hard yesterday?

Exercise V:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Who was Emma with at the party?

Where were you last night?
When was Molly in Belgium?
How long were you and your family in Miami?
Whose class were you in last term?
How much were those jeans?
How many people were there at the conference?
What time was Betty at the station?
What was Terrys essay about?
How was the speech?

I 1.4 TENSES - Verb to be (was, were) Simple Past

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