Was and were: where were you yesterday? Was and were exercises for talking about the past
About this lesson
This A1 drill lesson gives was and were exercises: negatives, questions, there was / there were, born and past time words.
- Grammar
- I was, they were; wasn't, weren't; Were you tired? – Yes, I was.; Where were you? How was it?; There were two beds.; I was born in 2010; yesterday, last week, two days ago.
- Topic
- A fictional family's weekend in San Antonio: Gabriel's photo post with comments, texts with Trey, his sister's postcard, Dad's hotel review, and a chat with Gabriel.
- Activities
- True or false, sorting, choices, gap-fills, drag-and-drop, word order, memory games, matching, tables, quizzes, a chat and a test, all with automatic marking.
What's inside
Chapter 1The rule
Chapter 2Was or were?
- Fill in the gaps with the past of be: a day at the zooFill in the gapsTry it
- Choose the right form: people and placesChoose the optionUnlock
- Drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: now and in the pastMemory gameUnlock
- Match the beginnings and the endingsMatchUnlock
- Read Mia's message and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 3Negatives and questions
- Fill in the gaps: negative sentencesFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the table: positive, negative, questionFill in the tableTry it
- Fill in the gaps: make questionsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in order to make questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Choose the right short answerChoose the optionUnlock
- Match the questions and the answersMatchUnlock
- Choose the right question for each answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 4There was, born and time words
- Choose the right form: there was or there were?Choose the optionTry it
- Read Grandpa's story and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: birthdays and hometownsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Sort the words: yesterday, last or ago?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: time wordsMemory gameUnlock
- Choose the right time wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right wordsQuizUnlock
Chapter 5Real life: A weekend in San Antonio
- Read Gabriel's postReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the post again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read the messages and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Read Paula's postcard and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Dad's hotel review and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Choose the right replies: Gabriel texts youChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Choose the right form: last weekendChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with the past of be: my first day at a new schoolFill in the gapsUnlock
- Sort the sentences: positive, negative or question?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: sentencesUnjumbleUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: negative sentences about the weekendFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the table: today and yesterdayFill in the tableUnlock
- Choose the right short answer: a phone call with GrandmaChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the questions: Where…? How…? When…?Fill in the gapsUnlock
- Match the questions and the answers: a birthday partyMatchUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: our old apartmentFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right time words: when was it?Choose the optionUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock
- Read Emma's email and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the school newsletter and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
Grammar: was and were: the past of be
Was and were are the past of be: am and is become was, and are becomes were. A place, an adjective or a noun comes after them: I was at home yesterday. My parents were tired. It was a great day!
Was and were: the past of be
Talk about the past: am / is → was, are → were. Where were you? How was it?
Was or were?
I, he, she and it take was; you, we and they take were. The negatives are wasn't and weren't, or was not and were not: You weren't at home. Never I were or they was.
subject + was / were
subjectwas / wereplace · adjective · noun
I was at home yesterday.
My parents were tired last night.
It was a great day!
Every person: + − ?
| Who | Now | Positive (+) | Negative (−) | Question (?) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | I am | I was late. | I wasn't late. · I was not late. | Was I late? |
| you | you are | You were at home. | You weren't at home. · You were not… | Were you at home? |
| he | he is | He was at home. | He wasn't at home. · He was not… | Was he at home? |
| she | she is | She was at home. | She wasn't at home. · She was not… | Was she at home? |
| it | it is | It was cold. | It wasn't cold. · It was not cold. | Was it cold? |
| we | we are | We were at home. | We weren't at home. · We were not… | Were we at home? |
| they | they are | They were at home. | They weren't at home. · They were not… | Were they at home? |
Questions and short answers
Was or were moves before the subject: Were you at school? Where were you yesterday? Short answers repeat was or were: Yes, I was. No, they weren't. A question word comes first: How was the movie?
| Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Were you at school? | Yes, I was. | No, I wasn't. |
| Was your dad at work? | Yes, he was. | No, he wasn't. |
| Was Grandma at the party? | Yes, she was. | No, she wasn't. |
| Was it hot? | Yes, it was. | No, it wasn't. |
| Were you and Ben late? | Yes, we were. | No, we weren't. |
| Were the kids happy? | Yes, they were. | No, they weren't. |
There was, there were and born
There was goes with one thing or an uncountable noun, there were with two or more: There were two beds in our room. Born always needs was or were: I was born in 2010, not I am born or I born.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| there was + one thing (a / an) or an uncountable noun | There was a pool at the hotel. There was a lot of food. |
| there were + two or more | There were two beds in our room. |
| negative | There wasn't a TV. There weren't any towels. |
| question and short answer | Was there a café? Yes, there was. Were there many kids? No, there weren't. |
| was / were born + a year or a place | I was born in 2010. My parents were born in Mexico. |
Yesterday, last and ago
Yesterday morning, last night, two days ago, in 2020. Last takes no the and no in: last week, last Monday. Ago follows the time: a week ago, not before a week. And it's last night, never yesterday night.
- yesterday · yesterday morning · yesterday afternoon
- last night · last week · last year · last Saturday (not: yesterday night, the last week, in last Saturday)
- two days ago · a week ago · ten years ago (not: before two days)
- in 2020 · at 8 o'clock yesterday
Common mistakes
The traps in the lesson are I were at home yesterday, They was at school, Was you late?, There was two cats and Yesterday I am at home. A past time word needs a past form that matches the subject.
Common mistakes
I were at home yesterday.
I was at home yesterday.
I, he, she, it → was
They was at school.
They were at school.
you, we, they → were
I am born in 1990. · I born in 1990.
I was born in 1990.
always was / were + born
Where you were last night?
Where were you last night?
questions: was / were comes before the subject
Time words, questions and there were
Past time words: Yesterday I was at home (not: Yesterday I am at home). Two days ago (not: before two days). Last week, last Monday (not: the last week, in last Monday). Questions: Were you late? (Not: Was you late?) There were + two or more: There were two cats (not: There was two cats).
Examples
- Where were you yesterday? I was at the zoo.Where …?
- How was the movie? It was great!How …?
- Were you tired? Yes, I was.question and short answer
- We weren't at school last week.negative
- There were a lot of people at the park.there were
- My grandma was born in 1950.born
More lessons on this grammar: Past simple lessons and exercises · Verb to be lessons and exercises
Try the was and were exercises
Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.
What's in the lesson
- 40 auto-checked exercises
- 6 games
- 1 real-life document
- 1 grammar scheme
- 1 picture
The main objectives of this lesson are to:
- use was with I, he, she, it and were with you, we, they: I was at the dentist. My parents were in Florida last week.
- make negatives and questions: The movie wasn't very good. Were the tickets expensive? – Yes, they were.
- ask Where…? and How…? with was or were before the subject: How was your trip to Chicago?, not Where you were?
- say what there was and when people were born: There were two beds in our room. My twin brothers were born in 2016.
- place things in the past: two days ago, not before two days; last week, not the last week
- Grammar:
- was / were · past of be · there was / there were · short answers · ago / last / yesterday
- Topic:
- grammar practice · the weekend · travel · family
Teaching tips
- Find out where everyone was: give each student a card with a place and a time (the zoo, yesterday afternoon), and classmates ask Were you at…? until they guess each card.
- Turn today into yesterday: read out sentences like The kids are bored or I am busy, and the class answers together with the past form: Yesterday the kids were bored.
- Caption a weekend photo: like Gabriel's post, each student describes one weekend photo in three sentences with was, were and there was, and classmates ask one question about it.
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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · A1
English Grammar Practice · A1 has 24 drill lessons for adult beginners, one grammar point each, from the verb to be and the present simple to can, was and were and telling the time. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words, so it works next to any course.See the course
- 1To be: I am, you are, she is
- 2To be negatives and questions: is it your bag?
- 3Subject pronouns and possessive adjectives: I, my, she, her
- 4This, that, these, those: what's this?
- 5Plural nouns: one box, two boxes
- 6A, an, the: a new apartment
- 7There is, there are: what's in the hotel?
- 8Have and has: she has a dog
- 9Present simple: she works, they work
- 10Present simple: don't, doesn't, do you…?
- 11Adverbs of frequency: always, usually, never
- 12In, on, at: times, days and months
- 13Prepositions of place: in, on, under, next to
- 14Can and can't: I can swim
- 15Imperatives: open, don't run, let's go
- 16Object pronouns: me, him, her, them
- 17Possessive 's: whose bag is this?
- 18Present continuous: what's happening now?
- 19Present simple or present continuous: every day or now?
- 20Like, love, hate + -ing: I love dancing
- 21Wh- questions: what, where, when, why?
- 22Countable and uncountable nouns: some, any, how much?
- 23Was and were: where were you yesterday?
- 24Telling the time and dates: what time is it?