Complete the sentences with was or were.

My friends ________ at the party last Saturday.I ________ very bored last night.They ________ late this morning.Where ________ you on Friday evening?Harry’s house ________ warm and cosy.The cat ________ at the top of the tree.The teacher and the students ________ at the

museum yesterday.My father ________ at home at lunchtime.________ Peter busy yesterday afternoon?Sarah and Tony ________ in London last July.

Complete the sentences with wasn’t or weren’t.

Peter ________ here three days ago.The hotel room ________ very big.They ________ happy when they heard the news.I ________ well last week.Pam and Fred ________ with their friends

yesterday.You ________ at the pub last weekend.My boss ________ very friendly to me.The mice ________ in the kitchen.The meal of the restaurant ________ very good.We ________ in Rome in June.

I wasYou wereHe wasShe wasIt wasWe wereYou wereThey were

I was notYou were notHe was notShe was notIt was notWe were notYou were notThey were not

I wasn’tYou weren’tHe wasn’tShe wasn’tIt wasn’tWe weren’tYou weren’tThey weren’t

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

Yes, I wasYes, you wereYes, he wasYes, she wasYes, it wasYes, we wereYes, you wereYes, they were

No, I wasn’tNo, you weren’tNo, he wasn’tNo, she wasn’tNo, it wasn’tNo, we weren’tNo, you weren’tNo, they weren’t

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE

SHORT ANSWERS We use the Past Tense of to be:

for jobs.Shakespeare was a famous writer.

for places.She was in Madrid last week.

to describe people, animals and things.The bus was red.

to talk about age.I was two when my sister was born.

to talk about the weather and the time.It was very hot yesterday.It was 5.30 when she arrived.

Past time expressions used with was and were are: yesterday (yesterday morning...)ago (an hour ago, two months ago...)last (last night, last week, last summer...)in 1980

Change these sentences into the affirmative, negative or interrogative form.

The children were excited about the excursion. _____________________________________

? _____________________________________

_____________________________________

My grandmother wasn’t a very good singer.

? _____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________? Were my friends and I at the mountains on

Saturday? I was afraid of the dark when I was a child.

_____________________________________

? _____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________? Was it sunny last weekend?

Complete the sentences with was, were, wasn’t, weren’t.

I couldn’t sleep last night because my neighbours ________ very noisy.

Carla ________ very happy yesterday because it ________ her birthday and got a lot of presents.

The weather ________ good last week. It was terrible!Andy ________ very tired after a hard day at work.I went to your house yesterday, but you ________ there.

Where ________ you?A lot of people ________ at the meeting on Monday

evening.Kim ________ in hospital a week ago. She had a broken

leg.Mark ________ happy on his first day at school. He cried

a lot.Tom’s grandparents ________ from Italy, so he could

speak Italian very good.David and Ana ________ at home on Saturday. They

went out with their friends.Karen ________ at the gym yesterday morning. She was

running in the park.It ________ 7 o’clock when I arrived home.My twin brothers ________ born 5 years ago.Mozart and Beethoven ________ painters. They ________

famous composers.The exam ________ easy, so I failed it.I ________ twenty-five when I started working.The kids ________ hungry and they didn’t finish their

dinner.

Write the words in the correct order to make sentences.

at school / Mrs. Jones / my teacher / was_______________________________________in bed / yesterday / weren’t / at eight o’clock / the kids_______________________________________you / this morning / hungry / were / ?_______________________________________was / I / in 1990 / at university_______________________________________last Sunday / were / Robert and Paula / at the church_______________________________________wasn’t / the shop assistant / to us / very friendly_______________________________________Mark / worried / was / about the exam / ?_______________________________________in the bedroom / the dogs / Tom / with / were_______________________________________

Correct the mistakes.

How old was you last year?______________________________________

These nurses was very helpful.______________________________________

I weren’t at home yesterday.______________________________________

Angela born in 1980.______________________________________

The restaurant was busy?______________________________________

Make questions with the following words and was or were. Then look at the pictures and give short answers. For the negative ones, write the correct answer.

1. it / cold / last winter / ?__________________________________________________________________________

2. Louis / asleep / at 2 o’clock / in the morning / ?__________________________________________________________________________

3. Brad and Vicky / late for school / this morning / ?__________________________________________________________________________

4. the lion / in the jungle / last week / ?__________________________________________________________________________

5. your uncle and aunt / well / yesterday / ?__________________________________________________________________________

6. you (sing.) / at the cinema / yesterday night / ?__________________________________________________________________________

7. Andrew / dressed up / last Halloween / ?__________________________________________________________________________

8. you (pl.) / tired / after the party / ?__________________________________________________________________________

9. Melissa / at work / last week / ?__________________________________________________________________________

10. Charles and Elisabeth / at home / for dinner / ?__________________________________________________________________________

Write these questions in the correct order, then match them with the answers.

job / was / what / Peter’s / ?______________________________________

were / where / from / your grandparents / ?______________________________________

your parents / how old / when they got married / were / ?______________________________________

was / Andy’s birthday / when / ?______________________________________

sad / the children / why / were / ?______________________________________

the weather / like / what / yesterday / was / ?______________________________________

was / when / your science exam / ?______________________________________

you / where / were / yesterday morning / ?______________________________________

a. It was on 4th May.b. He was a waiter.c. It was very cold and windy.d. Because they weren’t with their friends.e. It was yesterday, and it was very difficult.f. They were from Germany.g. We were at the shopping centre all morning.h. My father was twenty-nine and my mother was twenty-six.

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ANSWER KEY

1. were2. was3. were4. were5. was6. was7. were8. was9. Was10. were

1. wasn’t2. wasn’t3. weren’t4. wasn’t5. weren’t6. weren’t7. wasn’t8. weren’t9. wasn’t10. weren’t

1. were2. was, was3. wasn’t4. was5. weren’t, were6. were7. was8. wasn’t9. were10. weren’t11. wasn’t12. was13. were14. weren’t, were15. wasn’t16. was17. weren’t

1. The children weren’t excited about the excursion.Were the children excited about the excursion?

2. My grandmother was a very good singer.Was my grandmother a very good singer?

3. My friends and I were at the mountains on Saturday.My friends and I weren’t at the mountains on Saturday.

4. I wasn’t afraid of the dark when I was a child.Was I afraid of the dark when I was a child?

5. It was sunny last weekend.It wasn’t sunny last weekend.

1. Mrs. Jones was my teacher at school.2. The kids weren’t in bed at eight o’clock

yesterday.3. Were you hungry this morning?4. I was at university in 19905. Robert and Paula were at the church last

Sunday.6. The shop assistant wasn’t very friendly to us.7. Was Mark worried about the exam?8. The dogs were in the bedroom with Tom.

What was Peter’s job?Where were your grandparents from?How old were your parents when they got married?When was Andy’s birthday?Why were the children sad?What was the weather like yesterday?When was your science exam?Where were you yesterday morning?

b f h a d c e g1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1. Was it cold last winter?Yes, it was.

2. Was Louis asleep at 2 o’clock in the morning?No, he wasn’t. He was awake.

3. Were Brad and Vicky late for school this morning?Yes, they were.

4. Was the lion in the jungle last week?No, it wasn’t. It was at the circus.

5. Were your uncle and aunt well yesterday?No, they weren’t. They were ill.

6. Were you at the cinema yesterday night?No, I wasn’t. I was at home.

7. Was Andrew dressed up last Halloween?Yes, he was.

8. Were you tired after the party?Yes, we were.

9. Was Melissa at work last week?No, she wasn’t. She was at the beach / on holiday.

10. Were Charles and Elisabeth at home for dinner?No, they weren’t. They were at a restaurant.

1. How old were you last year?2. These nurses were very helpful.3. I wasn’t at home yesterday.4. Angela was born in 1980.5. Was the restaurant busy?

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