Past Tense (Be)

Point 1: There are two forms of the past tense Be verbs: was and were.

1. I was late. I was not on time.
2. You were right. You were not wrong.
3. It was cold. It was not warm.
4. He was mad. He was not happy.
5. She was early. She was not late.
6. They were funny. They were not boring.
7. We were busy. We were not idle.

Point 2: Speakers use contractions wasn't (was not) and weren't (were not) often in spoken English.

1. She wasn't happy.
2. It wasn't a fun evening.
3. He wasn't a fun teacher.
4. You weren't there.
5. They weren't hungry.
6. We weren't at the game.

Point 3: Both was and were are sometimes hard to hear because they are reduced and not clearly spoken.

1. He was mad.
2. It was hard to do.
3. They were there.
4. We were in class.

Point 4: In questions, pronouns and was and were become one blurred sound.

1. Where was he?
2. He was outside.
3. Was she on time?
4. No, she was late.
5. I heard something. What was it?
6. It was just the wind.