Unit 10: was / were

Past Simple of “to be” – Full Textbook Version

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GRAMMAR
EXAMPLES
EXERCISES

A. was / were

Last Night

Now Robert is at work.

At midnight last night he wasn’t at work.

He was in bed.

He was asleep.

I was tired last night.
Where was Ann yesterday?
The weather was good last week.
You were late yesterday.
They weren’t here last Sunday.

B. Positive / Negative / Question

positivenegativequestion
I
he
she
it		 was was not
(wasn’t)		 was I?
he?
she?
it?
we
you
they		 were were not
(weren’t)		 were we?
you?
they?
Last year Rachel was 22, so she is 23 now.
When I was a child, I was afraid of dogs.
We were hungry after the journey but we weren’t tired.
The hotel was comfortable but it wasn’t expensive.
Was the weather good when you were on holiday?
Those shoes are nice. Were they expensive?
Why were you late this morning?

C. Short answers

YesNo
I/he/she/it was. I/he/she/it wasn’t.
we/you/they were. we/you/they weren’t.
‘Were you late?’ ‘No, I wasn’t.’
‘Was Ted at work yesterday?’ ‘Yes, he was.’
‘Were Sue and Steve at the party?’ ‘No, they weren’t.’

Examples

Bed

He was in bed.

Asleep

He was asleep.

I was tired last night.
You weren’t here last Sunday.
Was the weather good?

Exercises 10.1 – 10.4

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10.1 Look at the pictures. Where were these people at 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon?

George

1. George was in bed.

Carole & Jack

2. Carole and Jack →

Sue

3. Sue →

Ben

4. Ben →

You

5. And you? I → (free answer)

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10.2 Put in am/is/are (present) or was/were (past).

  1. Last year she was 22, so she is 23 now.
  2. Today the weather is nice, but yesterday it was very cold. →
  3. I am hungry. Can I have something to eat? →
  4. I feel fine this morning but I was very tired last night. →
  5. Where were you at 11 o’clock last Friday morning? →
  6. Don’t buy those shoes. They are very expensive. →
  7. I like your new jacket. Was it expensive? →
  8. This time last year I was in Paris. →
  9. ‘Where were the children?’ ‘I don’t know. They were in the garden ten minutes ago.’ →
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10.3 Put in was/were or wasn’t/weren’t.

  1. We weren’t happy with the hotel. Our room was very small and it wasn’t very clean.
  2. George wasn’t at work last week because he was ill. He’s better now. →
  3. Yesterday was a public holiday so the shops were closed. They’re open today. →
  4. ‘Were Sue and Bill at the party?’ ‘Sue was. Bill wasn’t.’ →
  5. ‘Where are my keys?’ ‘I don’t know. They were on the table but they’re not there now.’ →
  6. You weren’t at home last night. Where were you? →
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10.4 Write the questions. Use the words in brackets (…) in the correct order + was/were.

  1. (late / you / this morning / why?) → Why were you late this morning?
  2. (difficult / your exam?) →
  3. (last week / where / Ann and Chris?) →
  4. (your new camera / how much?) →
  5. (angry / you / yesterday / why?) →
  6. (nice / the weather / last week?) →

Short answers:

  • The traffic was bad. → (free)
  • No, it was easy. → (free)
  • They were on holiday. → (free)
  • Sixty pounds. → (free)
  • Because you were late. → (free)
  • Yes, it was beautiful. → (free)

Unit 10: was/were • Full Interactive Textbook