Was and Were

Was and were are past forms of verb be. These are the most important verbs in English. The verb be is also used to form the sentences in passive voice.

In this chapter, we shall learn how to use these forms in past tense.

Use of was and were

Before using ‘be’ keep in mind that we should use the forms of it according to the subject of a sentence. We know that forms in past tense are- was and were. Among these forms, we can use-

• was with I, he, she, it or any singular noun.
• were with we, you, they and any plural noun

Subject + be (verb)

We should use forms of be according to the subject. I, we, you, he, she, it and they are subjects. We can use ‘you’ as singular or plural subject. Though we use you as singular or plural, we should use were in past tense with you.

After the subject, the verb ‘be’ changes to its form was or were.

Have a look-

• I was
• We were
• You were
• You were
• He was
• She was
• It was
• They were

Also read-

Forms of Be in Present Tense- Am, Is and Are

We shall have some examples. Let’s have a look-

1. I was a girl.
2. You were a girl.
3. I was a boy.
4. Dog was frightened.
5. He was a boy.
6. I was eighteen years old.
7. You were seventeen.
8. He was an old person.
9. Water was cool.
10. They were noble persons.
11. He was a tragic person.
12. I was a peaceful person.
13. Teacher was angry.
14. I was a smart lady.
15. You were happy.
16. He was very tired.
17. She was bored.
18. It was a cat.
19. They were students.
20. I was a doctor.
21. You were a professor
22. She was a potter.
23. He was a blacksmith.
24. I was a goldsmith.
25. They were engineers.
26. I was a housewife.
27. They were hawkers.
28. I was a collector.
29. Mountain was very steep.
30. She was a police.

Switch from Was and Were to Grammar.