Easy Way to Learn English Verb Tenses / BE: WAS, WERE (PAST SIMPLE)

BE VERBS USED TO DESCRIBE MEMORIES

You are going to read Mila's and Evelyn's memories. Please pay attention to the verbs in the sentences.

From Mila:

My brother was irritating. He often pulled pranks on me when we were little.

My first computer was very slow. I got it on my 28th birthday.

I was a PhD student when I decided to be single and devoted all my life to my research.

From Evelyn:

My husband and I were 30 years old when we moved to Australia 40 years ago.

I was home all the time when we still lived in India.

I was a volunteer at my kids' primary school in Australia.

You can see Mila and Evelyn use the be verbs, 'was' and 'were', to describe their memories. In fact, there are many different be verbs. Why do they choose those two? How do we choose them correctly?

BE VERB FORMS

Let's look at all the be verb forms and they will help you learn to choose the right one. Be verbs are grouped into five.

V1: be

V2: was, were

V3: been

V4: being

V5: is, am, are

The focus of this lesson is on V2 form, was and were.

WHO/WHAT CAN COME WITH 'WAS/WERE'

There are two be verbs in V2 group. Who or what can use 'was' and who/what should use 'were'? We will next discuss 'someone' (sb) and 'something' (sth) that can be followed by 'was' and 'were'.

1. He + was ......

'He' can be 'Tony' or 'the man' because they also mean 'he'.

2. She + was ......

'Kate' or 'your cousin' also means 'she' so they can come with 'was'.

3. It + was .....

Something like 'the book' or 'his camera' can also come with 'was' because they mean 'it'.

4. I + was ......

'I' should come with 'was'.

5. We + were .....

Someone like 'my friend and I' with 'I' included or 'you and I' also means 'we'.

6. You + were ......

'You' can refer to one person or many people. 'You and the girl' with 'you' included or 'you and my cousin' also means 'you'.

7. They + were ......

'They' come with 'were'. Someone like 'those people' or something like 'her keys' also means 'they'. 

8. There + was/were .....

'There' can come 'was' or 'were' and it is decided by someone/something after the be verb.

[Example 1] There was one camera.

'One camera' comes after the be verb so we choose the be verb 'was'.

[Example 2] There were nine cameras.

More than one camera comes after the be verb so we use 'were'.

SITUATION/TIMING: SOMETHING IN THE PAST

After we have learned who or what can come with 'was' and 'were', we also need to use them in the right situation or timing and it is 'something in the past'.

Something means a fact, a feeling or a condition. I am going to present some examples with the support of the contexts to help everyone understand this concept.

Context: Mila's brother often pulled pranks on her when they were little.

Example: He was irritating.

In the past when they were little, Mila's brother often gave Mila this irritating feeling.

Context: Mila got her first computer on her 28th birthday.

Example: It was slow.

When Mila was 28, the condition of her computer at that time was slow. It is also a fact about computers in the 1980s.

Context: 'I decided to be single a long time ago and devoted all my life to my research,' Mila said.

Example: 'I was a PhD student then.'

We know a fact that Mila was a PhD student a long time ago.

Context: Mr. and Mrs. Reddy (Evelyn) emigrated to Australia 40 years ago.

Example: They were 30 at that time.

This couple moved to Australia when they were 30 years ago and it is a fact in the past.

Context: Evelyn always stayed home when they still lived in India.

Example: She was home all the time.

Before they moved to Australia, Evelyn was always home in India, which is a fact at that time.

Context: Evelyn often helped at her children's school when they studied at primary/elementary school in Australia.

Example: She was a volunteer.

When Evelyn's kids studied in primary school, she helped at that school as a volunteer. This happened in the past. 'Primary school' is used in British English countries and American English uses 'elementary school'.

A DIFFERENT PATTERN

In addition to 'was' and 'were', there is another pattern 'used to+be' which we can use to describe something in the past.

This situation or timing for this pattern is when it is 'a long-term fact, a repeated feeling or a repeated condition in the past'.

Context: Mila's brother often pulled pranks on her when they were little.

Example: He used to be irritating.

This happened for quite a while when they were little kids and Mila's brother repeated pulling pranks on her so we can change 'was' into 'used to be'.

Context: Evelyn always stayed home when they still lived in India.

Example: She used to be home all the time.

During those years when Evelyn was in India, she was home all the time so 'she used to be home all the time'.

Context: Evelyn often helped at her children's school when they studied at primary school in Australia.

Example: She used to be a volunteer.

In the past when Evelyn's kids studied in primary school, her job was a volunteer so we can say 'she used to be a volunteer'.

Watch the video and practice speaking them more. Listening and speaking are the most effective way to learn a language. Gradually you will be able to create your own sentences.

[Reminder] Watch the video before starting reading the text and you can see all the pictures together if you click on one of them! You can also use the 'Translate' tool on the blog to help you understand the text. What's better, all the key vocabulary in my examples ranges from elementary to advanced levels (CEFR: A1~C2 / IELTS: 1~9) so you will learn a lot of English words if you keep studying each lesson. You will also benefit more if you use a dictionary to help you. Finally, don't forget to use English in daily life so all the grammar/vocabulary can be stored in your mind easier. While using this language, you are also learning from others and observing when is the appropriate context for different usages.