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Past Simple -
Verb "to be"
The Past Simple is
used for facts and events that existed in the
past. For example:
- I was with my grandmother yesterday.
- They were at home last week.
The verb "to
be" is irregular, it's past form is as
follows:
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Singular
I was
You were
He was
She was
It was
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Plural
We were
You were
They were
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Some examples of
past simple sentences with the verb "to
be" are:
- I was happy yesterday.
- We were teachers for 20 years.
- There was a lot of rain yesterday.
Past Simple sentences are always associated
with a certain time which is either stated or
implied. For example:
I was really busy yesterday. (The time is stated)
I was really busy. (The time isn't stated, but
in a conversation the time would be understood.)
Negatives
Past Simple negative
sentences are made by adding not after
the verb "to be". For example:
- It was not sunny yesterday.
- They were not in the library.
We often contract
negatives, especially in spoken English:
- She was not hungry. -> She wasn't
hungry.
- They were not abroad last year. ->
They weren't abroad last year.
Questions
Questions are made
by inverting the subject and verb. For example:
- He was a teacher.
- Was he a teacher?
- We were happy to see your family.
- Were you happy to see my family?
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Click below for exercises
using the Past Simple form of the verb "to
be".
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