It is common for students to mix up when to use the verb was and when to use the verb were when writing in the past tense; this is because was and where are the past tense forms of the verb ‘to be,’ and it can be tough to understand whether to use were or was in certain situations. So, what is the difference between was and were? Well, that is quite simple. Was is the 1st person and singular past tense form of the verb ‘to be’ and the 3rd person/ singular past tense form of the verb ‘to be.’ Meanwhile, the verb ‘were’ is the 2nd person singular and plural past tense form of the verb ‘to be.’
Simply put, you can use was/were in the following circumstances:
- When you are talking about an event that happened in the past. For example, ‘I was in France last month on holiday.’
- When you are talking about a past status or past tense, for example, ‘he was the Prime Minister of the company.’
- You can use it with subjunctive moods such as ‘if’ or ‘wish,’ for example, ‘Wish you were here.’
What is the past verb tense
Your child will learn three essential past, present, and future tenses. Verbs come in three tenses: past, present, and future. The past verb tense is critical to understanding the was and were rules as these are past tense verb forms of ‘to be.’ The past describes things that have happened (for example, earlier in the day, yesterday, last week, or three years ago). This verb tense comes in four other forms:
- Simple Past
- Past Perfect
- Past Continuous
- Past Perfect Continuous
Was and were rules: When to use was
For a simple way to remember when to use was recognize that the verb ‘was’ is used to refer to singular objects or people
Examples of using were as a past verb tense include:
- I was home last night.
- He was in bed at ten o’clock.
- She was at the restaurant until eleven.
- It was not a late night.
Was and were rules: When to use were
Examples of using were as a past verb tense include:
- You were home last night.
- The boys were in bed by ten o’clock.
- They were asleep by eleven.
