2.2: Simple Past of the Verb "To Be"
- Page ID
- 266224
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Author: Don Bissonnett-Grammar the Way You Like It-Book 2
Simple Past Tense-To Be Verb
Affirmative Form
- Verb BE - was or were
Subjects: I/ He/ She/ It + was
Subjects: You/ They/ We + were
Examples:
- I left the city when I was a child.
- Hayden and Shea were at work last weekend.
Negative Form
- Subjects: I/ He/ She/ It + was not (wasn’t)
- Subjects: You/ They/ We + were not (weren’t)
Examples:
- The students weren’t at school yesterday.
- She wasn’t in class this morning.
Interrogative Form
- Was + I/ he/ she/ it …?
- Were + you/ they/ we …?
Examples:
- Were you at home last weekend? No, I wasn’t.
- Was your mother in Costa Rica two years ago? Yes, she was.
- Wh- questions
Wh-word + was + Subject (I/ he/ she/ it) …?
Wh-word + were + Subject (you/ they/ we) …?
Examples:
- Where was she yesterday? She was at school.
- How many students were in class yesterday? There were 20 students in class yesterday
Exercise 1:Simple Past Positive Statements
Complete the sentences with was or were.
1. Tayana and Andrei _________ married.
2. Ghulam ___________ an artist.
3. I ______________ tired after a hard day of work.
4. We _______________ in the car waiting for you.
5. The students ____________________ in the back row of the classroom.
6. The computer _________________________ old and slow.
Exercise 2: Simple Past Negative Statements
Complete the sentences with the negative form of the be verb in simple past.
1. Tayana and Andrei ______________ in the classroom this morning.
2. The woman______________ our teacher. She came to tell us the teacher was sick.
3. I ___________________ happy about the results of the test.
4. We ______________________ on the bus yesterday. We walked to school.
5. They _______________________ from the United States, but they spoke English.
6. The computer ______________________ new.
Exercise 3: Simple Past Yes or No Questions
Complete each sentence by forming a yes/no question with the appropriate form of the verb "to be" (am, is, are) in the simple present tense:
- (She) __________ a doctor or a nurse?
- (They) __________ students at San Jacinto College?
- (It) __________ too cold in the classroom?
- (You) __________ coming to the party?
- (He) __________ your brother?
- (We) __________ in the right room?
- (They) __________ from Spain?
- (She) __________ a good dancer?
Exercise 4: Simple Past Wh- (Information) Questions
Answer the questions about you using complete sentences.
- What is your name?
- Where were you born? (What city?)
- Were you a student at SanJac last semester?
- Is your family in the United States?
- Where are your family members now?
- Where was your favorite place that you traveled to in the past?
- What was your favorite class in your last school or college?
Exercise 5-Pair Work
Take turns to ask a partner the questions from Exercise 5. Write the answers here. You will need to use present and past forms of "to be."
Examples: 1. Her name is Maria/ His name is Nguyen. 2. She was born in Mexico City.
Writing Exercise
Use the answers to the questions in Exercise 5 to write a paragraph about your partner. Use paragraph form and add details where possible. Use the verb "to be" in most sentences. You can also use other verbs in present or past tense. Your paragraph must be eight (8) or more sentences.
Example:
Alicia is a student in my Intermediate Grammar class at San Jacinto College. She was born in South Texas, but she grew up in Monterrey, Mexico. Alicia is a very outgoing and happy person. I really enjoyed talking to her. She did not attend SanJac last semester. She is a new student here. She lives with her parents and her brother in Clear Lake. Texas. Her favorite place that she traveled to in the past was Costa Rica. She went there in 2021, and she loved the beaches and the forests in that country. Her favorite class in high school was history. She loves to learn about the events of the past.