Was - were - Exercises with answers and a printable worksheet

These was and were exercises cover different usage of the past simple form of "be". You can also download a printable worksheet for extra practice at home or in a classroom.

1. Sentence completion exercise

Complete each sentence with was or were.

1. She at home all day yesterday.

'She' is a third-person singular pronoun. We use 'was' with I, he, she, and it.

2. The children very excited about the school trip.

'The children' is a plural subject. We use 'were' with you, we, they, and other plural subjects.

3. I born in Manchester.

We use 'was' with 'I'. Even though 'I' is not third-person, it still takes 'was' in the past simple.

4. You really kind to help me with that.

'You' always takes 'were', whether it refers to one person or several people.

5. My grandparents teachers before they retired.

'My grandparents' is a plural subject, so we use 'were'.

6. The weather terrible last weekend.

'The weather' is a singular noun (it), so we use 'was'.

7. There three cats in the garden this morning.

With 'there was/were', look at what comes after the verb. 'Three cats' is plural, so we use 'there were'.

8. It very cold when we arrived in Edinburgh.

'It' is singular, so we use 'was'. We often use 'it was' when talking about weather or temperature.

9. My sister and I late for the film.

'My sister and I' makes a plural subject (= we), so we use 'were'.

10. The shop closed when we got there.

'The shop' is a singular noun (it), so we use 'was'.

11. If I you, I would go now.

'If I were you' is the past subjunctive form used to talk about an unreal/hypothetical situation.

12. Nobody around.

Nobody is always used with a singular verb.

Score: 0 / 12

2. Fill in the blanks

Fill in the blanks with was or were.

Last Saturday my birthday. I really happy because all my friends at the party. The food delicious, and the music fantastic. My parents in charge of the decorations. They beautiful. There a big chocolate cake on the table and there balloons everywhere. My best friend, Sophie, the first to arrive. She wearing a lovely blue dress. Her present a book about space. My cousins a bit late because the traffic awful. But once everyone there, the evening perfect. We all very tired by midnight, but it the best birthday I have ever had.

Use 'was' with I, he, she, it, and singular nouns. Use 'were' with you, we, they, and plural nouns. For 'there was/were', check whether the noun that follows is singular or plural.

Score: 0 / 18

3. Multiple-choice questions

Choose the correct option to complete each sentence.

1. The students ______ in the library when the fire alarm went off.

a) was b) were c) is

The students were in the library when the fire alarm went off. ('The students' is plural.)

2. There ______ a letter on the doormat this morning.

a) were b) was c) are

There was a letter on the doormat this morning. ('A letter' is singular, so we use 'there was'.)

3. I ______ so tired after the long journey.

a) were b) am c) was

I was so tired after the long journey. ('I' takes 'was' in the past simple.)

4. Tom and Lucy ______ at the concert last night.

a) was b) were c) is

Tom and Lucy were at the concert last night. (Two people joined by 'and' form a plural subject.)

5. The homework ______ quite difficult this week.

a) was b) were c) are

The homework was quite difficult this week. ('Homework' is an uncountable singular noun.)

6. You ______ the best player on the team last season.

a) was b) were c) be

You were the best player on the team last season. ('You' always takes 'were', even when referring to one person.)

7. The news ______ shocking.

a) were b) was c) are

The news was shocking. ('News' looks plural because of the -s, but it is an uncountable singular noun.)

8. There ______ many people at the market yesterday.

a) was b) were c) is

There were many people at the market yesterday. ('Many people' is plural, so we use 'there were'.)

9. My dog ______ frightened by the fireworks.

a) were b) was c) been

My dog was frightened by the fireworks. ('My dog' is singular, so we use 'was'.)

10. We ______ in Year 6 when we moved to Bristol.

a) was b) were c) being

We were in Year 6 when we moved to Bristol. ('We' is plural, so we use 'were'.)

4. Was/were worksheet

In this, you need to complete each sentence with was or were.

Was were exercises with 27 sentences to complete — Was - were worksheet

Download the was/were worksheet in pdf
Size: 40 KB

5. Answers to the worksheet

1. The film was really boring.

2. My neighbours were very noisy last night.

3. I was at the dentist yesterday afternoon.

4. There were two birds on the windowsill.

5. The door was locked when I tried to open it.

6. You were right about the answer.

7. The roads were icy this morning.

8. My lunch was cold by the time I ate it.

9. There was a long queue at the post office.

10. The instructions were not very clear.

11. He was absent from school for a week.

12. We were surprised by the test results.

13. The children were asleep by eight o'clock.

14. It was foggy when we left the house.

15. Were you with him last night?

16. My family was here last week.

17. Who was it?

18. Where were you last night?

19. Mathematics was my hardest subject in high school.

20. Everyone was at the party.

21. Each of the students was given a prize.

22. Everybody was happy.

23. Ten thousand dollars was not enough.

24. The United States was founded in 1776.

25. I wish I were taller.

26. If I were you, I would go.

27. Darts was his favourite pub game.

If you found these exercises helpful, have a look at our past simple exercises to keep practising your verb tenses.