Past Simple: Verb “be”

Learn English Verbs - Past Simple Verb "be"
Were you a famous musician when you were younger?

Positive:

I / he / she / it was born in 1982.
you / we / they were born in 1982.

 

Negative:

I / he / she / it was not (wasn’t) born in Europe.
you / we / they were not (weren’t) born in Europe.

 

Question:

Was I / he / she / it a famous musician?
Were you / we / they a famous musician?

Common words used to talk about the past:

  • Yesterday
  • Last Sunday / last week / last month / last November / last year
  • 2 hours ago / 5 days ago / 3 months ago / 10 years ago
  • When I was a child

Learn more English verb tenses: past, present, future, simple, perfect, continuous!

Simple past vs. present perfect


Past Simple: Verb "be"

Congratulations - you have completed Past Simple: Verb "be". You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%. Your performance has been rated as %%RATING%%
Your answers are highlighted below.
Question 1
"Where were you this morning? You __________ at the meeting."

"I _____ at the doctor's office."

A
wasn't / was
B
weren't / were
C
weren't / was
D
were / was
Question 2
"Did you like the movie?"

"The special effects ________ great, but the story __________ very good."

A
wasn't / were
B
were / wasn't
C
was / weren't
D
weren't / were
Question 3
Where _______ your grandfather born?
A
Were
B
Was
C
Wasn't
D
Weren't
Question 4
Barcelona is a beautiful city! We ______ there for a conference last month.
A
were
B
was
C
wasn't
D
weren't
Question 5
Darlene is 27 years old. Ten years ago, she ________ in high school.
A
wasn't
B
weren't
C
was
D
were
Question 6
Pablo Picasso ___________ a writer. He was a painter.
A
were
B
was
C
weren't
D
wasn't
Question 7
"Were your colleagues happy about the surprise party?"

"David ______, but Janet and Tim _______ - they hate surprises."

A
weren't / was
B
was / weren't
C
were / wasn't
D
wasn't / were
Question 8
My friends __________ at school yesterday because they were sick.
A
were
B
was
C
wasn't
D
weren't
Question 9
Where ________ you yesterday afternoon?
A
wasn't
B
were
C
was
D
weren't
Question 10
"Were you shy when you were a child?"

"No, I ________. I talked to everyone!"

A
were
B
was
C
wasn't
D
weren't
Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items you have not completed will be marked incorrect. Get Results
There are 10 questions to complete.

Master the details of English grammar:

Advanced English Grammar Course

Learn more about this course