PAST OF TO BE: WAS/WERE EXERCISES

Choose the correct option:

She is thirty now, so last year she ___ twenty-nine.
a. was
b. were
___ it a good film?
a. Was
b. Were
I got married when I ___ twenty-seven.
a. was
b. were
It was a great day, but we ___ so tired.
a. was
b. were
I didn't buy those jeans because they ___ too expensive.
a. was
b. were
When I ___ a child we lived in Rome.
a. was
b. were
Where ___ you yesterday afternoon?
a. was
b. were
___ the weather good while we were away?
a. Was
b. Were
They ___ so naughty as kids.
a. was
b. were
Why ___ he so angry?
a. was
b. were



Choose was or were.
She sad yesterday. We at the Zoo
yesterday.
Mum and Dad in a
restaurant.
They in the disco club
last night.
You late for school
yesterday.
I very hungry.
It cold yesterday. I in London in 2008. She pretty when she
was young.
Sally a good pupil. He born in May. Our teacher very tired
yesterday.
Tom and Bill best
friends.
My cousin at school. The children excited
yesterday.

Complete with was or were.
It cloudy yesterday morning. We excited about going to America.
We lucky. We won the first prize. The dogs in the park.
Jason a great swimmer when he was young. They at the beach last Sunday.
She the prettiest girl in our class. I very ill last week.
I sad because I broke Mrs Smith's window. He born in 1995.




There was
an apple in the
bowl.
There were
three apples
in the bowl.

Complete with there was or there were.
a bank near my house. ten children in the park.
two kittens in the basket. a small shop between the bank and the
supermarket.
many bottles of milk in the fridge. some pencils on the desk.
only one book on the table. an old man in the street.
a lot of noise in the classroom. a huge crocodile in the river.




This is a very famous place in London called Piccadilly Circus. The photo was taken in 1896. Look at the
photo and choose the correct option.


hundreds of people. any traffic lights.
a double-decker bus. a flag on top of the building on
the left.
many horse-drawn carriages. a lot of traffic.
any zebra crossings. a roundabout.
some old buildings. a great number of tourists.

Complete the sentences with was / were
1. How many people __________ at your house last weekend?
2. The book wasnt difficult It __________ easy.
3. Those __________ my best jeans.
4. Dinosaurs __________ prehistoric animals.
5. __________ your friends at school yesterday?
6. Sandra __________ not at school yesterday.
7. You __________ nasty to me!
8. __________ your grandparents designers.
9. John and I __________ in the garden.
10. __________ your parents in the restaurant? Yes, they __________ .
11. My grandmother __________ a nurse. She wasnt a doctor.
12. I __________ thin when I was 6 years old.
13. When I __________ younger, I played with teddy bears.
14. We __________ away on vacation last month.
15. __________ you at the cinema last night?
16. Ten years ago, I __________ a baby.
17. __________ the exam difficult?
18. The film __________ (not) exciting. It was boring.
19. __________ there many people at the party?
20. __________ the girls in the park? No, they __________ .
21. Her name wasnt Kate. It __________ Isabel.
22. Paco wasnt happy. He __________ sad.
23. __________ the boys at the football game? Yes, they __________ .
24. The books __________ (not) on the shelf. They were in the bookcase.
25. __________ Tom at a concert? Yes, he __________ .
Complete the sentences with was / were
1. It wasnt my dads birthday on Sunday, it __________ on Saturday.
2. The exercises werent easy, they __________ difficult.
3. My grandfather wasnt a writer, he __________ a composer.
4. My cousins werent at the park, they __________ at the cinema.
5. Last night I wasnt at home, I __________ at a party.
6. __________ the weather good yesterday?
7. What __________ your first class this morning?
8. __________ her sister at the party.
9. Who __________ his favourite film star?
10. Where __________ you last night?
11. __________ they interested in rap music?
12. Where __________ you yesterday?
13. I __________ (not) at home last night.
14. __________ your teacher at school? No, she __________ .
15. Why __________ (not) Marta at school?
16. We __________ (not) at a party last week.
17. __________ you at a concert last night?
18. The students __________ in London last summer.
19. __________ it sunny yesterday?
20. __________ Meg at the library? No, she __________ .
21. The Beatles__________ a pop group.
22. __________ your teacher ill yesterday?
23. We __________ at a party last week.
24. My mum __________ (not) at work yesterday.
25. __________ you cold last night?

Complete the sentences with was / were
1. It __________ six oclock when we got home.
2. __________ you still in bed when I phoned?
3. Edison __________ a famous inventor.
4. The weather __________ fine this morning.
5. He __________ sick yesterday.
6. Beethoven __________ a German composer.
7. There __________ a lot of people at our party yesterday.
8. Dont blame him. It __________ my mistake.
9. He __________ not well yesterday.
10. __________ you at the party yesterday?
11. Sam __________ second in the race, __________ she?
12. Jack __________ (not) in London.
13. We __________ on the same school team.
14. Betty __________ (not) at the cinema.
15. We __________ the champions last year.
16. Victoria __________ (not) in the UK.
17. Mom and Dad __________ on vacation last week.
18. Sally and Mark __________ (not) at home.
19. There __________ a small lake here many years ago.
20. There __________ any clouds in the sky.
21. My friend __________ ill yesterday.
22. They __________ third in the race.
23. Mom __________ angry when she saw the broken vase.
24. The Romans __________ brave soldiers.
25. It __________ very wet on Monday.
Complete the sentences with was / were
1. Picasso __________ a great artist.
2. She __________ (not) at home, she was at school.
3. __________ you at the park? Yes, I __________ .
4. Bill Gates __________ a student at Harvard University.
5. I __________ in bed at 9 oclock this morning.
6. The math questions __________ (not) easy, they were difficult.
7. She __________ reading in bed at 11 oclock last night.
8. The room __________ (not) big, it was small.
9. __________ it sunny yesterday?
10. Einstein __________ a great mathematician.
11. __________ English you favourite subject last year?
12. It __________ (not) cold, it was hot.
13. I __________ with my friends in the park.
14. The English exam __________ (not) difficult, it was OK.
15. Alexander __________ in a cinema in Oxford.
16. __________ it a good film?
17. Lamberto __________ with his family in Norway.
18. __________ they at home? No they __________ .
19. __________ your friends in Mlaga? Yes, they __________ .
20. __________ you a good student last year? Yes, I __________ .
21. Silvia and her sister __________ at the zoo.
22. John and Teresa __________ on holiday in France.
23. __________ your sister at home? Yes, she __________ .
24. __________ famous people always good at school? No, they __________ .
25. __________ Antonio Banderas in Mlaga last summer?