(A) Past Simple Tense With “To Be Verb”
Be Verbs (was/were):
We can use was with: I, He, She, It or Singular name
We can use were with: We, you They or plural names
(1) Positive sentence:
[Subject + Be Verb (was/were) + predicate]
Examples:
- I was at the party last night.
- You were late for the meeting.
- The dogs were barking all night.
- He was happy to see his friends.
- It was a sunny day.
(2) Negative sentence:
[Subject + Be Verb (was/were) + not (wasn’t/weren’t) + predicate]
Examples:
- I was not at the party last night.
- You weren’t late for the meeting.
- He wasn’t happy with the result.
- We were not expecting such good news.
- They were not at home when I called.
(3) Interrogative sentence:
[Be Verb (was/were) + Subject + predicate + ?]
Examples:
- Was she at the party last night?
- Were you late for the meeting?
- Was he happy with the result?
- Were we expecting such good news?
- Were they at home when I called?
(4) Interrogative Negative:
[Be Verb (was/were) + Subject + not + predicate + ?] OR [Be Verb (wasn’t/weren’t) + Subject + predicate + ?]
Examples:
Was he not a doctor?
Weren’t they at the party last night?
Was it not a beautiful day yesterday?
Wasn’t she happy with her performance?
Were you not late for the meeting this morning?
(5) Interrogative Sentences (Wh-Word):
[Wh-word + “was/were” + Subject + predicate + ?]
Examples:
- Where was she last night?
- Why were you late for the meeting?
- What was he doing at that time?
- How were we expecting such good news?
- When were they at home?
(B) Past Simple Tense With Other Verbs:
(1) Affirmative Sentences:
[Subject + 2nd form of Verb + Object]
Examples:
- Alice watched a movie last night.
- Bob played soccer with his friends.
- Clara baked a delicious cake for the party.
- David visited his grandparents during the holidays.
- Emily finished reading the book in one day.
(2) Negative Sentences:
[Subject + Did not (didn’t) + 1st Form of Verb + Object]
Examples:
- Alice did not watch a movie last night.
- Bob didn’t play soccer with his friends.
- Clara did not bake a delicious cake for the party.
- David didn’t visit his grandparents during the holidays.
- Emily did not finish reading the book in one day.
(3) Interrogative Sentences (Yes/No Questions):
[Did + Subject + 1st Form of Verb + Object + ?]
Examples:
- Did Alice watch a movie last night?
- Did Bob play soccer with his friends?
- Did Clara bake a delicious cake for the party?
- Did David visit his grandparents during the holidays?
- Did Emily finish reading the book in one day?
(4) Interrogative Negative Sentences:
[Did + Subject + not + 1st Form of Verb + Object + ?] OR [Didn’t + Subject + 1st Form of Verb + Object + ?]
Examples:
- Did Alice not watch a movie ;ast night? (or) Didn’t Alice watch a movie last night?
- Did Bob not play soccer with his friends? (or) Didn’t Bob play soccer with his friends?
- Did Clara not bake a delicious cake for the party? (or) Didn’t Clara bake a delicious cake for the party?
- Did David not visit his grandparents during the holidays? (or) Didn’t David visit his grandparents during the holidays?
- Did Emily not finish reading the book in one day? (or) Didn’t Emily finish reading the book in one day?
(5) Interrogative Sentences (Wh-Word):
[Wh-Word + Did + Subject + 1st Form of Verb + Object + ?]
Examples:
- What did Alice watch last night?
- Who did Bob play soccer with?
- What did Clara bake for the party?
- Where did David visit during the holidays?
- How long did Emily take to finish reading the book?