Grammar Practice Worksheets ✎
Simple Past
Verb “To Be” Past Tense – Affirmative and Negative
A. Put the correct form of the verb “to be” (was/were) in the past tense in the following sentences.
1. Judy was sick yesterday.
2. We were in the same class last year.
3. I was tired after a long day at work.
4. The weather was beautiful yesterday.
5. Last semester my teachers were very good.
6. The children were hungry after so much exercise.
7. The wind was very strong last night.
8. She was very happy last week.
9. They were nervous on the first day of school.
10. Luckily, the windows were closed during the rain storm.
11. We were very happy to get your letter last week.
12. The boys were tired after the ball game.
B. Put the correct negative form of the verb “to be” (wasn’t/ weren’t) in the following sentences.
1. They weren’t at school yesterday because it was Saturday.
2. He wasn’t hungry at supper time because he ate a big lunch.
3. Carol wasn’t happy to see her boyfriend with another girl.
4. Bonnie wasn’t at home last night when I called her.
5. The teacher wasn’t satisfied with the student’s work.
C. Complete the following sentences with wasn’t or weren’t.
Ex. I am at work today, but I wasn’t here yesterday.
1. It is cold outside today, but it wasn’t cold outside yesterday .
2. She is sick today, but she wasn’t sick yesterday .
3. They are at school today, but they weren’t here yesterday .
4. The TV show is good today, but it wasn’t good yesterday .
5. The apples are sweet today, but they weren’t sweet yesterday .
6. The class is interesting today, but it wasn’t interesting yesterday .
7. The boss is angry today, but he wasn’t angry yesterday .
8. The door is locked today, but it wasn’t locked yesterday .
9. The exercises are easy today, but they weren’t easy yesterday .
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Past Tense of the Verb “To Be” – Yes/No Questions
Practice making questions and giving short answers with the verb “to be” in the past tense.
Ex. Were you tired last night?
Yes, I was. (I was tired last night.)
1. was it cold outside yesterday?
No, ii wasn’t. (It wasn’t cold outside yesterday.)
2. Were they sick last week?
Yes, they were. (They weren’t sick last week.)
3. Was Don at the office last Saturday?
Yes, he was. (Don was at the office last Saturday.)
4. Was the car expensive?
Yes, it was. (The car was expensive.)
5. were the children excited?
No, they weren’t. (The children weren’t excited.)
6. Was the store open?
No, it wasn’t. (The store wasn’t open.)
7. Was the movie interesting?
No, it wasn’t. (The movie was interesting.)
8. Was the food good?
No, it wasn’t (The food wasn’t good.)
Past Tense of the Verb “To Be” – Information Questions
Use the correct question word (who, what, where, when, why, how many) and the correct form of the verb
“to be” in the past tense to make questions. The underlined words are the answers to the questions.
Ex. Why was she absent yesterday?
She was absent because she was sick.
1. why was she tired yesterday?
She was tired because she worked hard all day.
2. where was she last night?
She was at the mall last night.
3. how many people were there at the party?
There were twenty people at the party.
4. what was in the box?
A diamond ring was in the box.
5. where was the secretary?
The secretary was in the office.
6. when were the students absent?
The students were absent last Tuesday.
7. why was she late?
She was late because she missed her bus.
8. who was at the door?
Mrs. Jones was at the door.
VOCABULARY