How is Were different from Was? When to use Was and Were correctly in English?

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We all know that Was and Were are two forms of the verb "to be" in the past tense. But when do we use Was and Were correctly in English? Which subjects do Was and Were accompany? In today's article, PREP will explain all of these questions!

Differences between Was and Were in English

I. What are Was and Were?
II. Which subjects do Was and Were accompany?
III. Special cases when using Was and Were
1. 1. In conditional sentences
2. 2. In wish sentences
IV. Exercise to differentiate Was and Were
1. 1. Exercise
2. 2. Answer
V. Achieve Excellence in IELTS with PREP

I. What are Was and Were?

What are Was and Were? Was and Were serve as the past tense forms of the verb "to be" in both the simple past and past continuous tenses. They are used to describe the actions or states of the subjects. For example:

I was doing my homework at 9 PM yesterday evening.
I looked all over, but my papers were nowhere to be found.

II. Which subjects do Was and Were accompany?

So when do we use Was and Were? Which subjects do Was and Were accompany? Let's quickly find the answers to these two questions with PREP!

Subject	Was (Wasn’t)	Were (Weren’t)	Example
I	✅		I used to want to be a lawyer when I was 20.
You		✅	I wish you were here.
We		✅	We traveled a lot when we were young.
They		✅	They were late for the bus.
He	✅		He was at school in the morning.
She	✅		She was happy.
It	✅		It was a beautiful night.

From the knowledge table above, we can understand that:

The verb "Was" is used with first-person subjects, third-person singular subjects, singular nouns, and proper nouns.
The verb "Were" is used with second-person subjects, third-person plural subjects, and plural nouns in English.

Which subjects do Was and Were accompany?

III. Special cases when using Was and Were

We have learned about the subjects that go with Was and Were, but there are still other exceptional cases. Let's explore them with PREP right below!

1. In conditional sentences

In second conditional sentences, any subject will always be accompanied by the verb "Were."

Structure	Example
If + subject + were/V2-ed…, subject + would/could…	If Jennie were at home, she could meet her grandparents.

2. In wish sentences

Similarly, any subject in the second type of wish sentences, regardless of first person, second person, third person, singular, or plural, can only be used with "Were" as shown in the table below:

Structure	Example
Subject1 + wish + subject2 + were/V2-ed	I wish I were a princess, that way I could wear lots of beautiful dresses!

IV. Exercise to differentiate Was and Were

To have a clearer understanding of when to use Were and Was correctly in English, let's complete the exercise below with PREP!

1. Exercise

Exercise 1: Conjugate the verbs in brackets

If I _______ rich, I would travel around the world.
She would be happy if she _______ invited to the party.
If it _______ sunny, we could go to the beach.
If he _______ taller, he could reach the top shelf.
I wish I _______ a bird, then I could fly freely in the sky.
If I _______ a rich man, I’d build a big tall house and buy myself a Rolls-Royce.
They _______ nowhere to be seen.
I _______ at the stadium when that happened.
I wish I _______ the richest man in the world.
He _______ the one who’s responsible for this mess. It _______ his dog!

Exercise 2: Arrange the following sentences:

yesterday / I / school / at / was.
Where / you / were / last night?
very / with / were / the / children / excited / trip / about / the.
at / They / the / concert / were.
We / at / the / restaurant / were / last night.
Why / you / not / at / the meeting / were / yesterday?
She / in / the garden / was / this morning.
The students / very / in the class / attentive / were.
Was / it / raining / when / you / outside / were?
The children / excited / were / about / the / upcoming / holiday.
It / dark / in / the / room / was / when / I / entered.
They / not / at / the party / were / last / night.
Was / she / at / home / when / you / called?
Were / you / aware / of / the / situation / before / it / happened?
Were / there / many / people / at / the / event / last / night?

2. Answer

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

were
were
were
were
were
were
were
was
were
Was - was

I was at school yesterday.
Where were you last night?
The children were very excited about the trip.
They were at the concert.
We were at the restaurant last night.
Why were you not at the meeting yesterday?
She was in the garden this morning.
The students were very attentive in the class.
Was it raining when you were outside?
The children were excited about the upcoming holiday.
It was dark in the room when I entered.
They were not at the party last night.
Was she at home when you called?
Were you aware of the situation before it happened?
Were there many people at the event last night?

V. Achieve Excellence in IELTS with PREP

PREP hopes that through this article about the verbs Was and Were, you can grasp the definitions, usage, and differences between Was and Were. If you’re striving for excellence, PREP’s customized learning solutions will help you reach your target band score.

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Hi I'm Chloe, and I am currently serving as an Product Content Administrator at Prep Education. With over five years of experience in independent online IELTS study and exam preparation, I am confident in my ability to support learners in achieving their highest possible scores.