Was or were? interactive worksheet - Free Printable

Let's solve this grammar exercise step by step. The task is to choose the correct form of the verb "to be" — either "was" or "were" — in the past tense, based on the subject of each sentence.

🔹 Rules:

- Use "was" with singular subjects (e.g., *I, he, she, it, my mother, the dog*).
- Use "were" with plural subjects (e.g., *you, they, we, my friends, the children*).

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Now let’s go through each sentence:

1. My mother ______ ill.
→ "Mother" is singular → was
✔ was

2. My friends ______ happy.
→ "Friends" is plural → were
✔ were

3. They ______ angry.
→ "They" is plural → were
✔ were

4. The pizza ______ delicious!
→ "Pizza" is singular → was
✔ was

5. You ______ bored.
→ "You" can be singular or plural, but here it's likely referring to one person (based on context), but grammatically, "you" always takes "were" in past tense, even if singular.
✔ were

6. The dog ______ hungry.
→ "Dog" is singular → was
✔ was

7. He ______ very tall.
→ "He" is singular → was
✔ was

8. The coffee ______ too hot.
→ "Coffee" is uncountable and treated as singular → was
✔ was

9. The weather ______ cold.
→ "Weather" is singular → was
✔ was

10. You ______ tired.
→ Again, "you" → were
✔ were

11. The children ______ excited.
→ "Children" is plural → were
✔ were

12. It ______ very rainy.
→ "It" refers to weather → singular → was
✔ was

13. We ______ late.
→ "We" is plural → were
✔ were

14. The cat ______ scared.
→ "Cat" is singular → was
✔ was

15. My parents ______ proud.
→ "Parents" is plural → were
✔ were

16. I ______ sleepy.
→ "I" always takes was in past tense → was
✔ was

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✔ Final Answers:

1. My mother was ill.
2. My friends were happy.
3. They were angry.
4. The pizza was delicious!
5. You were bored.
6. The dog was hungry.
7. He was very tall.
8. The coffee was too hot.
9. The weather was cold.
10. You were tired.
11. The children were excited.
12. It was very rainy.
13. We were late.
14. The cat was scared.
15. My parents were proud.
16. I was sleepy.

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📝 Summary:

- Was: used for singular subjects: *he, she, it, I, my mother, the dog, the pizza, the coffee, the weather, the cat, etc.*
- Were: used for plural subjects: *they, you (always), we, my friends, the children, my parents*

This worksheet helps reinforce subject-verb agreement in the past tense using "was" and "were".