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Was Vs Were Practice (A2-B1) - English Grammar Quiz

⏱ Time: 07:30 📝 Questions: 15 📊 Level: A2, B1 📚 Type: Grammar ⭐ XP: up to +15 (on pass)

7-minute daily practice: 15 Was Vs Were exercises for Level A2-B1. Short enough to fit into a coffee break, thorough enough to make real progress. Covers the most important aspects of was vs were with instant feedback on every answer.

⏱ You have 07:30 to answer 15 questions. The timer only starts when you click Begin.

Q1  15
Q1 15

Question 1: My brother ___ sick last Monday.

Question 1 options
'Was' is correct because 'my brother' is a third-person singular subject, which requires 'was' in the simple past tense. 'Were' is used with plural subjects and 'you'. 'Is' and 'are' are present tense forms.
Q2 15

Question 2: We ___ very tired after the long walk yesterday.

Question 2 options
'Were' is correct because 'we' is a first-person plural subject, which always takes 'were' in the simple past tense. 'Was' is only used with singular subjects (I, he, she, it).
Q3 15

Question 3: The word 'were' is used with all plural subjects (we, they) in the simple past tense.

Question 3 options
True because 'were' is the correct past tense form of 'to be' for all plural subjects including 'we' and 'they'. It is also used with 'you' (both singular and plural).
Q4 15

Question 4: Why do we say 'They were at the park' and NOT 'They was at the park'?

Question 4 options
'Were' must be used with plural subjects. 'They' is a third-person plural subject, so 'was' — which belongs to singular subjects — cannot be used with it.
Q5 15

Question 5: Arrange the words to make a correct sentence:

Question 5 options
  • a book
  • She
  • last night
  • was reading

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'She was reading a book last night' because 'she' (singular) takes 'was' in the past continuous, followed by the -ing verb form, object, and time phrase.
Q6 15

Question 6: Which sentence is grammatically correct?

Question 6 options
'You were late for class this morning' is correct because 'you' always takes 'were' in the past tense, never 'was'. The other three sentences all incorrectly use 'was' or 'were' with the wrong subject.
Q7 15

Question 7: Tom: 'How did the job interview go?' Sara: 'It ___ really difficult. I ___ so nervous the whole time!'

Question 7 options
'Was / was' is correct because both blanks refer to singular subjects: 'it' and 'I', which both require 'was' in the simple past tense.
Q8 15

Question 8: Which sentence correctly uses 'were' instead of 'was'?

Question 8 options
'The children were excited about the trip' is correct because 'the children' is a plural subject requiring 'were'. All other options have singular subjects (she, it, he) which require 'was'.
Q9 15

Question 9: Put the words in the correct order:

Question 9 options
  • when I arrived
  • outside
  • were waiting
  • My friends

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'My friends were waiting outside when I arrived' because 'my friends' (plural) takes 'were' in the past continuous, followed by the -ing verb, location, and time clause.
Q10 15

Question 10: The students ___ still working on their project when the teacher walked in.

Question 10 options
'Were' is correct because 'the students' is a plural subject, which requires 'were' to form the past continuous tense. 'Was' is only used with singular subjects in past continuous.
Q11 15

Question 11: A student writes: 'If I was a bird, I could fly anywhere.' Which statement about this sentence is true?

Question 11 options
The sentence uses 'was' in a hypothetical (subjunctive) context, but the correct form in such situations is 'were', even with singular subjects like 'I'. The subjunctive mood requires 'were' regardless of subject number.
Q12 15

Question 12: Rewrite in the past tense: 'She is the best player on the team.' → She ___ the best player on the team.

Question 12 options
'Was' correctly completes the transformation because 'she' is a third-person singular subject, which requires 'was' in the simple past tense. 'Were' is for plural subjects and 'you'.
Q13 15

Question 13: Match each sentence to the correct grammar label.

Question 13 options
I was happy to see my old friend.
They were playing tennis all afternoon.
If she were taller, she could reach the shelf.
You were the only one who remembered my birthday.
Subjunctive mood – hypothetical situation
Past continuous – third-person plural
Simple past – first-person singular
Simple past – second-person singular

Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

'Was' is used with singular subjects (I, he, she, it) in simple past. 'Were' is used with plural subjects and 'you'. In past continuous, the same rules apply. In subjunctive/hypothetical mood, 'were' is used even with singular subjects.
Q14 15

Question 14: In hypothetical or 'wish' sentences, we must use 'were' even when the subject is singular, such as in 'I wish I were taller.'

Question 14 options
True because in the subjunctive mood — used for hypothetical situations, wishes, and unreal conditions — 'were' is required for all subjects, including singular ones like 'I', 'he', 'she', and 'it'.
Q15 15

Question 15: Which sentence uses 'were' correctly to express a hypothetical idea?

Question 15 options
'If I were rich, I would travel the world' correctly uses 'were' in the subjunctive mood to express an unreal or hypothetical condition. The other options either use 'was' in a hypothetical context (incorrect) or use 'were' with plural subjects in factual past statements (correct use but not hypothetical).