🏠 Home Tests Practice Grammar Was Vs Were Practice (A2-B1) - English Grammar Quiz 📝 Was Vs Were Practice (A2-B1) - English Grammar Quiz 15 questions
7:30 minutes
+15 XP 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.
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⏱ You have 07:30 to answer 15 questions. The timer only starts when you click Begin .
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Questions 15
Q1 15
Question 1: My brother ___ sick last Monday. Question 1 options Check answer
'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.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q2 15
Question 2: We ___ very tired after the long walk yesterday. Question 2 options Check answer
'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).
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q3 15
Question 3: The word 'were' is used with all plural subjects (we, they) in the simple past tense. Question 3 options Check answer
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).
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q4 15
Question 4: Why do we say 'They were at the park' and NOT 'They was at the park'? Question 4 options Check answer
'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.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q5 15
Question 5: Arrange the words to make a correct sentence: Question 5 options She ▲ ▼ last night ▲ ▼ was reading ▲ ▼ a book ▲ ▼ Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.
Check answer
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.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q6 15
Question 6: Which sentence is grammatically correct? Question 6 options Check answer
'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.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q7 15
Question 7: Tom: 'How did the job interview go?' Sara: 'It ___ really difficult. I ___ so nervous the whole time!' Question 7 options Check answer
'Was / was' is correct because both blanks refer to singular subjects: 'it' and 'I', which both require 'was' in the simple past tense.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q8 15
Question 8: Which sentence correctly uses 'were' instead of 'was'? Question 8 options Check answer
'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'.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q9 15
Question 9: Put the words in the correct order: Question 9 options were waiting ▲ ▼ when I arrived ▲ ▼ My friends ▲ ▼ outside ▲ ▼ Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.
Check answer
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.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q10 15
Question 10: The students ___ still working on their project when the teacher walked in. Question 10 options Check answer
'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.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? 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 Check answer
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.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? 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 Check answer
'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'.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? 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.
Simple past – second-person singular
Past continuous – third-person plural
Simple past – first-person singular
Subjunctive mood – hypothetical situation
Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Check answer
'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.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? 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 Check answer
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'.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q15 15
Question 15: Which sentence uses 'were' correctly to express a hypothetical idea? Question 15 options Check answer
'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).
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