Primary Auxiliary Verbs

Conjugation of “To be” – past tense

“To be” verb changes as (was or were) according to the subjects.

Rule: S+V

Subject

I
You
He
She
It
This
That
We
They
These
Those

Verb (be verb)

was
were
was
was
was
was
was
were
were
were
were
Note :
  1. Present to Past : (“am” is changed as was, “ are” is changed as were & “is” is changed as was).
  2. I and you are always exceptional which do not follow any pattern.
  3. Generally, “I” indicates the first person (Singular)and “You” indicates the second person (Singular).
  4. (He, she, it, this & that) are the singular forms. These are considered as third person. Since, it is in singular form, it is called as third person singular.
  5. “We” is considered as the first person plural.
  6. They, these & those are the plural forms. These are also considered as third person. Since it is in plural form, it is called as “third person plural”
Example sentences of “to be verb” using the conjugation :

I was happy.
I was a teacher.
You were lazy.
You were a dancer.
He was a doctor.
He was handsome.
She was a trainer.
She was sad.
It was awesome.
It was a lizard.
This was small.
That was cute.
We were tired.
We were college students.
They were policemen.
They were workers.
These were beautiful.
Those were polite.

Rule reminds the same in present tense and past tense. The verbs get changed according to the subject of each sentence.

Exercise -3

Fill in the blanks with suitable “to be verb” conjugation in past form:
  1. I __
  2. You __
  3. He _
  4. She __
  5. __ was
  6. __ was
  7. __ was
  8. We __
  9. They __
  10. These __
  11. Those _

Exercise – 4

Fill in the blanks with “to be” verb in past tense:
  1. I __ a dancer.
  2. I __ very rich.
  3. You __ a professor.
  4. You __ tired.
  5. He __ in the shop.
  6. My brother _ a lawyer.
  7. She __ my teacher.
  8. Her sister __ sad.
  9. It __ tall.
  10. This __ awesome.
  11. That _ a miracle.
  12. We __ friends.
  13. We __ happy.
  14. They _ strangers.
  15. They _ from Poland.
  16. These students __ very quiet.

The explanation and the exercises provided will be helpful to know about the “to be” verb formation and to create sentences in present tense.

Summary:

  1. Past form of “to be” verb.
  2. Conjugation of “to be” verb.
  3. Example sentences and exercises of “to be” verb in past.

Exercise – 5

Convert the following sentences from (present tense to past tense) or (past tense to present tense) using “to be verb”:
  1. I am happy. (Convert into Past)
  2. You are angry. (Convert into Past)
  3. He is a champion. (Convert into Past)
  4. She was my friend. (Convert into Present)
  5. It was strong. (Convert into Present)
  6. We are investigators. (Convert into Past)
  7. This was terrible. (Change into Present)
  8. That is very sharp. (Change into Past)
  9. People were jealous. (Change into Present)
  10. They are friends. (Change into Past)
  11. These kids are small. (Change into Past)
  12. Those girls are pretty. (Change into Past)

Exercise – 6

Change the subject of the sentences according to the
tenses:
Example:

She was good at work. (We)
We were good at work.

  1. I am a lawyer. (You)
  2. You were polite. (He)
  3. He is intelligent. (We)
  4. She was smart. (They)
  5. We are tall. (She)
  6. They are happy. (I)