Was and Were Worksheets | Past Tense Be Verbs | 11 Grammar Printables | Grade 1 ESL

This 11-page set of was and were worksheets teaches Grade 1 and ESL/EFL students the past tense of the verb "to be": was with one person or thing (and with I), were with more than one person or thing (and with you).

The first page sets out the rule in two boxes with example sentences ("The dog was running.", "The two boys were playing.", "You were so happy.") and then asks students to fix four sentences that use the wrong form, such as "James were in the park." and "You was not sad yesterday." Each of the other 10 pages has six sentences with a (was, were) choice after the subject, for example "The dogs ___ in the yard." or "I ___ seven years old last year.", and a ruled line for students to write the finished sentence. That makes 60 practice sentences, with singular nouns, plural nouns, and the pronouns I, you, he, she, we, and they all mixed together on every page.

It follows on directly from the am, is, and are worksheets (present tense be verbs), so the two sets can be taught back to back.

What's Included:

• 11-page printable PDF
• 1 rule page with was/were examples and a four-sentence error-correction task
• 10 practice pages (60 sentences) choosing was or were and rewriting the full sentence

Skills Practiced:

• Choosing was or were to agree with a singular or plural subject
• Using was with I and were with you
• Finding and correcting past tense be-verb mistakes
• Writing complete sentences in the simple past

Perfect for:

• Grade 1 grammar lessons, morning work, and literacy centers
• ESL/EFL classes moving from present to past tense
• Homework and homeschool practice