Gateway to Grammar: Past simple tense

So Clive thought his father was an emperor penguin.. it turns out he was a teddy bear. Did you know “was” is from the verb “be”? It is an irregular verb, so it does not follow the same rules as all the other verbs. Let’s have a look at “be” in the past:

·         I was – I was always interested in penguins.

·         You were – you were sad before you saw the benguin.

·         He was - Clive was confused about being a hairy penguin.

·         She was - she was in love with a teddy bear.

·         It was – it was dropped by a child at the zoo.

·         They were – they were benguin parents.

·         We were – we were all in love with the benguin.

Did you notice that I, he, she, and it are all “was”, and you, they, and we are all “were”? That’s the pattern for “be” in the past simple tense.

We use the past simple to talk about things that were “true” or “real” in the past, but are not “true” or “real” now. So, I was seven when I learned to ride horses. I am not seven years old anymore, so I use the past of “be” to say I was seven.

What were you before, but you are not anymore? I was very fat a long time ago, but I’m not anymore!