When Do We Use There Was and There Were?
There was and there were are the past of there is and there are. The noun after them decides: was for one thing, were for more.
ONE THINGwas
There was a big party at Lan's house last night.
The party is over now.
MORE THAN ONEwere
There were many people at the beach on Sunday.
The beach was full.
NO PLURALwas
There was a lot of rain last month.
Rain, water, money: always was.
One thing or no plural → there was. More than one → there were.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"There blank two new students in our class yesterday."
The forms
POSITIVE
Therewas / werenoun
There were three eggs in the box.
There was some rice in the pot.
NEGATIVE
Therewas / weren'tany + noun
There weren't any taxis at the station.
One thing: There wasn't a bus.
QUESTION
Was / Werethere…?
Were there any messages for me?
Short answer: Yes, there were. / No, there weren't.
There wasn't any bread. · Was there a bus?
TRY IT
- Question 1
"There blank any bread in the kitchen, so we bought some."
When to use it
Something that happened
There was an accident on the bridge this morning.
Events too, not only things.
Asking how many
How many people were there at the meeting?
Was or were still comes before there.
A lot of works with both verbs. The noun after it decides: There were a lot of cars, but There was a lot of noise.
There Was or Had?
Start with the owner, and use had: My uncle had a motorbike. Our house had a garden. To say something was in a place, use there was: There was a garden behind our house.
| THERE WAS / THERE WERE | HAD | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | There was a small garden behind our house. | Our house had a small garden. |
| Never say | There had a small garden. | Behind our house had a small garden. |
TRY IT
- Question 1
Which sentence is correct?blank
- Question 2
"Ten years ago, my uncle blank a red motorbike."
Common mistakes
Incorrect:There was many students in the library.
Correct:There were many students in the library.
Many students: use were.
Incorrect:There is a fire in the next street last week.
Correct:There was a fire in the next street last week.
Last week is past. Is becomes was.
Incorrect:There didn't have any buses on Sunday.
Correct:There weren't any buses on Sunday.
This is a be sentence. Say There weren't, not There didn't have.
Incorrect:Did there have any problems with the car?
Correct:Were there any problems with the car?
Put was or were before there. No did.
Incorrect:Was there a pharmacy near the hotel? — Yes, it was.
Correct:Was there a pharmacy near the hotel? — Yes, there was.
Keep there in the short answer.
Incorrect:There were a lot of traffic this morning.
Correct:There was a lot of traffic this morning.
Traffic has no plural. Use was, even after a lot of.
Quick check · 5 questions
Choose the right verb:
There was a cat on our roof yesterday.
- A. was — Correct
- B. were
- C. is
Answer: A. was
Is is for now.
Choose the right verb:
There was a lot of water on the kitchen floor after the party.
- A. was — Correct
- B. were
Answer: A. was
Look at the noun, not a lot of.
Choose the right negative:
There weren't any tickets left for the concert.
- A. weren't — Correct
- B. wasn't
- C. didn't have
Answer: A. weren't
This is a be sentence. No did, no have.
Choose the word that starts the question:
Was there a lot of homework last weekend?
- A. Was — Correct
- B. Were
- C. Did
Answer: A. Was
Was or were goes before there. Never did.
Choose the right short answer:
Were there any good films on TV last night? — No, there weren't.
- A. there weren't — Correct
- B. they weren't
- C. there wasn't
Answer: A. there weren't
Were there…? — No, there weren't.
See whether it really stuck.
Start the quiz · 12 questions
