Grammar › Past Simple with was and were

Wasn't and weren't: negative sentences

450 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 45 tests of ten

Add not straight after was or were. Didn't never appears here.

The pattern

Not goes immediately after the verb, and almost always contracts:

I was not hungry. → I wasn’t hungry.

Unlike the present forms, there is only one contraction for each — no second option of the he’s not kind.

there wasn’t and there weren’t

Again the verb agrees with what comes after:

• There wasn’t any milk.
• There weren’t any eggs.

Softening with wasn’t

English often states the opposite rather than the thing itself:

The film wasn’t bad usually means it was quite good. He wasn’t happy often means he was annoyed.

This understatement is common in speech and worth recognizing in reading.

The contrast pattern

A negative here frequently sets up a correction:

It wasn’t the noise that woke me, it was the light.

All forms

Examples

Taken from the 450 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.

• She wasn't in favor of the proposed changes.
• We weren't interested in the movie they recommended.
• The weather wasn't sunny for the beach party.
• We weren't happy with the service at that restaurant.
• The food wasn't delicious at that restaurant.
• You weren't pleased with the outcome of the negotiation.
• Mary wasn't excited about the upcoming trip.
• They weren't happy with the service they received.
• She wasn't excited about the upcoming concert.
• They weren't very tired after the long journey.
• The movie wasn't interesting at all last night.
• Tom and Sarah weren't happy with their test results.

Mistakes to avoid

Quick choices from this form

Other forms of Past Simple with was and were