Grammar reference and practice 7.2

1Complete the sentences with was or were
  • 1 at Ted's house last night.

  • 2They were very friendly.

  • 3My sister and I were very busy last week.

  • 4My parents were in Paris for their anniversary last weekend.

  • 5She was happy, but her brothers were sad.

  • 6A:Were you in the garden?

    B:Yes, I was.

  • 7You were the most hardworking student in our class at primary school.

  • 8They were at the supermarket.

2Rewrite the sentences using the past simple. 
You need to use normal letters and capital letters correctly in this task. You also need to use correct punctuation.
  • 1I'm not hungry, but I am tired.

  • 2She is at school.

    She was at school.

  • 3AAre you a student?

    Were you a student?

    BNo, I'm not. I'm a teacher!

    No, I wasn't. I was a teacher!

  • 4AIs your sister in her bedroom?

    Was your sister in her bedroom?

    BYes, she is.

    Yes, she was.

  • 5We aren't very rich, but we are happy.

    We weren't very rich, but we were happy.

  • 6They are at the station.

    They were at the station.


3Write sentences using could and couldn’t
You need to use normal letters and capital letters correctly in this task. You also need to use correct punctuation.
  • 1Jane / ride a bike / when she was three. ✔

  • 2My friends / hear / the music at the concert. ✘

    My friends couldn't hear the music at the concert.

  • 3I / swim / when I was a child. ✘

    I couldn't swim when I was a child.

  • 4 you / play the violin / when you were younger? ?

    Could you play the violin when you were younger?

  • 5We / remember / the teacher's name. ✔

    We could remember the teacher's name.

  • 6they / climb / up the ladder? ?

    Could they climb up the ladder?

4Rewrite sentences 1–3 in the negative and sentences 4–6 in the positive. 
You need to use normal letters and capital letters correctly in this task. You also need to use correct punctuation.
  • 1They could find the car keys.

  • 2Orla could speak two languages.

    Orla couldn't speak two languages.

  • 3I could play the trumpet.

    I couldn't play the trumpet.

  • 4I couldn't swim when I was five.

    I could swim when I was five.

  • 5We couldn't understand English films.

    We could understand English films.

  • 6Maya couldn't visit her grandparents.

    Maya could visit her grandparents.