Was and Were ESL Games, Activities and Worksheets
Find Someone Who Was...
ESL Was Were Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice
Here is a free was and were speaking activity to help students practice Were you...? questions and short answers. Students begin by reviewing the items on the worksheet and forming a Were you...? question... read more
ESL Was Were Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Freer Practice Here is a free was and were speaking activity to help students practice Were you...? questions and short answers. Students begin by reviewing the items on the worksheet and forming a Were you...? question for each one. Next, students go around the class asking the questions to one another, e.g. 'Were you asleep at 6 o'clock this morning?' When a student finds someone who answers 'Yes, I was', they write down that person's name. The student then asks a follow-up question to gain more information (e.g. What time did you wake up?) and notes down the answer. Afterwards, students give feedback by answering questions with Who..., e.g. 'Who was asleep at 6 o'clock this morning?' show less
Sentences and Questions
ESL Was Were Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences and Questions, Freer Practice - Group Work
In this engaging was and were game, students practice forming affirmative and negative sentences as well as questions with was and were. The game also helps students practice subject-verb agreement... read more
ESL Was Were Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences and Questions from Prompts, Freer Practice - Group Work In this engaging was and were game, students practice forming affirmative and negative sentences as well as questions with was and were. The game also helps students practice subject-verb agreement. The first player looks at their cards and makes as many three-card sentences or questions as possible using each card once, e.g. 'They were late.' As the player creates each sentence or question, they lay the corresponding cards out on the table for everyone to see. For each correct sentence or question, the player scores a point. The player then takes the number of cards they used from the pile. Each player should always have nine cards until there are no cards left in the pile. Then, it's the next student's turn to play. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins. show less
Was and Were Race
ESL Was or Were Game - Grammar: Matching, Forming Sentences
In this enjoyable was or were game, students race to form past simple sentences with was and were. In pairs, students line up sentence beginning cards in order and match each one with an ending card. Students then complete the sentences with was or... read more
ESL Was or Were Game - Grammar: Matching, Forming Sentences In this enjoyable was or were game, students race to form past simple sentences with was and were. In pairs, students line up sentence beginning cards in order and match each one with an ending card. Students then complete the sentences with was or were cards. The first pair to complete all the sentences correctly wins. show less
Was or Were?
ESL Was or Were Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Gap-fill, Binary Choice, Error Correction
This useful was or were worksheet helps students practice the past simple of the verb to be. Students begin with a gap-fill exercise where they complete sentences with was or were. Students then complete... read more
ESL Was or Were Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Gap-fill, Binary Choice, Error Correction This useful was or were worksheet helps students practice the past simple of the verb to be. Students begin with a gap-fill exercise where they complete sentences with was or were. Students then complete sentences by choosing either was or were. Finally, students rewrite sentences changing the verb to be into the past simple (was or were). show less
Change the Subject
ESL Was Were Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences, Freer Practice - Group Work
In this fun was and were board game, students try to make believable past simple affirmative or negative sentences about different subjects. Players take turns rolling the dice and moving their... read more
ESL Was Were Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences from Prompts, Freer Practice - Group Work In this fun was and were board game, students try to make believable past simple affirmative or negative sentences about different subjects. Players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counter along the board. When a player lands on a square, they take a was and wasn't or were and weren't subject card from the corresponding pile. If a player picks up a 'choose a subject' card, the player can choose any subject they like for their sentence. The player then reads out the subject and tries to make a believable affirmative or negative sentence with the past simple of the verb to be shown on the square, e.g. 'Tom wasn't in class yesterday.' If the sentence is perceived or known to be true, the player stays on the square. If not, the other students challenge the player to justify or correct their sentence. If the player is unable to do this, they go back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game. show less
How was your holiday?
ESL Was Were Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Writing Sentences, Discussion, Communicative Practice - Group Work
In this inventive was and were activity, students review the verb to be in the past simple by writing sentences describing a holiday. Students read the first question on the worksheet (How was the... read more
ESL Was Were Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Writing Sentences from Prompts, Guided Discussion, Communicative Practice - Group Work In this inventive was and were activity, students review the verb to be in the past simple by writing sentences describing a holiday. Students read the first question on the worksheet (How was the journey there?) and complete the sentence, describing the journey. Students then fold the paper as indicated and hand the worksheet to the person on their right. The student on their right reads the next question (What was the weather like?) and writes a complete sentence, describing the weather with the verb to be in the past simple. The student then folds the paper so the sentence is hidden and passes it to the person on their right, and so on. When the last question has been answered, the student passes the worksheet to the person on their right. Tell the students that these sentences are about their last holiday. Students then unfold the worksheet and take turns reading their holiday to the people in their group, who discuss the good and bad points of each holiday and decide whose holiday was the best and worst. show less
Sightseeing in Washington, D.C.
ESL Was and Were Activity - Speaking: Information Gap - Pair Work - Grammar Exercises: True or False, Error Correction, Writing Sentences
In this productive was and were activity, students use the past simple of the verb to be to complete information about four people who went sightseeing in... read more
ESL Was and Were Activity - Speaking: Information Gap - Pair Work - Grammar Exercises: True or False, Error Correction, Writing Sentences from Prompts In this productive was and were activity, students use the past simple of the verb to be to complete information about four people who went sightseeing in Washington, D.C. In pairs, students ask and answer questions with was and were in order to complete a chart with information about four people who went sightseeing. Next, students decide if was and were sentences about the four people are true or false. If a sentence is false, students change one word in the sentence to make it true. In the last exercise, students use prompts to write true sentences about the four people with was(n't) or were(n't). show less
Was Were Board Game
ESL Was Were Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, True or False, Guessing - Group Work
In this free was and were board game, students review the verb to be in the past simple by playing a game where they give true or false answers to questions. Players take turns rolling the dice and... read more
ESL Was Were Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, True or False, Guessing - Group Work In this free was and were board game, students review the verb to be in the past simple by playing a game where they give true or false answers to questions. Players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counter along the board. When a player lands on a square, they pick up a true or false card and look at it. The player then answers the question on the square using was or were by giving either true or false information as indicated on the card. Next, the other students ask follow-up questions to determine if the player is lying or telling the truth. After a few questions have been answered, the other students guess whether the player's answer is true or false. The player then reveals the answer. Students who guessed correctly each score one point. When a player reaches the finish, the game ends. The student with the most points wins the game. show less