Question

Actividad número 1 Simple past Was - Were-wasn't - weren't
1. Consulta en internet las reglas del pasado con was y were, wasn't, weren't en inglés y escríbelas en tu cuaderno. Da 2
ejemplos con cada uno e ilustra.​

Answer 1

The common rule that determines how you use “was” and “were” is that singular and plural rule. If the noun is singular, you use was. If the noun is plural, you use were.

When should I use "wasn't" instead of "weren't"?

Man who predicted the 2020 crash. Issues next "major warning."

Merle Tenney

Answered 8 years ago

When should I use "wasn't" instead of "weren't"?

Lots of people nowadays use wasn't in all clauses with singular subjects in hypothetical contexts. Traditionalists (with whom I am allied on this point) make a distinction between wasn't and weren't and between was and were.

The key distinction boils down to the difference between verb moods in complex sentences, that is, sentences that have a main clause and at least one subordinate clause. The use of were and weren't in the subordinate clauses depends on the reality or truthfulness of the subordinate clause. If it is true, then the indicative forms was and wasn't are in order. If it is not true, i.e. counterfactual, then the past subjunctive forms were and weren't are used.

Let's look at some examples. One of the easiest to deal with is subordinate clauses where the verb in the main clause is some form of wish. The semantics of these sentences imply that the subordinate clauses are not true, so the past subjunctive forms are called for:

I wish I were able to take that job. (But I am not able to take the job.)

Do you wish she weren't on call tonight? (But she is on call tonight.)

The other common pattern is with if-then sentences. (Note: then may be implied if it is not always verbalized, and the then clause may precede the if clause in that case.) If the main and subordinate clauses are both true or not known to be true or false, then the indicative verb forms are used:

If I wasn't asked to help, at least I was willing to help. (And I wasn't asked to help.)

If they are prepared, then they will come out on top. (And they may or may not be prepared--we'll see.)