Mastering the Past with Was, Were and Had

Mastering the Past with Was, Were and Had

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to use was, were and had to write about the past.

Introduce the learning objective and make sure students understand what they will be able to do by the end of the lesson.

What do you already know about using was, were and had to write about the past?

What is the Past Tense?

The past tense is used to describe actions that have already happened. It is often formed by adding -ed to the base form of the verb.

Explain what the past tense is and how it is used in English.

Using Was to Describe the Past

Was is used to describe a singular action or state in the past. For example, 'I was happy yesterday.'

Explain how to use was in the past tense.

Using Were to Describe the Past

Were is used to describe a plural action or state in the past. For example, 'They were at the beach yesterday.'

Explain how to use were in the past tense.

Using Had to Describe the Past

Had is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. For example, 'I had finished my homework before dinner.'

Explain how to use had in the past tense.

Examples of Was, Were and Had

She was tired. They were happy. He had already eaten.

Give examples of how to use was, were and had in sentences.

Practice: Was vs Were

Complete the sentence with either 'was' or 'were': The dogs ________ barking all night.

Ask students to complete the sentence with the appropriate form of was or were.

Answer to Practice

The dogs were barking all night.

Display the correct answer to the previous practice question.

Practice: Had

Complete the sentence: I ________ my homework before the party started.

Ask students to complete the sentence with the appropriate form of had.

Answer to Practice

I had finished my homework before the party started.

Display the correct answer to the previous practice question.

Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense

Some verbs do not follow the -ed rule in the past tense. For example, 'go' becomes 'went' in the past tense.

Explain that some verbs have irregular past tense forms.

Practice: Irregular Verbs

Complete the sentence: She ________ to the store yesterday.

Ask students to complete the sentence with the appropriate past tense form of an irregular verb.

Answer to Practice

She went to the store yesterday.

Display the correct answer to the previous practice question.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Some common mistakes include using 'was' instead of 'were' for plural subjects, and using 'have' instead of 'had' for completed actions in the past.

Explain some common mistakes students should avoid.

Review

What have you learned about using was, were and had to write about the past?

Ask students to summarize what they have learned in the lesson.

Additional Resources

Provide additional resources for students who want to practice using was, were and had in the past tense.

Include links to websites or worksheets that students can use to practice what they've learned.