1. Introduction
“There was” and “there were” tell you that something existed or was present in the past. They are the past forms of “there is” and “there are.”
Use “there was” with singular countable or uncountable nouns. For example: “There was a loud noise last night.” Use “there were” with plural countable nouns. For example: “There were many people at the party.”
- 1. There was a storm yesterday.
- 2. There was a mistake in the report.
- 3. There was some milk in the fridge.
- 4. There was a car outside.
- 5. There was an error in the calculation.
- 6. There was a strange sound last night.
- 7. There was soft music playing.
- 8. There was a beautiful painting on the wall.
- 9. There was a long queue at the store.
- 10. There was clear evidence of the event.
2. Affirmative Sentences
Use “there was” with a singular countable noun or uncountable noun, and “there were” with a plural countable noun.
A. With “There was”
- 1. There was a book on the table.
- 2. There was a computer in the room.
- 3. There was a dog in the yard.
- 4. There was some water on the floor.
- 5. There was a mistake in the essay.
- 6. There was a light in the kitchen.
- 7. There was a strong smell in the air.
- 8. There was a gentle breeze at dawn.
- 9. There was some traffic this morning.
- 10. There was a calm before the storm.
B. With “There were”
- 1. There were three chairs in the room.
- 2. There were many books on the shelf.
- 3. There were several errors in the report.
- 4. There were dozens of people at the concert.
- 5. There were few options available.
- 6. There were some flowers in the garden.
- 7. There were numerous stars visible last night.
- 8. There were plenty of cookies at the party.
- 9. There were various reasons for the delay.
- 10. There were many lights on the street.
3. Negative Sentences
To say that something did not exist in the past, use “there wasn’t” for singular or uncountable nouns and “there weren’t” for plural nouns.
A. With “There wasn’t”
- 1. There wasn’t a pen on the desk.
- 2. There wasn’t any sugar in the jar.
- 3. There wasn’t a sound in the room.
- 4. There wasn’t any water in the bottle.
- 5. There wasn’t a problem with the engine.
- 6. There wasn’t any noise last night.
- 7. There wasn’t an error in the calculation.
- 8. There wasn’t a clue about the missing item.
- 9. There wasn’t sufficient evidence at the scene.
- 10. There wasn’t any light in the corridor.
B. With “There weren’t”
- 1. There weren’t any chairs in the hall.
- 2. There weren’t any books on the table.
- 3. There weren’t any cars on the street.
- 4. There weren’t any students in the class.
- 5. There weren’t any lights on in the room.
- 6. There weren’t any emails in the inbox.
- 7. There weren’t any cookies left.
- 8. There weren’t any errors in the file.
- 9. There weren’t any trees in the park.
- 10. There weren’t any birds in the area.
4. Questions
To ask if something existed or was present in the past, use “Was there…?” for singular or uncountable nouns, and “Were there…?” for plural nouns.
A. With “Was there?”
- 1. Was there a phone on the table?
- 2. Was there any milk in the fridge?
- 3. Was there a problem with the computer?
- 4. Was there a light in the hallway?
- 5. Was there any noise during the night?
- 6. Was there a cat in the garden?
- 7. Was there an error in the document?
- 8. Was there enough water for the plants?
- 9. Was there a storm yesterday?
- 10. Was there a clear view of the mountains?
B. With “Were there?”
- 1. Were there many people at the meeting?
- 2. Were there any books on the shelf?
- 3. Were there enough chairs in the room?
- 4. Were there any problems with the project?
- 5. Were there several birds in the tree?
- 6. Were there any lights on in the store?
- 7. Were there many students in the auditorium?
- 8. Were there any signs of damage after the storm?
- 9. Were there multiple errors in the report?
- 10. Were there any cookies left in the jar?
5. Usage Notes
Remember these key points when using “there was” and “there were”:
- 1. Use “there was” with a singular countable noun. (e.g., “There was a cat in the garden.”)
- 2. Use “there was” with uncountable nouns. (e.g., “There was some water on the floor.”)
- 3. Use “there were” with plural countable nouns. (e.g., “There were many books on the shelf.”)
- 4. In negative sentences, use “wasn’t” for singular. (e.g., “There wasn’t any milk.”)
- 5. In negative sentences, use “weren’t” for plural. (e.g., “There weren’t any errors.”)
- 6. When asking questions, start with “Was there” for singular nouns. (e.g., “Was there a problem?”)
- 7. When asking questions, start with “Were there” for plural nouns. (e.g., “Were there any students?”)
- 8. Do not mix the forms. (e.g., “There was three dogs” is incorrect.)
- 9. Use contractions in negative sentences for a natural tone.
- 10. Practice these forms to describe past situations clearly.
