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There is / there are, part 4 of 4
There Was and There Were: Saying What There Was
For the past of there is, use there was for one thing and there were for more: there was a party, there were two cakes.
The idea
What there was / there were means
It is the past of there is: what there was or what happened. You choose like in the present: was for one thing, were for more than one.
- Something that was there. There was a lake here.
- More than one thing. There were five rooms.
- Something that happened. There was a blackout.
When to use it
To tell what there was in a place, what your town used to have, and what happened at an event. These expressions go with it:
To tell a story
- there was an accident
- there was a lot of traffic
- there were fireworks
Back then
- there was a movie theater here
- there were no cell phones
- there wasn't a mall
To ask
- Was there any food?
- Were there many people?
- How many guests were there?
- Was there a problem?
Examples
- What used to be there
There was a bakery on this corner.
- An event
There were two hundred guests.
- What was not there
There wasn't any hot water.
- Asking
Were there any problems?
- What your town was like
There were no traffic lights in my town.
How to build it
3 steps
- Look at what comes nextOne thing or more than one?a party / two parties
- Choose was or wereWas for one or for something you cannot count; were for more than one:There were two parties
- Add whenUsually at the end:There were two parties last weekend.
Affirmative
- ThereThere
- was / werewas
- thinga storm
- place or timelast night.
Negative
- ThereThere
- wasn't / weren'tweren't
- (any) + thingany taxis.
Question
- Was / WereWas
- therethere
- thing ?a menu?
The rule
From present to past
| Present | Past | Example |
|---|---|---|
| there is | there was | There was a long line. |
| there are | there were | There were ten people. |
| there isn't | there wasn't | There wasn't any bread. |
| is there | was there | Was there a fee? |
There was or it was
| Idea | English | When |
|---|---|---|
| something happened | There was a party. | Something existed or happened |
| describing it | It was fun. | What something you named was like |
How to pronounce it
there was
/ðɛr wʌz/The th is voiced /ð/; was is /wʌz/.
there were
/ðɛr wɝ/Were is one syllable: /wɝ/.
was there
/wʌz ðɛr/In the question, was comes first and your voice goes up at the end.
Check
There (blank) a lot of people at the concert. Which word goes in the blank?
Don't confuse it with it was
There was a concert.
It happened
It was loud.
A description
There was says that something existed or happened; it was describes something you already named.
Was and wereIn real life
Any and no work just like in the present: there wasn't any milk, there were no chairs.
Frequently asked questions
Do you use there was or there were?
It depends on what follows: there was a dog, there were two dogs.
Is there was for things that existed or for events?
Both: There was an accident (an event), There was a park here (something that existed).
Is it there was or there were a lot of people?
There were a lot of people, because people is more than one person.
In short
- One thing: there was.
- More than one: there were.
- Negative: there wasn't, there weren't any.
- Question: Was there a menu? Were there any taxis?