Nivel

(Básico)

Módulo
Módulo 7
Semana
Trainer´s name
Grisel García Correa 2
Agenda:
EXCERCISES AND PRACTICE IN CLASS:
✓Past tense: was / were
✓ Ability: can, can´t could, couldn´t

INSTRUCTOR: GRISEL GARCÍA CORREA

 Here are some examples with was and were:
1
I was in New York last week.
We were at home yesterday evening.
They weren´t late this morning.
Was it a good film?

2
Look at these examples of how we use the Past Simple_
Was/ were + facts about the past
Jhon F. Kennedy was an American president.

Our first house was in the centre of town:

A. Were your answers correct?

B. No, they were all wrong!
Paula wasn´t at the party
Source: Oxford Practice Grammar / Basic Level / Norman Coe, Mark Harrison, Ken Paterson
 Here are some examples with was and were:

▪ Was / were + place and time

+ PLACE + TIME
We were in Spain In June
She wasn´t at home last night

Jeorge and Joanna weren´t in London at thze weekend. They

were in Brighton.

Steve and Mary were here at six o´clock-

Source: Oxford Practice Grammar / Basic Level / Norman Coe, Mark Harrison, Ken Paterson
 Was / were + adjective ( e.g. cold , tired ):

It was cold yesterday.

They were tired after the journey.
The train was late again this morning.

A: Were your exams easy?

B: The first exam was easy, but the second one wasn´t.

Source: Oxford Practice Grammar / Basic Level / Norman Coe, Mark Harrison, Ken Paterson
Source: https://prowritingaid.com/was-vs-were
Source: https://prowritingaid.com/was-vs-were
Source: https://prowritingaid.com/was-vs-were
Source: https://prowritingaid.com/was-vs-were
Source: https://prowritingaid.com/was-vs-were
Ability: can, can´t , could, couldn´t
 CONCLUSIONS
❑ We use can and can´t to talk about things we are able to do generally. For
example:
• She can speak Japanese (=She is able to speak Japanese).
• He can ski (=He isn´t able to ski).

❑ We use could to talk about things we were able to do generally in the past:
• I could run 100 meters in 12 seconds when I was Young.
• Susan could read when she was three years old.

❑ We don not normally use could for something that happened on a particular
ocasión in the past. We use was able to or managed to:
The boat was in difficulties, but in the end it managed to reach the port (OR…it
was able to reach …..; NOT…it could reach…).
Referencias Bibliográficas
▪ SPEAKING ENGLISH BASIC SEVEN
Paul Müller Institute

▪ Oxford Practice Grammar

Norman Coe
Mark Harrison
Ken Paterson

▪ ProWritingAid Blog
Link: https://prowritingaid.com/was-vs-were