Lesson 18.There was/There were

There was/There were

 

This is a moden city today. There are a lot of tall buildings and shops.

This is the same city fifty years ago. There weren't any tall buildings. There were some old houses.

• There was / There were is the past simple form of There is / There are.

We use there was in the singular.

    There was a post office in the street  eighty years ago.

We use there were in plurals.


  There were a lot of houses in the street eighty years ago.

( - )  /  ( ? )

We form negations by putting not after was/were. 

We put was/were before there to form questions. 

 

Girl: Grandpa, when you were small, was there a television in your house?
Grandfather: No, there wasn't.There wasn't a television in my house, but there were a lot of books!
Girl: Was there a CD player?
Grandfather: No, there wasn't. But there was a radio!
Girl: Was there a telephone?
Grandfather:No, there wasn't. There were letters!
           


                             Affirmative                              Negative                                        Interrogative 
                                                                long form           short form
                              There was               There was not       There wasn't                       Was there.....?
                              There were              There were not      There weren't                     Were there .....?