Unit 13 (Celebrations)
English 3AC Unit 13 (Celebrations) helps you describe a past occasion with was and were. He was happy. They were at the celebration. You say where people were, describe the event and ask past questions with be. A modest school achievement ceremony provides the lesson’s context.
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By the end of this lesson, you can
- Name familiar celebration and ceremony words.
- Choose was or were from the subject.
- Make past be negatives and questions.
- Give was/were short answers.
- Use there was/there were.
- Write a factual description of a past school event.
Before you startUse present be statements and questions. · Distinguish singular and plural subjects.
Un bon cours, ça se partage.
Communication: describing a past occasion
An occasion can be a school ceremony, an achievement celebration or a family visit during Eid. This lesson uses a school ceremony, with a boys’ group and a male teacher. Talk about the event respectfully and avoid assuming that every family observes an occasion in the same way.
Two schoolboys recall yesterday
Bilal: Were you at the school ceremony yesterday? Adam: Yes, I was. Bilal: Was it in the library? Adam: No, it wasn't. It was in the school hall. The pupils were happy.
Vocabulary: the occasion and its participants
| Word | Meaning in this lesson | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ceremony | an organised occasion | a school ceremony |
| celebration | an occasion marking something special | an achievement celebration |
| certificate | a document recognising achievement | a school certificate |
| guest | a person invited to an occasion | three guests |
| hall | a large room for a gathering | in the school hall |
Use happy, proud, quiet or crowded to describe a stated condition. A certificate in a picture does not establish a pupil’s exact score or rank. A factual description reports what the text says or the image supports.
Grammar: was and were
Definition
Past of be : Use was with I/he/she/it and a singular subject. Use were with you/we/they and plural subjects: I was there. The hall was quiet. The pupils were happy.
| Subject | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| I | am | was |
| He / She / It | is | was |
| You / We / They | are | were |
Yesterday, last week and last Friday locate an event in a finished past period. Unlike present I am and you are, past I was and you were use two forms. You takes were even when it addresses one person.
Grammar: negatives, questions and short answers
| Statement | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| He was in the hall. | He wasn't in the hall. | Was he in the hall? |
| They were at the ceremony. | They weren't at the ceremony. | Were they at the ceremony? |
Put not after was/were for a negative. Move was/were before the subject for a question. Answer Was he there? with Yes, he was or No, he wasn't. Answer Were you there? about yourself with Yes, I was. Do not add did to these past be questions.
Remember
Did he was happy? is incorrect. Be forms its own past question: Was he happy? Did belongs to past simple questions with other main verbs, which the next unit practises.
Step by step
Describe a past ceremony
- Find the finished past time.
- Choose was or were according to the subject.
- Add a place, adjective or other suitable description.
- For a question, move was/were before the subject and match the short answer.
Grammar: there was and there were
Definition
Past existence : Use there was for one item or an uncountable quantity and there were for several items: There was a poster. There were three certificates. There was some water.
Describe the display
There was one table near the board. There were three certificates on the table.
- The singular table takes was. The plural certificates take were.
Study skills: build a past snapshot
Make a simple map with columns for person, place and feeling. Use only the details provided. Before changing the tense, identify the subject. This catches The pupils was and You was even when the rest of the sentence sounds familiar.
Skills work: reading yesterday’s ceremony
Yesterday, the boys’ reading club ceremony was in the school hall. Adam was there with his brother Sami. The club’s male teacher was near the display table. Bilal was not there because he was at another school activity. There were three certificates on the table and one green poster on the wall. The hall was quiet at the start. The boys were proud of their reading project.
Bilal’s absence is explicit. Do not count him as a participant because his name appears in the text. Three counts certificates, not all people present. The reading gives no exact number of pupils in the hall.
Skills work: listening and writing a memory
A partner reads: “The ceremony was in the hall. There were three certificates. Bilal wasn't there.” Record the place, the object count and the absent pupil. Then write a short memory of an invented single-gender school group’s ceremony using both was and were.
Review: a past state, not a completed-action verb
- Choose was/were from the subject.
- Ask about yesterday without adding did to be.
- Use there were for a plural display.
- Separate an object count from a participant count.
Frequently asked questions
What grammar is taught in English 3AC Unit 13 Celebrations?
What is the rule for was and were?
Do was/were questions need did?
How do I use there was and there were?
How can I describe a celebration respectfully?
Quiz: 18 questions
18 questions are randomly selected from this lesson’s 18-question bank. Choose one answer for each question and get an immediate explanation.
Q1Complete: Yesterday I … in the hall.
Incorrect answer
I takes was in the past of be.
Correct answer: was
I takes was in the past of be.
Q2Complete: Yesterday you … at the ceremony.
Incorrect answer
You takes were, whether addressing one person or more.
Correct answer: were
You takes were, whether addressing one person or more.
Q3Complete: The pupils … proud.
Incorrect answer
Plural pupils takes were.
Correct answer: were
Plural pupils takes were.
Q4Complete: The poster … green yesterday.
Incorrect answer
One poster is singular and takes was.
Correct answer: was
One poster is singular and takes was.
Q5Choose a past be negative.
Incorrect answer
He requires was, with not giving wasn't.
Correct answer: He wasn't there.
He requires was, with not giving wasn't.
Q6Question form of The hall was quiet?
Incorrect answer
Past be questions move was before the singular subject without did.
Correct answer: Was the hall quiet?
Past be questions move was before the singular subject without did.
Q7Question form of They were there?
Incorrect answer
Plural they takes were, which moves before the subject.
Correct answer: Were they there?
Plural they takes were, which moves before the subject.
Q8Answer Were you there? about yourself positively.
Incorrect answer
The listener replies with I, which takes was in the past.
Correct answer: Yes, I was.
The listener replies with I, which takes was in the past.
Q9Complete: There … three certificates.
Incorrect answer
Three certificates is a plural noun phrase and takes were.
Correct answer: were
Three certificates is a plural noun phrase and takes were.
Q10Complete: There … one table.
Incorrect answer
One table is singular and takes was.
Correct answer: was
One table is singular and takes was.
Q11Which phrase locates a finished past occasion?
Incorrect answer
Yesterday identifies a finished past day.
Correct answer: Yesterday
Yesterday identifies a finished past day.
Q12Where was the ceremony in the reading?
Incorrect answer
The opening sentence places it in the school hall.
Correct answer: In the school hall
The opening sentence places it in the school hall.
Q13Who accompanied Adam in the ceremony passage?
Incorrect answer
Sami is named as Adam’s brother and companion.
Correct answer: His brother Sami
Sami is named as Adam’s brother and companion.
Q14Was Bilal present in the ceremony reading?
Incorrect answer
The reading explicitly states his absence and its reason.
Correct answer: No, he was at another activity.
The reading explicitly states his absence and its reason.
Q15What colour was the poster?
Incorrect answer
Green is the poster colour given in the passage.
Correct answer: Green
Green is the poster colour given in the passage.
Q16What was the hall like at the start?
Incorrect answer
The reading describes the hall as quiet at the start.
Correct answer: Quiet
The reading describes the hall as quiet at the start.
Q17Does three certificates establish three attendees?
Incorrect answer
No participant total is supplied; certificates and people are different quantities.
Correct answer: No, it counts objects only.
No participant total is supplied; certificates and people are different quantities.
Q18What is the grammar focus of this celebrations lesson?
Incorrect answer
The lesson’s past descriptions, questions and negatives use was and were.
Correct answer: Past be with was/were
The lesson’s past descriptions, questions and negatives use was and were.
Your score
0/18
Start with the worked examples
Read the lesson in small sections. Write your own example for each rule and try the Easy exercises before returning to the quiz.
Review: 18 missed questions
Complete: Yesterday I … in the hall.
Correct answerwas
I takes was in the past of be.
Complete: Yesterday you … at the ceremony.
Correct answerwere
You takes were, whether addressing one person or more.
Complete: The pupils … proud.
Correct answerwere
Plural pupils takes were.
Complete: The poster … green yesterday.
Correct answerwas
One poster is singular and takes was.
Choose a past be negative.
Correct answerHe wasn't there.
He requires was, with not giving wasn't.
Question form of The hall was quiet?
Correct answerWas the hall quiet?
Past be questions move was before the singular subject without did.
Question form of They were there?
Correct answerWere they there?
Plural they takes were, which moves before the subject.
Answer Were you there? about yourself positively.
Correct answerYes, I was.
The listener replies with I, which takes was in the past.
Complete: There … three certificates.
Correct answerwere
Three certificates is a plural noun phrase and takes were.
Complete: There … one table.
Correct answerwas
One table is singular and takes was.
Which phrase locates a finished past occasion?
Correct answerYesterday
Yesterday identifies a finished past day.
Where was the ceremony in the reading?
Correct answerIn the school hall
The opening sentence places it in the school hall.
Who accompanied Adam in the ceremony passage?
Correct answerHis brother Sami
Sami is named as Adam’s brother and companion.
Was Bilal present in the ceremony reading?
Correct answerNo, he was at another activity.
The reading explicitly states his absence and its reason.
What colour was the poster?
Correct answerGreen
Green is the poster colour given in the passage.
What was the hall like at the start?
Correct answerQuiet
The reading describes the hall as quiet at the start.
Does three certificates establish three attendees?
Correct answerNo, it counts objects only.
No participant total is supplied; certificates and people are different quantities.
What is the grammar focus of this celebrations lesson?
Correct answerPast be with was/were
The lesson’s past descriptions, questions and negatives use was and were.
Exercises with answers
12 exercises, from easy practice to challenges. Try each one yourself, then reveal the answer and explanation.
Exercise 1
EasyComplete: I … happy. You … there. The hall … quiet. The pupils … proud.
Answer and explanation
I was happy. You were there. The hall was quiet. The pupils were proud. You takes were even for one listener.
Exercise 2
EasyNegate: Adam was in the library. The boys were late.
Answer and explanation
Adam wasn't in the library. The boys weren't late. Put not after the correct past be form.
Exercise 3
EasyTurn into questions: The ceremony was in the hall. The certificates were on the table.
Answer and explanation
Was the ceremony in the hall? Were the certificates on the table? Move was/were before the subject without adding did.
Exercise 4
EasyComplete: There … one poster. There … three certificates. There … some water.
Answer and explanation
There was one poster. There were three certificates. There was some water. Singular and uncountable quantities take was.
Exercise 5
IntermediateAnswer yes to Were you at the ceremony? and no to Was Bilal there?
Answer and explanation
Yes, I was. No, he wasn't. Change you to I when replying about yourself and retain the appropriate be form.
Exercise 6
IntermediateThe ceremony was in the school hall. Write a Where question and answer.
Answer and explanation
Where was the ceremony? It was in the school hall. Where requests the location; the singular subject takes was.
Exercise 7
IntermediateRewrite with yesterday: The hall is quiet. The boys are proud. I am in the group.
Answer and explanation
Yesterday, the hall was quiet. The boys were proud. I was in the group. Change present be while preserving subject agreement.
Exercise 8
IntermediateWho was with Adam? Why was Bilal absent? What colour was the poster?
Answer and explanation
Sami, Adam's brother, was with him. Bilal was at another school activity. The poster was green. Each detail is explicitly supplied.
Exercise 9
IntermediateThere were three certificates. Does the reading establish exactly three pupils at the ceremony?
Answer and explanation
No. Three counts certificates on the table. The text does not give an exact participant count.
Exercise 10
ChallengeCorrect: The pupils was happy. Did the hall was quiet? You was there. There were one poster.
Answer and explanation
The pupils were happy. Was the hall quiet? You were there. There was one poster. Fix plural and singular agreement and the past be question.
Exercise 11
ChallengeHave a partner read the listening script. Record place, certificate number and absent pupil.
Answer and explanation
Place: the hall. Certificates: three. Absent pupil: Bilal. The negative is important; mentioning his name does not make him present.
Exercise 12
ChallengeWrite 50–70 words about an invented boys’ group or girls’ group ceremony. Include a place, feelings, objects and one absence.
Answer and explanation
Model: Yesterday our boys' reading club ceremony was in the school hall. I was there with my brother. Our teacher was near the display table. There were three certificates and one green poster. The room was quiet at first. We were proud of our project. Bilal wasn't there because he was at another activity.
Check every was/were subject and use a clear finished past time. Other invented modest occasions are acceptable.