Was/were vs Did

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Jaz
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Was/were vs Did

Post by Jaz » Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:12 pm

Hello there! :P I have a problem. I'm teaching the simple past tense, and I don't really know how to explain one of my students when to use was/were or did. please HELPPPPPP

fluffyhamster
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Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again

Post by fluffyhamster » Thu Mar 16, 2006 1:17 am

Was/were is used in constructions that contain adjectives or other types of complements (BE is known as 'the copula'), or participles (-ing form, and past participle); in those constructions with participles, although the was/were is technically still a "tensed" (or finite) verb, the (was/were+) -ing participle construction amounts to what is known as PROGRESSIVE or CONTINUOUS ASPECT, whilst the (was/were+) past participle will add VOICE (that is, form a PASSIVE construction). It is VITAL that you understand the (functional!) difference between truly 'Simple Past' constructions (which, beyond simple, positive statments will require the auxiliary DO to e.g. form questions, short answers, negatives or increase emphasis in the positive statement), and constructions that involve progressive aspect and/or (combinations are possible!) passive voice.

Bedtime reading/Homework:
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/teacher/v ... 4794#14794
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~enm/vbans.htm

Alexanndra
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Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2003 4:33 am
Location: Mexico City, Mexico

Post by Alexanndra » Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:41 am

Use was/ were (without did!) if you're talking about the verb "to be", and use "did" for all other verbs in the past when you are using them in the negative or question form.

Examples with the verb "to be" in the past:

She was sick last Monday.
She wasn't sick that Monday
Was she sick last Monday?

They were tired.
They weren't tired.
Were they tired?

(No need for "did" when you're using the verb "to be", OK?)

Examples with other verbs:

She played tennis yesterday.
She didn't play tennis yesterday.
Did she play tennis yesterday?

They ate pie after dinner.
They didn't eat pie after dinner.
Did they eat pie after dinner?

See the pattern, Jaz? See how you only use "did" for the negatives and questions in the past? The same is true with the simple present... we need the auxiliary "do/does" to make negatives and questions.

Hope this helps!

Alexanndra
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2003 4:33 am
Location: Mexico City, Mexico

Post by Alexanndra » Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:41 am

Use was/ were (without did!) if you're talking about the verb "to be", and use "did" for all other verbs in the past when you are using them in the negative or question form.

Examples with the verb "to be" in the past:

She was sick last Monday.
She wasn't sick that Monday
Was she sick last Monday?

They were tired.
They weren't tired.
Were they tired?

(No need for "did" when you're using the verb "to be", OK?)

Examples with other verbs:

She played tennis yesterday.
She didn't play tennis yesterday.
Did she play tennis yesterday?

They ate pie after dinner.
They didn't eat pie after dinner.
Did they eat pie after dinner?

See the pattern, Jaz? See how you only use "did" for the negatives and questions in the past? The same is true with the simple present... we need the auxiliary "do/does" to make negatives and questions.

Hope this helps!

Alexanndra
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2003 4:33 am
Location: Mexico City, Mexico

Post by Alexanndra » Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:42 am

Use was/ were (without did!) if you're talking about the verb "to be", and use "did" for all other verbs in the past when you are using them in the negative or question form.

Examples with the verb "to be" in the past:

She was sick last Monday.
She wasn't sick that Monday
Was she sick last Monday?

They were tired.
They weren't tired.
Were they tired?

(No need for "did" when you're using the verb "to be", OK?)

Examples with other verbs:

She played tennis yesterday.
She didn't play tennis yesterday.
Did she play tennis yesterday?

They ate pie after dinner.
They didn't eat pie after dinner.
Did they eat pie after dinner?

See the pattern, Jaz? See how you only use "did" for the negatives and questions in the past? The same is true with the simple present... we need the auxiliary "do/does" to make negatives and questions.

Hope this helps!

Alexanndra
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2003 4:33 am
Location: Mexico City, Mexico

Post by Alexanndra » Fri Mar 17, 2006 3:12 am

Hi, sorry, I don't know why that went three times! How can I delete the extra two???

fluffyhamster
Posts: 3031
Joined: Tue Oct 26, 2004 6:57 pm
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again

Post by fluffyhamster » Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:15 pm

Did you have problems getting your post to submit (e.g. slow to load)? If you hit the submit button repeatedly, it can result in the post being posted multiple times.

You can usually only completely delete a post if it is a very recent one (i.e. very few people have looked at it, and there are no replies to it). The most you can probably therefore do now is to edit the first two or last two down to e.g. 'Multiple post'.

Kind of related, I always copy what I've typed before I hit submit, because sometimes all connection gets lost, and the post with it, never to be seen again!

Rebekah
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Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 4:29 am
Location: Oregon

Post by Rebekah » Thu May 18, 2006 5:08 am

Was/Were questions are for sentences that use the "to be" verb as the main verb.
She is happy - Is she happy? - Was she happy?

Otherwise, you will use "did" or "do" (for the present tense) for the question.

She drinks beer - Does she drink beer? - Did she drink beer?

It's that simple.

stromfi
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu May 26, 2005 10:37 pm

Post by stromfi » Thu May 18, 2006 3:25 pm

I think Rebeca's explanation is a bit oversimplified. It would be a good way to explain the usage of "was/were" and "did" in questions in a beginner class, that hasn't talked about the continuos tenses yet. However, if you have a class that has tackled these tenses already, then Rebeca's explanation won't stand.

"She was doing her homework." - Was she doing her homework?
They were listening to the news. - Were they listening to the news?

In each sentence, the verb "be" is not the main verb, however we still use it to start off each question. Fluffyhamster's given a very thorough answer, but depending on how much you want to tell your students at the moment, you can opt for Rebeca's as well.

lolwhites
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Joined: Wed Jul 16, 2003 1:12 pm
Location: France
Contact:

Post by lolwhites » Thu May 18, 2006 9:57 pm

How about making parallels with the present? If it's do in the present, it's did in the past.

Is/Was it a good film?
Do/Did you like Star Wars?
You aren't/weren't very nice to your sister.


If the students can do it for the Present, they should have no problem with the Past; the principle is exactly the same.

Rebekah
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 4:29 am
Location: Oregon

Post by Rebekah » Fri May 19, 2006 12:48 am

These are all good points, however the original post asked about the simple past. But, the present continuous got me thinking about how to further explain the topic.

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