The document discusses the past tense forms of the verb "to be". It notes that the past tense of "I, he, she, it" is "was" while the past tense of "we, you, they" is "were". Examples are provided to illustrate how to use "was" and "were" in statements, yes/no questions, and wh-questions. The document also covers how to form negatives using "wasn't" and "weren't".

1. Lesson 3, Page 76
3.3 The Past of Be

2. 3.3 The Past of Be
Examples Explanation
Dawson was from a poor family.
His grandparents were slaves
The past of the verb be has two forms:
was and were.
I, he, she, it  was
we, you, they  were
There was an article about Dawson in
the newspaper.
There were many changes in his lifetime.
After there, we use was or were
depending on the noun that follows.
We use was with a singular noun.
We use were with a plural noun.

3. 3.3 The Past of Be
Examples Explanation
Dawson’s life wasn’t easy.
Education and books weren’t available
to him as a child.
To make a negative statement, we put
not after was or were.
The contraction for was not is wasn’t.
The contraction for were not is weren’t.
Dawson was born in 1898. We use a form of be with born.
Dawson was able to live a happy life. We use a form of be with able to.

4. 3.3 The Past of Be
Compare statements, yes/no questions, short answers and wh-questions.
Statement Yes/No Question and
Short Answer
Wh-Question
Dawson was poor. Was he successful? Yes he
was.
How was he successful?
His grandparents were
slaves.
Were they from the
North?
No, they weren’t.
Where were they from?
Dawson wasn’t unhappy. Was he in school as a
child?
No, he wasn’t.
Why wasn’t he in school?