There was / There were (Past) Exercises PDFSet 3: Mixed Practice: Quantifiers, There was vs It was & Tense Contrast
20 questions·15 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.There ___ some cheese in the fridge, but we ate it all.
a) isb) werec) wasd) are
2.There ___ any good films at the cinema last week.
a) wasn'tb) isn'tc) weren'td) aren't
3.___ was raining all day yesterday, so we stayed at home.
a) Thereb) Itc) Thatd) This
4.There ___ a lot of snow last winter.
a) wereb) wasc) isd) are
5.There ___ many tourists here now — it's the summer season.
a) wereb) wasc) isd) are
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.was
2.weren't
3.It
4.was
5.are
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."was"(c)
'Cheese' is uncountable, so we use 'was'. The clause 'we ate it all' confirms it's past tense.
2."weren't"(c)
'Films' is plural, so the negative form is 'weren't'. There weren't any good films at the cinema last week.
3."It"(b)
We use 'It' with weather expressions: 'It was raining', 'It was cold', etc. 'There was' doesn't work with weather verbs. It was raining all day yesterday.
4."was"(b)
'Snow' is uncountable, so we use 'was' even with 'a lot of'. There was a lot of snow last winter.
5."are"(d)
'Now' and 'it's' tell us this is present tense. 'Many tourists' is plural, so we use 'are'.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
More There was / There were (Past) Exercises
Prefer practicing online?
Try our interactive exercises with instant feedback.