Uses of WERE

The most common use of the word 'were' is straightforward and should not cause problems. It is the simple past tense of the word 'are' (from the verb 'to be'), and as such is used along with the pronouns 'you', 'we' and 'they', as in these examples:

You were out when I came to see you. We were too tired to watch the film last night. They were disappointed with the results.

'Were' is also used with these same pronouns to form the past continuous tense, in which it is followed by the present participle ('ing' form), for example:

You were studying every evening during the winter. We were hoping to stay for another two weeks. They were travelling by train through Europe.

In the above instances, when using the pronouns 'I', 'he', 'she' or 'it', we would use 'was' instead of 'were'. Here are one or two example sentences:

I was irritated by the noise of the traffic. He was always ready to listen to me.

She was running for a bus. It was raining all last night.

However, in some cases it is correct to use 'were' instead of 'was', for example in hypothetical clauses introduced by 'if':

If I were able to, I would take a year off to travel. She would come with us if she were feeling better.

The same rule applies after the verb 'to wish':

I wish I were free to do as I like. He wishes he were here with us.

In spoken English, however, 'was' is frequently used instead of 'were' after 'if' and 'wish'.

We also sometimes use the phrase 'as it were', meaning 'so to speak'.

'Were' should not of course be confused with the contracted form 'we're', which stands for 'we are':

He knows we're expecting him. We're always ready to help them.

Occasionally I have seen 'were' substituted for 'where' in written English, and vice versa. 'Where' is a completely different word that refers to place or position:

They asked where the nearest bank was. Where are you going tomorrow morning?

Since 'were', 'we're' and 'where' all have distinct meanings and different pronunciation, it ought to be easy to distinguish between them. Perhaps the use of 'were' after 'if' and 'wish' is not one that immediately springs to mind for some, but students of English as a foreign language who wish to impress could certainly do so by mastering this usage of 'were'.

Uses of wish

Let's start off with the easy part. ' I wish to' can mean the same as 'I want to' but it is much, much more formal and much, much less common.

I wish to make a complaint.I wish to see the manager.

You can also use 'wish' with a noun to 'offer good wishes'.

We wish you a merry Christmas.I wish you all the best in your new job.

Notice that when you want to offer good wishes using a verb, you must use 'hope ' and not 'wish'.

We wish you the best of luck.We hope you have the best of luck.I wish you a safe and pleasant journey.I hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.

However, the main use of 'wish' is to say that we would like things to be different from what they are, that we have regrets about the present situation.

I wish I was rich.He wishes he lived in Paris.They wish they'd chosen a different leader.

Notice that the verb tense which follows 'I wish' is 'more in the past' than the tense corresponding to its meaning.

I'm too fat. I wish I was thin.I never get invited to parties. I wish I got invited to parties.It's raining. I wish it wasn't raining.I went to see the latest Star Wars film. I wish I hadn't gone.I've eaten too much. I wish I hadn't eaten so much.I'm going to visit her later. I wish I wasn't going to visit her later.

In the case of 'will' , where 'will' means 'show willingness' we use 'would'.

He won't help me. I wish he would help me.You're making too much noise. I wish you would be quiet.You keep interrupting me. I wish you wouldn't do that.

Where 'will' means a future event, we cannot use 'wish' and must use 'hope'.

There's a strike tomorrow. I hope some buses will still be runningI hope everything will be fine in your new job.

In more formal English, we use the subjunctive form 'were' and not 'was' after 'wish'.

I wish I were taller.I wish it were Saturday today.I wish the options were a little clearer.

 

Present simple

The present simple is used to talk about actions we see as long term or permanent. It is very common and very important.

In these examples, we are talking about regular actions or events.

I drive to work every day.She doesn't come very often.The games usually start at 8.00 in the evening.What do you usually have for breakfast?

In these examples, we are talking about facts.

Water freezes at 0° C or 32° F.I have three children.What does this word mean?I don't have any of my original teeth left.

In these examples, we are talking about future facts, usually found in a timetable or a chart.

The plane leaves at 5.00 tomorrow morning.Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year.Ramadan doesn't begin for another 2 weeks.Does the class begin this week or next?

In these examples, we are talking about our thoughts and feelings at the time of speaking. Notice that, although these feelings can be short-term, we use the present simple and not the present continuous.

I think you are wrong.She doesn't want to do it.They don't agree with us.Do you understand what I am trying to say.

Past simple

We use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.

We can use it to talk about a specific point in time.

She came back last Friday.

I saw her in the street.

They didn't agree to the deal.

It can also be used to talk about a period of time.

She lived in Tokyo for seven years.

They were in London from Monday to Thursday of last week.

When I was living in New York, I went to all the art exhibitions I could.

You will often find the past simple used with time expressions such as these:

Yesterday

three weeks ago

last year

in 2002

from March to June

for a long time

for 6 weeks

in the 1980s

in the last century

in the past

Irregular verbs

First the good news - all new verbs in English are regular.

I photocopied the report.She faxed it to me.They emailed everybody about it.

However, that doesn't help you to learn the approximately 180 irregular verbs which do exist. Luckily some of these are extremely rare but many others are very useful and you need to know them.

So how do you learn them? Some teachers think you should learn a list of them 'by heart'. Other teachers think you should not learn them at all – you will just gradually acquire them over time.

One useful method is to note down new irregular verbs as you meet them. But how should you note them?

It is useful to put these verbs (or any vocabulary you want to learn) into sentences and learn those rather than the individual word.

Which do you think is easier to learn?

stick stuck stuck

I stuck the photo into my album.

Another good technique is to classify the irregular verbs into 4 categories.

1. All forms the same
cost cost cost

set set set

2. Similar sound groups

beat beat beaten

eat ate eaten

.

blow blew blown

throw threw thrown

.

drink drank drunk

sing sang sung

.

speak spoke spoken

wake woke woken

3. The second and third forms are the same.

bend bent bent

sleep slept slept

spend spent spent

.

bring brought brought

buy bought bought

teach taught taught

.

have had had

pay paid paid

say said said

4. The "unclassifiables"

come came come

do did done

go went gone

show showed shown

 

Present Perfect

(British English and American English have different rules for the use of the present perfect. The comments being made here and the exercises state the correct grammar for British English. However, in American English, it is often considered acceptable to use the past simple in some of these examples.)

We use the present perfect when we want to look back from the present to the past.

We can use it to look back on the recent past.

I've broken my watch.

She's taken my copy.

They have cancelled the meeting.

The company has doubled its turnover.

Often when we look back on the recent past we use the words 'just' 'already' or the word 'yet' (in negatives and questions only).

I've just finished.

She's just arrived.

We've already spoken about that.

They've already met.

I haven't finished yet.

They don't know yet.

Have you spoken to him yet?

Has he got back to you yet?

We can also use it to look back on the more distant past.

I've been to Singapore a lot over the years.

He's done this type of project several times before.

They've talked about it in the past.

We've spoken to them on several occasions over the years.

Often when we look back on the more distant past we use the words 'ever' (in questions) and 'never'.

Have you ever been to Indonesia?

Has he ever spoken to you about the problem?

I've never met him.

We've never considered investing in Canada.

The Present

The present continuous is used to talk about present situations which we see as short-term or temporary . We use the present simple to talk about present situations which we see as long-term or permanent.

In these examples, the action is taking place at the time of speaking.

It's raining.Who is Kate talking to on the phone?Look, somebody is trying to steal that man's wallet.I'm not looking. My eyes are closed tightly.

In these examples, the action is true at the present time but we don't think it will be true in the long term.

I'm looking for a new apartment.He's thinking about leaving his job.They're considering making an appeal against the judgment.Are you getting enough sleep?

In these examples, the action is at a definite point in the future and it has already been arranged.

I'm meeting her at 6.30.They aren't arriving until Tuesday.We are having a special dinner at a top restaurant for all the senior managers.Isn't he coming to the dinner?