Use of Was and Were for IAS Preliminary Exam Part 1

Use of Was and Were for IAS Preliminary Exam Part 1

Here’s a concise and clear Part-1 guide on the use of “Was” and “Were”—specially designed for English grammar improvement for IAS Preliminary Exam (CSAT/General English comprehension).

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📘 Use of “Was” and “Were” – Part 1 (IAS Prelims Focus)

“Was” and “Were” are past tense forms of the verb “to be” and are used to show state of being in the past.

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✅ 1. Basic Rule

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✅ 2. Examples

• I was at the station yesterday.

• He was late for the meeting.

• We were excited about the trip.

• You were not in class.

• They were watching a movie.

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✅ 3. Negative Form

Was + not = was not / wasn’t
Were + not = were not / weren’t

Examples:

• She was not (wasn’t) feeling well.

• They were not (weren’t) aware of the rule.

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✅ 4. Interrogative Form

Was/Were + Subject + …?

Examples:

• Was he at home?

• Were they on leave?

• Was it raining?

• Were you angry?

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✅ 5. Use in Conditional Sentences (Unreal/Imaginary)

Use “were” for all subjects in unreal/imaginary or hypothetical situations:

Examples:

• If I were the Prime Minister, I would remove corruption.

• If she were taller, she would be a model.

📌 (NOT “If I was…” in formal usage; “were” is correct for such hypotheticals)

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📚 IAS Prelims Tip:

Questions on grammar usage are often disguised in error detection, sentence improvement, or fill-in-the-blank format. So remember:

🔸 Use “was” for singular + real past
🔸 Use “were” for plural or unreal conditionals

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🧠 Quick Practice (Spot the Error):

1. If he was rich, he would help the poor.
   👉 ❌ Wrong — should be: If he were rich…

2. There was many people at the rally.
   👉 ❌ Wrong — should be: There were many people…

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📌 Part 2 Will Cover:

• Passive voice with “was/were”

• Advanced conditional usage

• Common error patterns in UPSC/SSC exams

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