Simple Past — Nominal vs. Verbal
🔤 1. The biggest question
When talking about the past, beginners often ask:
Should I use was/were, or a normal past verb?
For example:
She was tired. ✅
She worked yesterday. ✅
But:
And:
Why?
Because tired and worked have different jobs in the sentence.
The easiest way to understand this is to separate past sentences into two types:
- Nominal → use was/were
- Verbal → use a normal past verb
📘 2. What does “nominal” mean?
Nominal sentences give information about the subject.
They can tell us:
- what someone/something was
- who someone was
- how someone/something was
- where someone/something was
They use:
was / were
Examples:
She was tired.
He was a teacher.
They were at home.
The room was cold.
🧩 3. What does “verbal” mean?
Verbal sentences use a normal verb to say what someone or something did.
Examples:
She worked yesterday.
He called me.
They played football.
The dog ran outside.
These are actions.
🔍 4. The easiest difference
Ask yourself:
Am I giving information about the subject, or am I saying what the subject did?
Information about the subject
Use was/were.
She was happy.
What the subject did
Use a normal past verb.
She visited her friend.
🧠 5. Nominal = was/were
Use was/were for things like:
Description
The food was delicious.
The children were tired.
Identity/job
Maya was a student.
They were doctors.
Location
The keys were on the table.
He was at the office.
Condition or situation
I was sick.
The weather was bad.
🗂️ 6. Verbal = normal past verb
Use a normal past verb when someone or something does an action.
Examples:
I cooked dinner.
She opened the door.
He bought a book.
We watched a movie.
They left early.
The verbs are:
- cooked
- opened
- bought
- watched
- left
🎯 7. Compare these sentences
Look carefully:
She was tired.
She worked all day.
The first sentence describes her condition.
The second sentence tells us what she did.
So:
tired → description → was
worked → action → normal past verb
💬 8. Another comparison
He was hungry.
He ate lunch.
hungry describes his condition.
So:
He was hungry.
ate tells us what he did.
So:
He ate lunch.
Not:
🔤 9. “Was/were” is not used before every past verb
This is very important.
You might think:
“The sentence is in the past, so I should use was/were.”
No.
Use was/were when the information after it is a description, identity, location, condition, etc.
Use a normal past verb when you are talking about an action.
Correct
She was angry.
She called her friend.
Incorrect
📘 10. Positive sentences
Nominal
Use:
Subject + was/were + information
Examples:
I was tired.
Leo was a student.
The bags were heavy.
We were at home.
Verbal
Use:
Subject + past verb
Examples:
I worked yesterday.
Leo studied English.
The bags fell down.
We watched TV.
🧩 11. Which one: was or were?
The basic rule is:
| Subject | Use |
|---|---|
| I | was |
| he | was |
| she | was |
| it | was |
| singular noun | was |
| you | were |
| we | were |
| they | were |
| plural noun | were |
Examples:
I was tired.
Daniel was tired.
The cat was hungry.
You were late.
We were tired.
The cats were hungry.
🔍 12. Nominal negative sentences
To make a nominal sentence negative:
was/were + not
Short forms:
was not → wasn't
were not → weren't
Examples:
I wasn't tired.
She wasn't angry.
He wasn't at home.
They weren't ready.
The rooms weren't clean.
🧠 13. Verbal negative sentences
For a normal past verb, use:
didn't + basic verb
Examples:
I didn't work yesterday.
She didn't call me.
He didn't eat breakfast.
They didn't visit us.
Remember:
didn't + basic verb
Not:
Correct:
didn't work
didn't call
didn't eat
🗂️ 14. Compare the negative forms
Nominal
She wasn't tired.
Verbal
She didn't work.
Why?
tired = description → wasn't
work = normal verb → didn't work
🎯 15. Another important comparison
They weren't hungry.
They didn't eat.
The first sentence tells us about their condition.
The second sentence tells us what they did.
So:
weren't + hungry
but:
didn't + eat
💬 16. Questions: nominal
For nominal questions, put was/were at the beginning.
Structure:
Was/Were + subject + information?
Examples:
Was she tired?
Was he at home?
Were they ready?
Were the children hungry?
🔤 17. Questions: verbal
For normal past verbs, use did.
Structure:
Did + subject + basic verb?
Examples:
Did she work yesterday?
Did he call you?
Did they eat dinner?
Did the children play outside?
Notice:
Did + basic verb
Not:
📘 18. Compare the questions
Nominal
Was she tired?
Verbal
Did she work?
Why?
tired = description → was
work = normal verb → did
🧩 19. “Was she...?” vs. “Did she...?”
This is a very useful pattern.
Was she...?
Use was when asking about information about her.
Was she tired?
Was she angry?
Was she a teacher?
Was she at home?
Did she...?
Use did when asking about an action.
Did she work?
Did she call you?
Did she visit her mother?
Did she buy a new phone?
🔍 20. “Were they...?” vs. “Did they...?”
The same idea works with they.
Were they...?
Were they happy?
Were they students?
Were they at school?
Did they...?
Did they study?
Did they play?
Did they leave?
Did they buy anything?
🧠 21. Don't mix was/were and did
For basic simple past sentences, choose the correct structure.
Nominal
Was/Were + information
Verbal
Did + basic verb
Don't mix them.
Incorrect:
Correct:
Incorrect:
Correct:
🗂️ 22. “Didn't” vs. “wasn't”
This is one of the most important differences.
Wasn't
Use wasn't with a description, identity, place, or condition.
She wasn't happy.
He wasn't a teacher.
She wasn't at home.
Didn't
Use didn't with a normal verb.
She didn't work.
He didn't study.
She didn't go home.
🎯 23. A simple test
Look at the word after the blank.
___ tired
“Tired” is a description.
She was tired.
___ work
“Work” is a normal verb.
She didn't work.
___ at home
“At home” tells us a location.
She was at home.
___ to school
“Go” is an action.
She went to school.
💬 24. Be careful with the verb “be”
The verb be is special.
Its past forms are:
am/is → was
are → were
So:
I am tired. → I was tired.
She is happy. → She was happy.
They are ready. → They were ready.
But normal verbs work differently:
I work. → I worked.
She works. → She worked.
They play. → They played.
🔤 25. Simple present vs. simple past
Compare the two tenses.
Nominal
Present:
He is tired.
Past:
He was tired.
Present:
They are happy.
Past:
They were happy.
Verbal
Present:
He works here.
Past:
He worked here.
Present:
They play football.
Past:
They played football.
📘 26. One sentence can have both
A sentence can contain was/were and a normal past verb in different parts.
For example:
She was tired, but she finished her work.
Here:
was tired → description
finished → action
Another:
They were hungry, so they ordered food.
Here:
were hungry → condition
ordered → action
So the important question is not:
“Is the sentence in the past?”
The important question is:
“What is each part of the sentence doing?”
🧩 27. Don't confuse “was/were + -ing”
You may see:
She was studying.
This is also correct English, but it is a different tense: the past continuous.
Here:
was + studying
means the action was in progress at a particular time in the past.
For this lesson, focus on the simple past:
She studied yesterday.
And:
She was tired yesterday.
🔍 28. Common mistakes
🧠 29. A very easy decision method
When making a simple past sentence, ask:
Step 1: Am I describing the subject?
If yes → was/were
She was tired.
Step 2: Am I saying what the subject did?
If yes → normal past verb
She worked.
Step 3: Is it negative?
Description:
She wasn't tired.
Action:
She didn't work.
Step 4: Is it a question?
Description:
Was she tired?
Action:
Did she work?
🗂️ 30. The big picture
| Meaning | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | She was tired. | She wasn't tired. | Was she tired? |
| Location | She was at home. | She wasn't at home. | Was she at home? |
| Identity | She was a student. | She wasn't a student. | Was she a student? |
| Action | She worked. | She didn't work. | Did she work? |
| Action | She went home. | She didn't go home. | Did she go home? |
🎯 31. The most important rules
NOMINAL
Use was/were for:
- descriptions
- identities/jobs
- locations
- conditions/situations
He was tired.
They were students.
She was at home.
VERBAL
Use a normal past verb for actions.
He worked.
They studied.
She went home.
NEGATIVE
Nominal:
wasn't / weren't
Verbal:
didn't + basic verb
QUESTION
Nominal:
Was/Were + subject...?
Verbal:
Did + subject + basic verb...?
💬 32. Easy memory guide
Think of it like this:
Description → WAS/WERE
Action → PAST VERB
Then for negatives:
Description → WASN'T/WEREN'T
Action → DIDN'T + BASIC VERB
Then for questions:
Description → WAS/WERE...?
Action → DID...?
Example
She was tired.
She worked yesterday.
She wasn't tired.
She didn't work yesterday.
Was she tired?
Did she work yesterday?