The special verb be

Teachers can use this grammar worksheet to teach their students basic rules of subject-verb agreement.

The special verb be

The verb be has five forms – is, am, are, was and were

Forms used in the present tense – is, am, are

Forms used in the past tense – was and were

Study the given table

In the present tense, if the subject is a singular noun or pronoun, use is. If the subject is a plural noun or pronoun, use are.

Exceptions

Use am with I; use are with you.

In the past tense, use was if the subject is singular; use were if the subject is plural. Use were with you.

When the subject is a singular noun or pronoun

Present tense	Past tense
I am a boy.	I was writing.
She is my sister.	She was playing in the garden.
It is raining.	It was raining.
The dog is hungry.	The dog was hungry.
The boy is playing with his toy.	The boy was playing with his toy.
He is my best friend.	He was my best friend.

When the subject is a plural noun or pronoun

Present tense	Past tense
You are my best friend.	You were my best friend.
They are playing in the garden.	They were playing in the garden.
We are going to the park.	We were playing in the park.
The boys are doing their homework.	The boys were learning their lessons.
The girls are singing.	The girls were dancing.

Grammar exercise

Complete the following sentences using the correct form of be.

1. My sister ………………. an architect. (is / am / are)

2. The students …………………… learning their lessons. (is / am / are)

3. We ………………. working on a new project. (is / am / are)

4. It ……………… a cat. (is / am / are)

5. I ………………… going to school. (is / am / are)

6. She ………………….. writing a letter. (was / were)

7. My brother ………………… playing video games. (was / were)

8. They …………………… dancing. (were / was)

9. That …………………… interesting. (was / were)

10. These ……………………. important lessons. (are / is / am)

0saves