There Was & There Were

We use "there was" and "there were" to say that something or somebody existed in the past.

There Was

We use "there was" for one thing or one person.

Examples:

There was a painting on the wall.

There was a tree in the yard.

There Were

We use "there were" for more than one thing or person.

Examples:

There were some letters on the table.

There were many flowers in the garden.

When we talk about a list of things or people, if the first item is singular, we use "there was". If the first itme is plural, we use "there were".

Examples:

There was a man, two women, and a child at the park.

There were two women, a man and a child at the park.

A, An, Some & Any

We often use "there was / were" with "a / an", "some" or "any".

We use "a" or "an" before countable singular nouns in positive and negative sentences, and questions.

Examples:

There was a bag under the chair.

There wasn't a bag under the chair.

Was there a bag under the chair?

We use "some" before countable plural or uncountable nouns in positive sentences:

Examples:

There were some cars in the parking lot.

There was some milk in the fridge.

We use "any" before countable plural and uncountable nouns in negative sentences and questions.

Examples:

There weren't any cars in the parking lot.

Were there any cars in the parking lot?

There wasn't any milk in the fridge.

Was there any milk in the fridge?

"There was" and "it was" are different. We use "there was" to say that something existed or to talk about the location of something, but we use "it was" to describe or identify something specific.

Examples:

There was a flower in the vase. It was yellow.

There was a chair in the kitchen. It was broken.

Exercises

Complete the sentences with "there was / were" + "a / an", "some" or "any".

1.I didn't buy anything because ____ money in my wallet.

I didn't buy anything because there wasn't any money in my wallet.

2.We couldn't find a seat because ____ chairs in the cafe.

We couldn't find a seat because there weren't any chairs in the cafe.

3.____ interesting movie on TV last night?

Was there an interesting movie on TV last night?

4.We got lost because ____ map in the car.

We got lost because there wasn't a map in the car.

5.____ pens on the desk yesterday, but I can't find them now.

There were somepens on the desk yesterday, but I can't find them now.

6.____ lifeguard at the pool when you went swimming?

Was there a lifeguard at the pool when you went swimming?