Im confused on usage of was and were in a sentence

Question

CASE 1: My friend asked me how was the exam

Should i reply everything in past like-"Exam was very hard, there were some critical questions asked and i couldn't answer them" (or) Exam was very hard, there are some critical questions asked and i couldn't answer them."

CASE 2: i went to my friends home yesterday, now i'm explaining my past experience with my mom

Mom i went to john's house his house was very far from city, his parents were very friendly with me and john had a sister too (or) Mom i went to john's house his house is very far from city his parents are very friendly with me and john has a sister too.

When i'm talking about my experience in past how to know exactly where to use was/is and were/are??

Answer 1

Hi Siddharth!

I want to add a little to Matthew's wonderful answer.

To your question, let's look at both cases.

CASE 1: "Exam was very hard, there were some critical questions asked and i couldn't answer them" (or) "Exam was very hard, there are some critical questions asked and i couldn't answer them."

In this case, because you are describing something that took place entirely in the past, you would use the past tense for every verb. To use "are" would suggest the action is ongoing or is a general statement (something to be clarified in case 2). Because the test happened and is over, there were some critical questions.

CASE 2: Mom i went to john's house his house was very far from city, his parents were very friendly with me and john had a sister too (or)

Mom i went to john's house his house is very far from city his parents are very friendly with me and john has a sister too.

Let's break down each tense usage.

Mom i went to john's house. his house was/is very far from city.

Because his house is always far from the city, you could use "is". Even now, it still is far from the city. That being said, in everyday speech, the "was" could be referring to your impression of how far his house was from the city (as in: wow, it was really far!). Because you're telling a story about a specific event--going to John's house--, using "was" can be all right!

Similarly, "his parents were/are very friendly." If you want to emphasize the individual memory of his parents, you would use were. As in: when you met them, they were friendly. If you want to say that his parents are generally friendly, you would use "are."

Finally, in John had/has a sister, I would lean towards using "has". Saying John "had" a sister implies she may no longer be with us. So, if she's alive, then "has" is better.

But these usages all come down to a matter of intention and context. If you are describing a specific even that occurred in the past, then use the past tense. If you are describing a general statement that is seemingly unchanging, then you can use the present tense.

So the usages depend on context and what you are trying to communicate. Because you are telling your mom a story, using entirely the past tense can be totally correct. And using the same tense throughout a story is usually a clearer way of speaking/writing. But if you want to communicate things that are seemingly always the case, don't be afraid of switching to the present (like saying he has a sister -- because saying he "had" can be more confusing!).

I know these answers may not seem definitive, but I hope you have a better understanding of what it means to use each tense when.

Answer 2

First and foremost, was/is and were/are – these are auxiliary verbs. Was and were - used in the past participle sentences. Was is used for single nouns and pronouns while were is applied to plural forms of pronouns and nouns. Auxiliary verbs – is/are- used with present participle sentence structures. The verb ‘is’ – used for singular sentence e. g . She is absent today.

Are – used for plural present tenses – They are watching television. Has is singular and used in present tenses. Have is used for plural sentence except for 'I"

Answer 3

Hi there!

"Was" and "were" are used for things that happened in the past.

"Is" and "are" are used for things that are happening now, in the present and can also be used for the future.

Past Tense

"Was" is used when referring to singular (when there is only one thing) words and "were" is used for plural words.

For example, "He (singular) was sleeping just now". "They (plural) were playing basketball just now".

Present Tense

"Is" is used for singular words and "are" is used for plural words.

For example, "He (singular) is sleeping now". "They (plural) are playing basketball now".

Future Tense

This is similar to present tense because they both use "is" for singular words and "are" for plural words.

For example, "He (singular) is going to the store tomorrow". "They (plural) are going to the mall next week".