THERE WAS and THERE WERE

There + Was/Were + Nouns + [ C ]

No.	There	Was/Were	Nouns	C
1 2 3 4 5	There There There There There	were was was were was	inhabitans a thief some money a lot of people a bank	in this are two years ago in my house last night in this drawer just now in front of the hotel two weeks ago robbery

This pattern is used to declare past situation. There was is followed by singular nouns (2, 5) or uncountable nouns (3). There were is followed by plural nouns (1, 4, 5).

SHORT CONVERSATIONS:

A       : Was there Biology homework yesterday?

B        : No, there wasn’t. But there was Chemistry homework.

A       : There were thieves at my house last night.

B        : Really? Wasn’t there a guard?

A       : No, there wasn’t.

A       : There was only one TV station some years ago.

B        : You’re right. But now there are more than five TV stations.

A       : There were some important things at the meeting yesterday.

B        : Yes, because there were many new ideas.

A       : Was there a murder here yesterday?

B        : Yes, there was. And there was a bank robbery, too.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENT

Ali      : Good morning, Sir. I want to report something.

Police  : Please, go ahead!

Ali      : There was a traffic accident last night.

Police  : Where?

Ali      : On Sudirman street.

Police  : Where was it exactly?

Ali      : At the intersection.

Police  : Were there any witnesses?

Ali      : Yes, I saw it myself.

Police  : Were there any casualties?

Ali      : Yes, two people were woonded.

Police  : Who they are?

Ali      : They were two motorists.

Police  : Did you recognize them?

Ali      : No, I didn’t. They were likely new comers in town.

Police  : Why did it happen?

Ali      : Maybe, because there wasn’t traffic light.

Police  : You’re right. Thank you for your report.

Ali      : You’re welcome.