In this lesson, learners are introduced to a new word: “was.”
“Was” is used to talk about the past — it means “I was / I used to be / I was there.”
This lesson teaches how to form positive sentences, negative sentences, questions, and negative questions using was.
🔹 1. Positive Sentences – “I was…”
Structure: I was + (something)
Meaning: “I used to be…” or “I was…”
Examples:
-
I was happy.
→ I was happy in the past. -
I was a teacher.
→ I used to be a teacher (but we don’t know what I am now). -
I was Ranjith.
→ Used when talking about acting in a drama or a role. -
I was a boy.
→ I used to be a boy; now I’m a man.
Important note:
English requires “a/an” before professions.
So “I was a teacher” is correct, not “I was teacher.”
🔹 2. Negative Sentences – “I was not…”
Structure: I was not + (something)
Meaning: “I was not” or “I did not used to be.”
Examples:
-
I was not happy.
→ I was unhappy earlier. -
I was not a teacher.
→ Maybe I was a manager instead. -
I was not Ranjith.
-
I was not a boy.
Again, remember:
Use a/an where necessary.
🔹 3. Questions – “Was I…?”
Structure: Was + I + (something)?
Examples:
-
Was I happy?
-
Was I a teacher?
-
Was I Ranjith?
-
Was I a boy?
These ask if something was true in the past.
🔹 4. Negative Questions – “Was I not…?”
Structure: Was + I + not + (something)?
Examples:
-
Was I not happy?
-
Was I not a teacher?
-
Was I not Ranjith?
-
Was I not a boy?
These are used to confirm that something didn’t happen or wasn’t true in the past.
🔹 5. Practice Task
At the end of the lesson, learners are asked to translate three sentences from Kannada to English and comment with their answers.