Patina · Building English

Build It — Then and Now

Build the sentence left to right. Two choices are yours and both can be wrong: the red word has to follow the subject, and the yellow time word has to match it — was and were go with yesterday, last year, in 2020 or from … to; am, is and are go with now. Every word in the bank works with every subject. Then tap 🔊 to hear it.

★ build a sentence  ·  ★★ change the time word and fix the red word  ·  ★★★ build the same subject now, then before

Download the PDF PDF

For the teacher · In class

project it and ask two things out loud — "am, is, are, was, or were?", then "which time word?" Build one subject now, then the same subject before (a cook right now / a cook in 2020), so the room hears only the little red word change. Then swap She for You and run both again.  ·  ✏️ On paper: circle one word in each column, then write your sentence.

Unit 16 teacher's key (PDF)

Build the sentence left to right. Choose the red word for the subject and for the time.

whowas / werewhatwhen.

Two choices are yours. The red word follows the subject: I takes am or was; she, he, it and a name take is or was; you takes are or were. And the yellow time decides which one: was and were go with yesterday, last year, in 2020, or from … to; am, is and are go with now.

🔵 Who

🔴 am / is / are / was / were

⚪ What

🟡 When

For the teacher · Answer key

Now: I am a cook right now.  ·  She is a nurse now.  ·  You are at work right now.    Before: I was a cashier in 2020.  ·  Luis was a driver from 2019 to 2022.  ·  You were tired yesterday.  ·  She was at work last year.
The two rules: I → am / was  ·  she, he, it, a name → is / was  ·  you → are / were.    And was, were → yesterday, last year, in 2020, from … to; am, is, are → now, right now.