1. GRAMMAR: simple past: be

a. Last night there was a robbery in a bank.
Jason Brown is a suspect. Look at the
photo. Which person is Jason, which
person is a detective? 

b. Listen to the interview. Fill in the blanks. 

D:  Where were you at ¹_________o'clock last night? 
J:   l was at ²___________.
D:  You weren't at ³________. Your ⁴___________ says you were out. She was at home alone. 
J:  Oh yes, I remember now. I was at a ⁵_________.
D:  Were you ⁶__________? 
J:  No, I wasn't. I was with a ⁷__________. Walter Miller. You can ask him.

c. Complete the chart. 

d. simple past: be 

Listen and repeat the examples. Then read the rules.

► We use was / were to talk about the past.
► Present to past: 
am / is → was, are → were
He is at home today.
He was at home yesterday. 
► The past of there is = there was, and the past of there are = there were. 
There was a party at the school last night.

Exercise a: Write sentences or questions with was and were.

We (-)
We weren't at home last night.

1. you (?)
____________ at school yesterday?

2. Thanh (-)
____________ very well yesterday.

3. We (+)
____________ on the plane at 4:00.

4. they (?)
____________ in class yesterday?

5. you (-)
____________ very hungry this morning.

6. I (+)
____________ in a meeting until 7:00 last night.

7. your sister (?)
____________ in Toronto last week?

8. It (+)
____________ a terrible movie

9. I (-)
____________ at home last weekend.

10. Sarah and Emma (+)
____________ tired this morning.

Exercise b: Complete the conversations with was, wasn't, were, or weren't.

1.
A: Where were you last night?
B: I_______ at work all evening.
A: No, you ______.You ______ with Elena!
B: No, I _______!

2. 
A: _______ Freddie Mercury an actor?
B: No, he _____. He ______ a singer with Queen.

3.
A: ______ you in San Diego yesterday?
B: No, We ______. we _______ in Los Angeles.

4.
A: ______ the movie good?
B: No, it ______. It ______ very slow!

e. Listen and say the sentences in the past. 

2. LISTENING 

a. Listen to the detective interviewing Jason's friend, Kevin. Complete the information. 

Name: Walter Miller
Job: ¹_________
Address: ²__________ Market Street 
Walter knows Jason because they were ³__________ _________ together.
At 5:00 yesterday afternoon, he was in his ⁴________.
At 7:00, he was in the ⁵__________ __________ restaurant on South ⁶__________.
He was with Jason. His ⁷________ and ⁸________ _________ were there, too. 

b. Listen again. Why does the detective think that Walter's story isn't true? 

3. VOCABULARY:in, on, at

a. Look at Walter and Jason's answers. What are the missing words? 

1. Where were you yesterday afternoon at five o'clock? 
I was _________ my taxi. 
2. Where were you at seven o'clock last night?
I was ________ home.

b. Complete the chart with in, on, or at.

c. Listen and check. Repeat the sentences. 

d. Test a partner. A (book open) say a place. B (book closed) say the phrase. Then change. 

e. The next day, Jason and Walter were in prison. But where was Jason's wife? Listen and complete the sentences.

1. At 6:00, she was in bed.
2. At 8:00, _____________________.
3. At 11:00, _____________________.
4. At 3:00, _____________________.
5. At 5:00, _____________________.
6. At 7:00, _____________________.
7. At 11:00, _______________ again!

4. PRONUNCIATION and SPEAKING: was and were, sentence rhythm 

a. Listen and repeat the conversation. Copy the rhythm. 

A: Where were you at seven o'clock yesterday morning? 
B: I was at home. 
A: Were you in bed? 
B: Yes, I was. 
A: Where were you at ten o'clock? 
B: I was in a café with friends. 
A: Were you there all morning? 
B: No, we weren't. we We were there for an hour. 

b. With a partner, ask and answer the questions.

1. Where were you yesterday at   in the morning?
2. Where were you yesterday at  in the afternoon?
3. Where were you at  last night?
4. Where were you last  night?

5. VIDEO LISTENING: A building with a past

a. Watch the video A building with a past. 
What kind of building is it? Where is it? Why is it famous? 

b. Watch again. Mark the sentences T (true) or F (false).

1.The building is on Fifth Avenue in New York City. 
2. It has great views of Bryant Park. 
3. In the past, it was home to movie star Audrey Hepburn. 
4. There was a robbery in the hotel in 1972. 
5. The jewelry was in the vault. 
6. The robbers were in the building for two and a half hours. 
7. The hotel has five different restaurants. 
8. There are 189 bedrooms. 
9. The rooms at this hotel have televisions. 

c. Would you like to stay at the hotel? Why (not)?

WORDS and PHRASES TO LEARN

Listen and repeat the words and phrases.

a robbery
a bank
a suspect 
a detective 
yesterday
yesterday afternoon
last night
last Friday night
secret
strong
together
a building
a luxury hotel
a business person
celebrate
jewelry