Dalam tata bahasa Inggris, kata kerja bantu to be tidak hanya terbatas pada am, is, dan are. Dalam bentuk lampau, to be berubah menjadi was dan were. Kedua bentuk ini sering digunakan dalam struktur Simple Past Tense dan Past Continuous Tense. Artikel ini akan membahas secara terperinci perbedaan penggunaan antara was dan were beserta contohnya.
Apa Itu “Was”?
Kata was digunakan ketika subjek kalimat adalah I (saya), he (dia laki-laki), she (dia perempuan), dan it (benda atau hewan tunggal). Karena bentuk ini merupakan versi lampau dari to be, maka hanya digunakan dalam kalimat yang berada dalam konteks waktu lampau, seperti Simple Past Tense dan Past Continuous Tense.
Struktur Penggunaan dalam Kalimat:
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Simple Past Tense:
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Kalimat positif: Subject (I/he/she/it) + was + nominal
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Kalimat negatif: Subject (I/he/she/it) + was not + nominal
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Kalimat tanya: Was + subject (I/he/she/it) + nominal?
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Past Continuous Tense:
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Kalimat positif: Subject (I/he/she/it) + was + verb-ing
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Kalimat negatif: Subject (I/he/she/it) + was not + verb-ing
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Kalimat tanya: Was + subject (I/he/she/it) + verb-ing?
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Contoh Kalimat:
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Simple Past Tense
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Rahma was smart when she studied in school.
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Rahma was not smart when she studied in school.
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Was Rahma smart when she studied in school?
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Past Continuous Tense
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I was sleeping when you got home late last night.
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I wasn’t sleeping when you got home last night.
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Was I sleeping when you got home last night?
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Apa Itu “Were”?
Sementara itu, were digunakan bersama subjek you (kamu), we (kami/kita), they (mereka), serta kata benda dalam bentuk jamak. Sama seperti was, bentuk ini juga hanya berlaku dalam Simple Past Tense dan Past Continuous Tense.
Struktur Penggunaan dalam Kalimat:
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Simple Past Tense:
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Kalimat positif: Subject (you/we/they) + were + nominal
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Kalimat negatif: Subject (you/we/they) + were not + nominal
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Kalimat tanya: Were + subject (you/we/they) + nominal?
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Past Continuous Tense:
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Kalimat positif: Subject (you/we/they) + were + verb-ing
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Kalimat negatif: Subject (you/we/they) + were not + verb-ing
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Kalimat tanya: Were + subject (you/we/they) + verb-ing?
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Contoh Kalimat:
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Simple Past Tense
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You were pretty when we first met.
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You weren’t pretty when we first met.
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Were you pretty when we first met?
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Past Continuous Tense
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Me and Nala were making cookies when she came.
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Me and Nala were not making cookies when she came.
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Were me and Nala making cookies when she came?
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Kesimpulan
Memahami perbedaan penggunaan was dan were sangat penting dalam membentuk kalimat bahasa Inggris yang benar, terutama saat menggambarkan kejadian di masa lampau. Kunci utamanya adalah memperhatikan subjek kalimat dan menyesuaikan dengan konteks waktunya, apakah itu situasi yang sedang berlangsung (Past Continuous) atau pernyataan sederhana di masa lalu (Simple Past). Dengan pemahaman ini, kamu bisa menyusun kalimat bahasa Inggris yang lebih tepat dan alami.
