We use the verb “to be” in so many different tenses and roles. For native speakers or people with a lot of exposure to English, the conjugation and forms of “to be” just sound natural. But sometimes, you’ll hear “to be” in a sentence and think, “That just doesn’t sound right.” So, the question stands: …

“Are” and “were” are both “to be” verbs, but you cannot use them interchangeably. Since misusing these verbs can create confusion, let’s look at when which is correct: “are” or “were”? You should use “are” when the subject of your sentence is plural or from the second-person point of view (i.e., “you”) and in the …

“You was” or “you were”? This is one of the great debates in the English language — well, definitely one of the debates at least! You might have heard “you was” often enough in speech to think it is correct.  It is not proper grammar to say “you was.” When “you” is the subject of …

Understanding the various past tense forms in English can make even the most studied speakers feel like they are trying to master rocket science. How can you be sure which words to use and when to use them?  You can use the word “just” with past perfect tense. The past perfect tense indicates that one …

Tenses are confusing. There’s no question about it. Whether you’re a first language speaker or just beginning to learn, there’s a lot to keep track of, and specific questions often come up, for example, is “than” past tense? The word “than” is not past tense. When you change the tense of your sentence from future …

In today’s world of technological advances, we can often wish for more simple times. Since we are comparing time periods here, we can also wish for simpler times. These both sound correct, but what is the comparative of “simple” — are times simpler or more simple? “Simpler” and “more simple” are both legitimate comparative forms …