Where to use “is / are / am / was / were” and “has / have / had"
-Published on 04th Feb 2022 by Oxford School of English-
“is / are / am / was / were” and “has / have / had” have always been a challenge for quite a few. Today, we will learn where they are used. “is / are / am / was / were” are called “helping verbs”. As the name suggests, they are verbs that help convey the tense and meaning of a sentence. “was/were” in the past form.

Whereas, “has/have,” tells “ownership” in the present and “had” in the past. Let us have a look at them in detail:

1. Use of “is / are / am / was / were”

To describe what a person or thing is, like:
My uncle is a businessman
They are not upstairs
The weather is so pleasant today
He was very short-tempered
Were you shocked when you saw that?

With “Verb_1+ing” to make continuous tense, like:

She is studying upstairs
They were not playing well
He was not watching TV when the doorbell rang
Why were you playing so bad yesterday?
How was he commuting yesterday?

To emphasize an action, in passive forms, like:

These rooms are cleaned twice a day
She was not told to leave
Plants are not watered regularly
Why are the cars parked here?
Where were the chairs kept?

2. Use of “has / have / had “

To possess or hold something, like:
I have (got) some old coins
He has (got) two kids
They have not (got) much money. (or, they don’t have much....)
She hasn’t got a job in an MNC. (or, she doesn’t have a job….)
They had a posh house in the colony.

Note: “got” is optional and used mostly in spoken English

To show compulsory actions, like:

I have to leave now
You don’t have to stay here
She has to complete this task as soon as possible
Does he have to fill out this form right now?

With Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous tense like:

I have delivered the parcel
Nobody has applied for the job.
She has found the car keys
Have they lodged an FIR?
We have been waiting here since morning
Has she been doing the dishes for half an hour?
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