Was/Were/Had

Task: Fill in the gaps with: was/wasn't, were/weren't, had/didn't have.

Here's how to fill in the gaps in the text about London in the 1700s:

1. didn't have - This fits grammatically and logically, as the text implies a lack of modern amenities.
2. weren't - This is the correct plural form of 'to be' in the past tense to agree with 'blocks of flats'.
3. were - This is the correct plural form of 'to be' in the past tense to agree with 'streets'.
4. didn't have - Similar to the first blank, this indicates the absence of something.
5. was - This is the singular past tense of 'to be' to agree with 'a post office'.
6. were - This is the correct plural form of 'to be' in the past tense to agree with 'shoe shops'.
7. wasn't - This indicates the absence of something in the singular.
8. were - This is the correct plural form of 'to be' in the past tense to agree with 'hospitals'.

Completed Text:

London was a very different city in the 1700s. Buildings weren't very different. There didn't have any running water or baths. There weren't any blocks of flats but small ugly buildings. The streets were narrow and dirty. They didn't have department stores and there was a post office. London didn't have shoe shops for the rich, but there wasn't a museum in town. There were some hospitals and a lot of sick people.

Explanation of Choices:

• The exercise requires using past tense forms of 'to be' (was/were/wasn't/weren't) or 'to have' (had/didn't have).
• We choose between 'was/wasn't' (singular) and 'were/weren't' (plural) based on the subject of the sentence.
• We choose between 'had' and 'didn't have' to express possession or the existence/non-existence of something in the past. The context of the sentence usually guides this choice.