Strong and weak forms of was and were
1 Listen to the dialogue.
GIRL Was she shopping?
BOY Yes, she was. She was shopping for socks.
GIRL Were they doing their homework?
BOY No, they weren’t. They were learning to surf!
2 Say the words with the /ɒ/ sound. Now say the words with the /ɜː/ sound. When was and were aren’t stressed, we use the /ə/ sound. It’s the same as /ɜː/ but shorter.
3 Listen and repeat. Then practise with a partner.