Military commands

On suitable occasions the officer commands ‘Rest,’ ‘As you were,’ or ‘At ease’
when expecting to remain in the room and not desiring them to remain at attention.

Attention= a command phrase used to inform soldiers that they should stand up straight
and be ready for a command.

Rest = a command phrase used to inform soldiers that they may move, talk, smoke or
drink from a canteen; the soldier must remain standing with his/her right foot in place.

As you were = a command phrase used to inform soldiers that they may continue doing
an activity

At ease = a phrase used to inform soldiers that they may move or stand in a natural
manner; a soldier must, however, remain standing and silent with his/her right foot in
place.

Past Simple tense - Was or were? - Beginner test - EnglishLearner.com