Where to use “is / are / am / was / were” and “has / have / had"

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:

o She is studying upstairs

o They were not playing well
o He was not watching TV when the doorbell rang
o Why were you playing so bad yesterday?
o 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?