BAFFLE ME – TO BE IN THE PAST

Talking about the past in English often starts with simple constructions using ‘was’ and ‘were’. And although the rule seems straightforward, typical mistakes quickly arise in practice: mixing up the forms, uncertainty about question order, an inability to respond fluently, or taking too long to work out how to construct the sentence correctly.

BAFFLE ME – TO BE IN THE PAST helps you practise this structure in an active, fast-paced and engaging way. Participants ask questions, answer them, analyse short responses and try to act faster than their opponent. As a result, ‘was’ and ‘were’ cease to be merely a table to be memorised and begin to function in real communication.

The game introduces an element of competition, which naturally boosts motivation to speak. You have to listen carefully, understand questions quickly, choose the correct form and answer in such a way as to avoid being eliminated. This makes grammar revision dynamic, exciting and far more effective than simply copying sentences.

In the BAFFLE ME variant, players compete against each other by asking questions at a rapid pace to provoke an incorrect answer from their opponent. In the ASK ME variant, the task is to create questions that match the short answers shown on the circles. Both variants help to consolidate the ‘was’ and ‘were’ structures in both questions and answers.

BAFFLE ME – TO BE IN THE PAST is ideal for lessons, private tuition, language schools, at home with a child, or as a way for English learners to revise together.

It’s a great way to move from ‘I know that “was” and “were” exist’ to ‘I can use them quickly, correctly and without stress’.