6. Grammar Focus Uses of ‘used to’

A.

Grammar Summary I you we they he she it used to didn’t use to live Something which was true for a period in the past but, was not true later. Example: I used to smoke. He used to play squash until his accident. – Do you work full time? – Not now, but I used to before I had the children. It’s funny. I really enjoy cricket now but I didn’t use to. Question forms are unusual. Note Did you use to…? is unusual; we usually say You used to …, didn’t you? Grammar Comment You can always express used to in another way: Example: We used to go there on holiday. (We went there on holiday before, but we don’t go there now.) Used to always refers to activity in the past which is complete. It could refer to a period. Example: I used to live there. It could refer to a series of events. Example: I used to go there on warm Sunday afternoons. The most important thing about the past activity is that you see it as a whole, which is finished in the past. 2. Notice the spelling in the question and negative forms. Example: Did you use to smoke a lot? She didn’t use to live there. This is because used to is a simple past tense. The question form is not very common. 3. Remember not to confuse used to with (be) used to and (get) used to.

B. Old Mrs. Edwards was 97 on her last birthday. She lives alone and is very fit. Her memory is as good as it ever was. She can remember what life used to be like when she was a young woman. She often talks about it to anyone who will listen.

Complete what she says using (used to); sometimes you need the negative.

‘When I was young, girls never (1) ________ go out on their own. You always went out with friends, because you weren’t allowed to be alone with a young man. Oh, no, that never (2) ________ be allowed. Before I went out anywhere my father always (3) ________ ask where I was going and who I was going with, and when I would be back. And make-up – that was forbidden. Of course, as soon as I got out of the house I (4) ________ go behind the house and put it on and then take it off before I went home again. I (5) ________ disobey my father except when it came to make-up. My mother (6) ________ wear it so I didn’t see why I wasn’t allowed to as well.

Oh, but life was hard in those days. When I think of when we (7) ________ get up in the morning. We (8) ________ be up and washed by 6.30! Modern girls just wouldn’t do it, would they? And quite right too!

And all the housework – we (9) ________ clean out all the fires before 8 o’clock. In fact, we (10) ________ have to do all the cleaning by lunchtime.’

C. Write some true things about yourself.

1. When I was young I used to love ________ but now I never ________ it any more.

2. My mother always used to say how important it was to ________.

3. I never used to eat ________ but now I love it!

4. I used to think people who ________ were very strange, but now they seem quite normal!

5. When I was young nobody used to ________, but now everybody does.