Grammar Sense 2, Chapter 4: The Simple Past Used to Grammar Sense 2, Chapter 4: The Simple Past

Used to: Affirmative Statements Subject used to base form of verb I used to arrive late. You used to arrive late. He used to arrive late. She used to arrive late. It used to arrive late. We used to arrive late. They used to arrive late.

Used to: Negative Statements Subject did not use to base form of verb I didn’t use to arrive late. You didn’t use to arrive late. He didn’t use to arrive late. It didn’t use to arrive late. We didn’t use to arrive late. You didn’t use to arrive late.

Used to: Yes/No Question Did subject use to base form of verb Did you use to arrive late? Yes, I did./No, I didn’t. Did he use to arrive late? Yes, he did./No, he didn’t. Did they use to arrive late? Yes, they did./No, they didn’t. Used to: Information Question Wh-Word did subject use to base form of verb Why did you use to arrive early? When did she use to go to school here? Where did they use to live in Chicago? Wh-Word (subject) used to base form of verb Who used to live across the street? What used to happen on New Year’s Eve?

Pronunciation of Used to and Use to The forms used to and use to have the same pronunciation: /’yustu/.

Used to: Meaning and Use Notes 1A We use used to to express a habit or situation that was true in the past, but is not true anymore. Use used to for habitual actions or states that started and finished in the past. Do not use used to to talk about an action or state that happened only once. Adverbs of frequency and other time expressions with used to emphasize the repeated actions or states.

Examples: We often used to visit my grandparents during summer vacation. We don’t anymore. Did you use to travel a lot for work? She used to be unfriendly. She never smiled. This city didn’t use to have a subway system in the old days.

Used to: Meaning and Use Notes 1B You can use the simple present with time expressions to say how a present situation is different from the past. Examples: I often used to watch TV after school. Now I don’t have time to do that. In the 1930s people used to get their news from newspapers or the radio. These days most people get their news from TV or the Internet.