She used to ride a horse.
She used to ride in the river.
She used to play with Blas.
In this lesson, you are going to learn and practice the structure “used to” which is used to describe activities you did in the past, but now you do not do anymore.
By the end of this topic you will:
Use the structure “used to” in different situations to describe habits in the past.
In this section, you will see some activities. Try to remember if you did some of the activities when you were a child.
You do not need to write anything just pay attention to the activities people used to do in their childhood.
Swipe left or right
Paty used to cry a lot when she was 6 years old. She cried in the morning, in the afternoon and at night.
Peter and Salma used to fly kites in the park with their parents. They really enjoyed it.
Samuel used to ride his bicycle every afternoon with his best friend.
Elena used to sleep 8 hours a day. Now she is a university student and she can sleep just 5 hours.
Pamela used to play marbles with his brother Antonio. They played every afternoon.
The previous pictures gave you some ideas of what people used to do when they were children.
Now, this is the grammar and function topic explanation. Here you are going to find how to use affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences using the form used to. Read the information carefully.
You use “used to” to describe activities that you did in the past, but you don’t do them now.
I used to play chess when I was 6 years old. Now I don’t have time to play it.
Now, let's see how sentences are formed:
You use affirmative sentences to express the activities that you did in the past.
The structures is:
SUBJECT + USED TO + VERB (SIMPLE FORM) + COMPLEMENT
Example:
I used to have pick-nicks with my family.
You use negative form to express the activities you did not do in the past.
The structure is:
SUBJECT + DID NOT + USE TO + VERB (SIMPLE FORM) + COMPLEMENT
* You can use the contraction DIDN’T
Example:
I did not use to play hide and seek with my neighbours.
I didn’t use to play hide and seek with my neighbours.
You use these kind of questions to ask if people did or did not do some activities in the past. There are just two possible answers: yes/no.
The structures is:
DID + SUBJECT + USE TO + VERB (SIMPLE FORM) + COMPLEMENT?
Answers:
Yes, SUBJECT did.
No, SUBJECT didn’t
Example:
Did you use to play soccer and basketball at school?
Yes, I did.
No, I didn’t.
You use Wh questions to ask about activities people did in the past.
The structures is:
QUESTION WORD + DID + SUBJECT + USE TO + VERB (SIMPLE FORM) + COMPLEMENT?
Answers:
SUBJECT + USED TO + VERB + COMPLEMENT
Example:
What did you use to play at school?
I used to play volley ball at school.
Activity 1
Now you know the structure of used to and need to practice it. This exercise will be part of your course grade.
Read the sentences and complete them using the correct form of “used to,” and the verb in the brackets.
Once you know your score, you will be given feedback. Do not forget to check these messages!
Activity 2
You are a “used to” expert. Try this exercise to confirm your knowledge of this topic.
Use the mouse to order the words and write the sentence correctly.
If you have questions, don’t forget you can check the grammar section.
Activity 3
Do you think people around the world used to do the same activities that you used to do in your country?
There are a lot of games that children used to play in other countries.
Read the following article and decide if the statements are True (T) or False (F).
Swipe left or right
Gellinger, G. (s.f.) Teddy bears [photo]. Taken from http://nubr.co/wNqYJ6
Children's Games in the 20th Century
By Nathalie Lampron
Popular games
Choi, K. (s.f.) Toy car [photo]. Taken from http://nubr.co/JKQhQ9
Miniatures
Certain toys reproduce the real world in miniature, encouraging children to try out different social roles, consciously or unconsciously. For example, some toys from the early 1900s allowed youngsters to play at being a choir boy, altar boy or priest, tasks that only males were allowed to perform in the Catholic Church.
Teddy bears
The first teddy bears, cuddly and realistic looking creatures, were made in Germany around the turn of the 20th century. They took their name from Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt (1858-1919), President of the United States, who one day refused to shoot a bear he was offered during a hunt.
Scheck, M. (s.f.) Teddy bears [photo].
Taken from http://nubr.co/4XjVdY
s.a. (2009) Crayons [photo].
Taken from http://nubr.co/3QuRNs
Crayons
Crayons were invented by Edwin Binney and Harold Smith, who owned a paint company in New York City. They combined paraffin wax with different pigments to create inexpensive art supplies. First marketed as Crayola crayons in 1903, they were an instant success!
Children's book
The content and availability of children's books have changed enormously over the past one hundred years. In the early 20th century books with religious themes were often the only printed material available in the home, perhaps along with a few textbooks and volumes imported from Europe or the United States. By the 1940s there was a proliferation of titles aimed at children -- biographies of saints, heroes and model children; conservative and rather moralistic tales and novels; and, later, adventure series.
After a slump in the early 1970s, children's literature truly took off. Books ran the gamut from highly colorful storybooks to realistic, fantasy and humorous novels and books based on children's favorite television shows.
Choi, K. (s.f.) Children´s book [photo].
Taken from http://nubr.co/PGPLE7
Alexandra (s.f.) Barbie doll [photo].
Taken from http://nubr.co/znpx4u
"Barbie"doll
Barbie fashion dolls, created by Ruth Handler, an American, arrived in stores in 1959. These dolls, with their highly curvaceous figures, were aimed at the pre-teen set and gave girls lots to dream about. Barbie had all sorts of jobs and came with accessories of all kinds, from furniture, to vans, cars, swimming pools and bicycles. The personification of the perfect consumer! And then there were Barbie's little sister, all her friends and her boyfriend, Ken.
Activity 4
What did your mother or father use to do when they were children? It is time to find out.
First, interview some people about the activities they used to do when they were children. You can use 5 of the suggested questions, or you can invent 5 of your own.
Suggested questions
Did you use to….
Check the rubrics to know which aspect to include. You can check the example. Then gather the information, record it and include the use of “USED TO.” Finally, evaluate yourself.
Activity 5
Now we are going to listen to Steve, Elena, Esteban and Monica. They are talking about the activities they used to do when they were children.
Listen to them carefully. Then match each person to the activity they used to do.
Activity 6
The daily activities are modified according to the context where they are carried out. Please tell us about childhood in your country. Write a short paragraph (100-120 words) about children in your country. Remember to include used to at least five times. Then use the rubrics to evaluate yourself.
Games in Mexico city
Remember that “used to” describes the activities that you did in the past, but you do not do them anymore. It is time to test yourself on the topic.
• Murphy, R. & Altman, R. (1998). Grammar in use. Reference and practice for intermediate students of English. United States of America: Cambridge University Press.