Learning English

It's all in the past

As we get older we change in many ways. Read about some of the changes in Michael's life

Michael is 29 years old. He's in insurance but he used to work in the entertainment industry. He used to take his holidays in the Caribbean but now he stays at home. He didn't use to be very healthy because he used to smoke a lot but recently he's given up and is feeling much better. He used to have long hair but is completely bald now. He used to play computer games a lot but doesn't have the time now. He used to be single but got married a few years ago and has a child. He didn't use to be very happy, but now he is really content in his life.

When talking about things that were part of our lives in the past but aren't now, we use used to. The past things can be:

• habits:
  He used to take his holidays in the Caribbean.
  He used to smoke a lot.
  
  
• states:
  He used to be single.
  He didn't use to be very happy.
  
  
• appearance:
  He used to have long hair.
  
  
• work and hobbies/pastimes
  He used to work in the entertainment industry.
  He used to play computer games a lot.

This structure is not just for personal changes. Here are some examples from the BBC News website:

The rubber duck-shaped comet being followed by Europe's Rosetta probe used to be two separate objects.
Joysticks used to be popular with gamers but have slowly been replaced by other types of game controller.
A fracture runs through what used to be a lake.

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About: used to

This form is only to talk about the past. It has no present or future form. For present habits, states, appearance etc. we use the present simple.

I go swimming once a week. I used to go twice a day when I was training.

The positive form is: subject + used to + infinitive
When I was a child mum and dad used to let us play on the beach by ourselves.

The negative is: subject + didn't use to + infinitive
We didn't use to have to be home before dark.

The question is: Did + subject + use to + infinitive
Did you use to play in the streets by yourself?

Certain adverbs of indefinite frequency go before used to
We never used to stay out after midnight.
We always used to do what we were told.

The s in use/used is pronounced /s/.

The d in used to is not pronounced.

To do

See if you've got to grips with used to by trying the quiz.

Next

Now that you've got the hang of used to, it's time to look at be used to and get used to. They have very different meanings. Find out more in the next activity.