Learning English

Changing your life

Now it's your turn to practise this unit's language.

Can you describe something you used to do, but stopped or changed?

Maybe you stopped smoking?
"I used to smoke 20 cigarettes a day"

Or you stopped learning a foreign language?
"I would practise my French every day"

Or you no longer use maps?
"I used to plan my walk with a map, now I use my smartphone"

문서 읽고 엑티비티를 하세요

Write about something you used to do but stopped or changed. Try to use as many of this unit's forms as possible and keep it under 100 words!

Thank you for emailing your comments to us. We enjoyed reading them. This task is now closed.

Here are a few of the comments that we received.

Manoel, Brazil

When I was younger, I would play soccer on the weekends. I used to be a good football player. 

Rafael, Venezuela

I would pass hours and hours playing Video Games, like Super Smash Bros (N64, GC, Wii, Wii U) I'm pretty good at it I even used to compete in tourneys, in fact I organized one tournament of it in benefit of children with cancer.

Marie-Eve, France

When I was a child, I would play the piano. I also used to sing because I had a beautifull voice. When I grew up, I gave up with the piano, it was so difficut for me and I didn't use to like it very much. There were my parents who faithfully would tell me to practice my piano every day. It was a very hard work. I finished by hating music. But now, I'm a grown up, I'm a self-taught: I continue to learn the piano by myself because I love it and I'm not so bad with it.

Erika, Canada

When I was a child I used to sing a lot and I always would ask a lot of question to my parents and relatives, everyone used to say that I'd be a report someday because of my curiosity about everything and my questions. Turns out I'm not a reporter at all, however I'm still curious about everything. Some days ago I moved to Canada and I realized that most of my old habits wouldn't be the same in here because it's a different country and culture, anyway I'm so exciting about my new life and to get to know all the places and people that I can give a little break of my old habits.

Christian, Spain

Hello!

I'm Christian from Spain.

When I was younger i used to practice surf every day so I didn't use to go to the college

I used to go for a drink with my friends but that finished when I start to go out with a friend who actually is my wife

I would in a process to mature. Definitely I used to be young and now is different.

Jean Marie

In the 50s many schools did not use to propose different languages so I would learn Spanish for 4 years, every day. When my parents moved they could not find a school where they used to teach Spanish, then I would study English for a while. As my father used to be a nomad all over the country I used to learn with many different teachers everywhere. Even in my own mother tongue I used to cope with my schoolmates who did not use to understand any regional accent I would talk at this moment. Sometimes I did not use to get along with them.  In the 80s I got a job in Germany and  learned German. Why everyone used to ask me: where do you come from? 

Vien

Dears teachers,
I used to wake up at  5:30 and I used to take a train at 6:23 for work.
I would learn English every day  in the train.
I used to have coffee with my colleagues.
We would talk about many things, our jobs, our lives.
We used to have lunch each other  and talk  about French meals.
But now, I  changed the job.
Best regards

Ewa, Poland

Hello Folks,

A few years ago I worked at the workshop with disabled people. Every day I used to wake up at 6 a.m and after my morning activities, I used to take my bike and ride 7 km to the center of the city. When I had more time, I would stop a little on the grassland, look at the horses and take some pictures. They were lovely (horses, I mean;)).

When I arrived to work I would talk with my proteges about ours previous afternoon.

Nowadays I work at home but I still get up at 6.

I greet

Sam Lo, Taiwan

Hello,

I'm Sam Lo, and I'm from Taiwan.

I didn’t use to like tea, and I would drink juice or cola. I used to think tea as a kind of bad drink because it tastes bitter, but now I find that tea actually has a good flavor. I didn’t use to distinguish what kind of tea I was drinking, but I can tell you different characteristics of different tea after I started to research knowledge related to tea. As a result, I would give you a glass of juice when you visited my home, but now I will give you a cup of tea! Would you like black tea or green tea?

Mario, Italy

When I was younger I used to play the keyboards in a band. We would practise playing once a week dreaming of becoming famous. I remember that we didn't use to perform any concerts but we would just play for the thrill of it. We didn't use to compose our own songs, but mostly we'd play famous bands' songs. Relatives aside, we used to have very few fans at height of our success.

Then, after a couple of years, for the sake of the music, each of us took his way and we never played again together.

bye

Yongo Kim

I didn't use to smoke I was young, but I smoke everyday.

I have felt tired almost everyday, so I thought I had to exercise.

I am not good at sport, so I found a good way to keep up my heath.

Some online site told me about body training, which only uses human’s body.

I used to exercise at home, but I go to exercise in gym now.

But, I don’t stop smoke yet. My next target is to stop smoking.

My Phuong, Vietnam

Dear BBC Learning English team

Good day to you!

I would like to share my story as below:

When I lived in Ho Chi Minh City, my friend and I used to enjoy our spare time at some favorite coffee shops. Sometimes we would surf the Internet looking for information on new places. We also used to try some friends’ suggestions. My habits have changed dramatically since I came back to my hometown. My friend and I often reminisce about it and our happy time seems to go on forever.

Hope you enjoy it!

Brgds

Antonio, Brazil

I used to smoke 20 cigarettes a day, but I gave up smoking 20 years ago.

I would eat junk food and I wouldn't exercise regularly. I didn't use to have heath habits. And I used to be very stressed.  

I decided to change when I got a ulcer. Now I try to eat more salad and vegetables, exercise regularly and avoid so much stress. I think I have succeeded.  

Peter Nguyen 

Dear BBC Learning English

Football is like a religion in Vietnam. Almost everybody likes watching football match especially Premier League in Britain or UEFA Champion League and me is not exceptional. I used to watch football match at midnight because the gap time between European and Vietnam when I was in university. After graduation, I wouldn't watch football in the late evening because I have to work hard but I used to see some review of the match in the morning in some football website. Vietnam mens football team is often at the bottom of the Fifa World Ranking Table, but we love our national team so I used to ask for leaving work early in the day to watch their match.

Andy, Korea

I used to smoke a half of pack of cigarette a day before I got married.

After I got married, I've totally quit smoking because my spouse really hated what I was smoking and

I worried about my health as well.

Looking back, It was one of my best choices than ever before.

Piero, Italy

When I was young I used to smoke cigarettes. Teen-agers used to imitate the adults and sometimes they would learn the worst habits. I didn't  use to have much time for sport but every week-end my wife and I usually would move to the countryside and walk. A few years later my son used to fall in love with mountains and then we would address to free-climbing. In more recent time he used to be a trainer for young climbers. As for me, I Just would enjoy all their enthusiasm every now and then.

Linh, Vietnam

I got married in 2006, had my first kid in 2007 and my live had changed since then.

I used to wake up at 5 o’clock in the morning and I would go jogging prior to do other works. After the work I used to spend time rambling and I wouldn’t have diner at home, I used to eat out that time because I didn’t use to cook well. I used to be heavy smoker also. My health didn’t use to be good and I used to see doctor due to the tobacco’s affects. My kid and my family helped me to give up smocking and made my lives happier.

Juan Carlos, Colombia

Hello everybody, the things that I used to do when I was more younger, well, all weekends, I and my friends used to play football at the park, but now I have to work those  days.   I used to  watch tv all night too but now I prefer to study English with the BBC learning English website. I used to have  more hair those days too.

The last year when I had  free time, I would play piano but now I have to work all day and  I am arriving to my house very late.  

Irene, Russia

Hi everyone! I’m Irene from Russia.

When I was young I used to play guitar every day. I liked it very much. My friends and I would sing songs when we met together. I used to know many popular songs and I could improvise something new. I would also give small concerts to my family and classmates. It was great and funny. Now I think I lost all my skills. I don’t even have a guitar. Maybe in future I will buy a new one and start playing again.

Taras, Ukraine

I used to smoke but now fortunately I got rid of this harmful habit. This as I consider is one of the biggest my achievements of my life. Also I would use textbooks for learning foreign language and it wasn’t English. I use to learn French in school and university. But 2 years ago I decided to learn English and I’m enjoining it. I used to be able to say only no more 10 words in English but now I feel myself more sure and can even speak about different topics.

Lin Shih-Yu

When I was in schooldays, I used to walk up at either 6:30 am or 7:00 am every morning in the week for the purpose of no to being late. I would like to watch TV program before I went out, this program used to present some scientific knowledge with animation. That was attract me a lot for its vivid characters and interesting stories. I would like to share my happiness with my classmates when I reached to the school.

Manuel Juan

When I was student, some years ago, I used to stay at home during the summer holiday. It was a long holiday which included the second part of June, July, August and September.

We would play a lot every days when we were children but after, being teenagers, we frequently used to be bored doing nothing.

Then I changed my holiday and would travel to another country. I used to know different people, would work for a few hours and would learn languages. I used to feel delighted.

Inna

When I was a teenager, I used to go in for sport. I played volley-ball in our town team. I would go to gym triple a week. Sometimes our team used to go to neighbour towns for competitions. It was a very pleasant time – I liked my friends, and I liked to play volley-ball. Now I'm a married woman, I have a daughter. Unfortunately, she doesn't like sport, and I can't to turn over all my skills to her.

Jose Ramon

When I was young I would read novels every day. I would read mystery books so I used to  be excited during the reading,  and  I would be awake until late at night. At that time  I wouldn’t have responsibilities but with the passing of the years they were stronger. I stopped reading novels. Wouldn’t you read novels every day when you were young ? Did you use to be awake late at night when you read mystery novels ? Pitifully, now I am still awake until late  but for concerns and liabilities and I’m looking forward to come back to books.

End of Session 3

That's it for this session. Hope you enjoyed practising would and used to, and learning about how hard it is to become a London cabbie! In the next session, we'll be looking at another lost art - recognising trees and plants.