USED TO
Learning goals
- Understand the Use of “Used to”: Review and understand how to use “used to” for expressing past habits and states.
- Apply “Used to” in Real-Life Contexts: Practice using “used to” in various real-life scenarios and contexts.
- Differentiate Between “Used to” and Other Past Tenses: Learn the differences between “used to” and other past tense forms.
“Used to” is used to describe habits or states that were true in the past but are no longer true. It helps to emphasize that something was a regular activity or a state in the past but has since changed.
Structure
- Affirmative: Subject + used to + base form of the verb
- Example: “I used to play tennis.”
- Negative: Subject + didn’t use to + base form of the verb
- Example: “I didn’t use to play tennis.”
- Interrogative: Did + subject + use to + base form of the verb?
- Example: “Did you use to play tennis?”
Practical Examples and Applications
Example 1: “I used to walk to school every day.”
- Application: Describes a past habit of walking to school that no longer happens.
Example 2: “She used to live in New York.”
- Application: Indicates that she lived in New York in the past but doesn’t live there anymore.
Example 3: “They used to go camping every summer.”
- Application: Shows a past routine of going camping each summer that has stopped.
Example 4: “We didn’t use to eat out so often.”
- Application: Indicates a past habit of not eating out frequently that has changed.
Example 5: “Did you use to have a pet when you were a child?”
- Application: Asks about a past state or habit of having a pet during childhood.
Learning activities
Habit Transformation
Objective: Reinforce the use of “used to” by transforming current habits into past habits.
Instructions:
- Provide students with a list of current habits (e.g., “I play soccer every weekend”).
- Ask students to rewrite each sentence using “used to” to describe it as a past habit (e.g., “I used to play soccer every weekend”).
- Example: “I watch TV every evening” becomes “I used to watch TV every evening.”
Memory Lane
Objective: Practice using “used to” by sharing past experiences. Instructions:
- Divide the class into small groups.
- Each student shares a memory from their past using “used to” (e.g., “I used to ride my bike to the park every Saturday”).
- Group members ask follow-up questions to learn more about each other’s past habits and states.
“Used to” Bingo
Objective: Use gamification to reinforce the use of “used to.” Instructions:
- Create Bingo cards with different sentences describing past habits or states (e.g., “I used to play the piano”).
- Call out clues or scenarios related to the sentences on the Bingo cards (e.g., “Who played a musical instrument in the past?”).
- Students mark their Bingo cards when they recognize the sentence that matches the clue.
- The first student to complete a row shouts “Bingo!” and reads out their sentences.
Then and Now
Objective: Compare past and present habits using “used to” and present tense. Instructions:
- Ask students to write a short paragraph about their current habits and routines.
- Then, ask them to write a paragraph about their past habits and routines using “used to.”
- Example: “Now, I go to the gym every morning. I used to go for a run in the park every morning.”
- Students share their paragraphs with a partner and discuss the differences between their past and present habits.
