Will and would: habits; used to

We can use will (for the present) and would (for the past) to talk about characteristic behaviour or
habits, or about things that are or were always true:
Every day Dan will come home from work and turn on the TV.
During the war, people would eat all kinds of things that we don't eat now.
A baby will recognise its mother's voice soon after it is born.
Early passenger planes wouldn't hold more than 30 passengers.
We don't use would in this way to talk about a particular occasion in the past. Compare:
Each time I gave him a problem he would solve it for me. and
Last night I gave him a problem and he solved it for me. {not ...he would solve it...)
In speech, we can stress will or would to criticise people's characteristic behaviour or habits:
She will leave all the lights on in the house when she goes out.
I was happy when Sam left. He would talk about people behind their backs.
When we use stressed would in this way, we can also use it to talk about a particular occasion in
the past. We suggest that what happened was predictable because it was typical of a person's
behaviour:
'Jackie says she can't help because she's got a lot of work on.' 'Well she would say that she
always uses that excuse.'
If we want to talk about things that happened repeatedly in the past, but don't happen now, we
can use would or used to + infinitive. Used to is more common in informal English:
We would / used to lend him money when he was unemployed.
Tim would / used to visit his parents every other weekend.
We use used to but not would when we talk about past states that have changed:
n The factory used to be in the city centre.

I used to smoke heavily when I was at university.

When we use would we need to mention a specific time or set of occasions. Compare:
We used to play in the garden, {not We would play...)
Whenever we went to my Uncle Frank's house, we would / used to play in the garden.
We don't use either used to or would when we say exactly how many times something
happened, how long something took, or that something happened at a particular time:
a
We visited Switzerland four times during the 1970s.
She went on holiday to the Bahamas last week.
Study how we normally make questions and negatives with used to in spoken English:
Did your children use to sleep well when they were babies?
I didn't use to like visiting the dentist when I was young.
These forms are sometimes written as '...did ... used to...' and '...didn't used to...', but some
people think this is incorrect.
However, in more formal spoken and written English the following negative and question forms
are also used, although this question form is now rare:
There used not to be so much traffic, {more likely is There didn't use to be...)
Used you to go to university with the Evans brothers? {more likely is Did you use to...?)
Notice that nowadays very few people use used to in tags:
He used to play cricket for Australia, didn't he? {rather than ..., usedn't he?)
Will: future => Will: willingness =

UNIT

EXERCISES
19.1

If possible, complete the sentences with either will or would followed by the bare infinitive form
of the verb in brackets. If it is not possible to use will or would, write only the verb in brackets
in the past simple. (A)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

19.2

Around 2 o'clock every night, Sue .....*$*$.. talking in her sleep. It's very annoying, (start)
As soon as he woke up he
things ready for breakfast, (get)
He
work in 1963 as an assistant to the managing director, (begin)
After I read about the place in a magazine, I
to visit Madagascar myself, (want)
When I was younger I
hours just kicking a ball around the garden, (spend)
Even when it's freezing cold, some people
just jeans and a T-shirt, (wear)
When I was at school all the children
in silence when the teacher came into the
room, (stand up)
Everywhere she went, people
her name and ask for her autograph, (call out)
Jack
three days ago from a holiday in France, (return)
1 usually get up late, so most mornings, I
just a cup of tea for breakfast, (have)
There's a boy in my maths class who
the most ridiculous questions, (ask)
She
all her closest friends and relatives to her 50th birthday party last summer.
(invite)

Complete these sentences with will, would or used to. If more than one answer is possible, write
them both. (B and Unit 18B)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

19.3

19

I
like going to pop concerts when I was a teenager.
Business people
watch what their competitors are doing with great interest.
The country now known as Myanmar
be called Burma.
My father didn't know that we
borrow the car when he was at work.
When I was a child, summers
be warmer and winters colder than now.
Accidents
happen in the home, however safe we try to make them.
When the weather was good, we
go walking in the hills every weekend.

Answer these questions by expanding the notes, using an appropriate verb tense. If you can, use
used to in your answer. (B)
1 How often did you see Judith? (We / meet / every day for lunch) We used- to meet every
for lunch.
2 Where did you learn to speak Japanese? (We / work / Tokyo for three years)
3 Where in Malaysia were you living? (We / live / east coast)
4 How long have you known each other? (We / meet / 22nd June last year)
5 How did you meet? (We / play / tennis together)

19.4

Martha doesn't like some of the things that Bill does. (A)
'He will play his music too loud when I'm trying to work.'
'He will leave the front door open when he goes out.'
Think of a close friend or relative and say what things they
do that annoy you. Use 'He/She will...'.

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