USED TO

Czasownik used to (zwykłem; kiedyś coś robiłem) występuje tylko w odniesieniu do czasu przeszłego.
Wyraża czynności, które były wykonywane regularnie w przeszłości i nie mają żadnego związku z chwilą
obecną. Mowa tu o przyzwyczajeniach i stanach, które zakończyły się i nie wykonujemy ich w
teraźniejszości.
 I used to play football with my schoolmates. Now I must go to work.
 She used to drink milk. Now she prefers yoghurt for breakfast.
 Did you use to smoke cigarettes?
 They didn’t use to work so much. These days they’re busy all the time.
WOULD
1. Czasownik modalny would również stosujemy do wyrażania nawyków z przeszłości. Zastosowanie tej
konstrukcji jest nieco ograniczone. Nie należy stosować would z czasownikami określającymi stan.
Poniższy przykład ilustruje tę zależność:
 I used to live in Prague.
(I would live in Prague – jest niepoprawne, ponieważ wyraża stan, a nie powtarzającą się czynność)
 We used to like trips
(We would like trips – całkowicie zmienia kontekst zdania. Czasownik „would like” oznacza
chcielibyśmy)
2. Would ma również inne zastosowanie. Często odnosi się do cech charakterystycznych dla osób, o
których mowa.
 My mum would always tell me to respect other people.
(to właśnie moja mama miała w zwyczaju powtarzać mi te słowa)
3. Niekiedy native speaker stosuje would, gdy krytykuje drugą osobę lub podkreśla czyjeś zachowanie,
szczególnie dla nas irytujące.
 I didn’t like my flatmate. She would smoke cigarettes in the flat.

Fill the gaps with either used to or would and the correct form of the verb in parenthesis.

1. I __________ (be) very shy. Whenever a stranger came to our house, I __________ (hide) in a closet.

2. I remember my aunt Susan very well. Every time she came to our house, she ___________ (give) me a
big kiss and pinch my cheek.

3. Illiteracy is still a problem in my country, but it ______________ (be) much worse.

4. I ___________ (be) afraid of flying. My heart ____________ (start) pounding every time I stepped on a
plane. But now I’m used to flying and enjoy it.

1. I ————————– to have an old Rolls-Royce.

a) used to b) would c) either could be used here

2. That Bingo hall ————————- be a cinema.

a) used to b) would c) either could be used here

3. You ———————– tell her about the party – I didn’t want to invite her.

a) would b) used to c) either could be used here

4. I asked him very politely, but he ————————- tell me.

a) would not b) used not to c) either could be used here

5. When we were children we ———————– go fishing every Saturday.

a) would b) used to c) either could be used here

6. The car ———————– start again this morning.

a) would not b) used not to c) either could be used here

7. There was a chance that my letter ————————- arrive in time.

a) would b) used to c) either could be used here

8. I ——————— to smoke, but now I don’t.

a) used to b) would c) either could be used here

It was Sunday afternoon. I ___________________(watch) a cookery program on TV when

I ___________________(realise) how hungry I was. But of course I was hungry; I ___________________
(eat) anything since lunch, and I___________________ (run) a race in the morning. “Biscuits!”
I ___________________(think). My mother ___________________ (give) me a jar of delicious home-made
biscuits.
I ___________________ (go) into the kitchen, ___________________(open) the fridge
and ___________________(pour) some milk in a big glass. Then I ___________________(look) for the
kitchen chair but it ___________________(be) there: somebody ___________________(take) it away. And
there were no biscuits in the biscuit jar: somebody ___________________(eat) them all! I was sure
I ___________________(put) the jar there the previous day, and I ___________________(eat) only one
cookie. It was very strange.
A few minutes later, I ___________________(drink) my glass of milk when I ___________________(hear)
a loud noise coming from the dining room. I ___________________(go) there quickly and
I ___________________(open) the door. I couldn’t believe my eyes. An enormous
monkey ___________________(eat) the biscuits excitedly on the kitchen chair.

1. I was very late. When I arrived, the conference _____.

a. was already starting
b. started
c. had already started
2. When he heard the police knocking on the door, he ____ under the bed.
a. hid
b. had hiden
c. was hiding
3. The police arrested him because he _____ a gun.
a. carried
b. was carrying
c. had carried
4. When they arrived at the police station, he said that he _____ anything wrong.
a. didn't do
b. wasn't doing
c. hadn't done
 5. When he said that he loved me, I knew that he _____.
a. lied
b. was lying
c. had lied

This story is based on true events that ___________________ (happen) many, many years ago in Scotland.
One day, Mr Clark ___________________ (walk) home with a smile on his face.
He ___________________ (carry) something very valuable in his hand: tickets for a long, long journey.
After many years working and saving, Mr Clark ___________________ (save) all the money he needed to
take all his family to the United States. Earlier that afternoon he ___________________ (buy) all the tickets
that now he ___________________ (hold) in his hand. It was the opportunity of their lives. “The United
States of America,” he repeated aloud just to see how nice it ___________________ (sound) in his ears.
A few days before their departure, Mr Clark’s son ___________________ (play) in the street when a
dog ___________________ (bite) him. The doctor ___________________ (go) to their home
and ___________________ (treat) the child’s wound. Then he ___________________ (hang) a yellow
sheet on their front door. That yellow sheet meant that they ___________________ (just/be) quarantined.
They ___________________ (have) to stay at home for two weeks because of the possibility of rabies.
Five days later, Mr Clark was at the docks. He ___________________ (leave) the house and now
he ___________________ (watch) their ship leave to the United States without him or his family. When the
ship ___________________ (disappear) in the horizon, he ___________________ (stand up)
and ___________________ (go) back home, crying.
A few days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland - the mighty Titanic ___________________
(sink), taking hundreds of lives with it.