Teacher: Dra.

Evelyn Alina Anicama Navarrete

Comparing habits and customs in other communities

The habitual past with “used to”
1. Grammar Notes: Used to es un verbo modal que se utiliza para referirnos a
acciones pasadas que ya no suceden en el presente. En español equivale a solía
seguido de infinitivo o al pretérito imperfecto de indicativo: yo cantaba, tú cantabas,
él cantaba, etc.

2. Structure:

Exercises
1. Look at the chart. Write five sentences describing how life used to be
different. Use didn´t use to and the words in parentheses.
1848 Chewing gum invented in the United States.
1909 First permanent hair waves given in London.
Crossword puzzles appeared in an American newspaper for the first
1913
time.
1918 Daylight – saving time introduced in America.
1920 Nineteeth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allowed woman to vote.
1926 First movie with sound produced.

a. PEOPLE DID NOT USE TO CHEW GUM BEFORE 1848

(People/chew gum)
b. WOMAN DID NOT USE TO HAVE PERMANENT HAIR WAVES BEFORE
1909
(Women/have permanent hair waves)
c. CROSSWORD PUZZLES DID NOT USE TO APPEAR IN THE NEWSPAPER
BEFORE 1913
(Crossword puzzles/appear in the newspaper)
d. PEOPLE DID NOT USE TO CHANGE THE TIME BEFORE 1918
(People/change the time)
e. WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES DID NOT USE TO VOTE BEFORE 1920
(Women in the United States/ vote)
 f. MOVIES DID NOT USE TO HAVE SOUND BEFORE 1926
(Movies/have sound)

2. Affirmative and Negative Statements.

Complete the sentences about the assistant manager of a California bank,
Yoko Shimizu. Use used to or didn´t use to and the verbs in parentheses.
a. Yoko USED TO BE (be) a full – time students. Now she has a job at a
bank.
b. She DID NOT USE TO WORK (work) with a computer. Now she uses one
every day.
c. She USED TO HAVE (have) a car. Now she owns a 1993 Toyota Corolla.
d. Yoko USED TO TAKE (take) the bus to work. Now she drives.
e. The bus DID NOT USE TO BE (be) crowded. These days it´s difficult to
find a seat.
f. Yoko USED TO LIVE (live) New York. Then she moved to Los Angeles.
g. She DID NOT USE TO LIKE (like) Los Angeles. Now she thinks it´s a nice
city.
h. She DID NOT USE TO KNOW (know) a lot of people in Los Angeles. Now
she has a lot of friends there.
i. She USED TO RETURN (return) to New York several times a year. these
days she doesn´t go there very often.
j. She USED TO WRITE (write) a lot of letters. Now she makes a lot of
phone calls instead.
3. Affirmative Statements.
Life in the United States isn´t the way it used to be. Complete the chart.

In the past Now

1. PEOPLE USED TO RIDE horses.
2. PEOPLE USED TO READ by candlelight.
3. PEOPLE USED TO COOK over open fires.
4. PEOPLE USED TO FLY in propeller
airplanes.
5. PEOPLE USED TO HAVE large families.
6. PEOPLE USED TO WASH all of their
clothes by hand.
7. PEOPLE USED TO USE manual
typewriters.
8. IT USED TO TAKES twenty – five days to get
a message from New York to San Francisco.
People ride in cars.
People read by electric light.
People cook in microwave ovens.
People fly in jet planes.
People have small families.
People wash most of their clothes in
washing machines.
People use word processors and
computers.
It takes just a few seconds.
 4. Questions and answers.
Look at these two ID cards. Ask and answer questions about Sara Rogers,
a new employee at City Savings Bank. Use used to and the cues in
parentheses.

1. (live in California?)
A:DID SARA USE TO LIVE IN CALIFORNIA?
B: NO, SHE DID NOT
2. Sara recently moved to Los Angeles. (Where/ live?)
A: WHERE DID SARA USE TO LIVE ?
B:SARA USED TO LIVE IN NEW YORK
3. This is her first job. (What/ do?)
A: WHAT DID HER USE TO DO?
B: HER USED TO DO BE STUDENT
4. Sara looks very different from before. She has short hair and wears glasses.
(have long hair?)
A: DID SARA USE TO BEFORE HAVE LONG HAIR?
B:YES ,SHE USED TO HAVE LONG HAIR
5. (Wear glasses?)
A:DID SHE USE TO WEAR GLASSES?
B: YES, SHE WEAR GLASSES
6. Sara´s last name is different from before. (be married)
A: DID SARA USE TO BE MARRIED?
B: YES , SHE USED TO BE MARRIED