GATEWAY TO THE WORLD B2+

UNIT 1
GRAMMAR II

Present and Past Habits

To talk about present habits we can use:

•the present simple with or without an adverb of frequency.

Our lessons start at 8 o’clock.

Your sentence: _____________________________________________________________

•the present continuous with an adverb of frequency. We oſten use always, constantly and
continually to imply that the speaker finds the habit annoying.

She’s always taking my things.

Your sentence: Teachers are always giving lots of assignment.

•will

My friends and I will usually meet on Friday evenings.

Your sentence: My family and I usually watch TV shows on Saturday nights.

When we stress will, it oſten implies that we find a habit annoying.

He will talk with his mouth full.

Your sentence: My sister will muck me.

To talk about past habits that we have stopped doing, we can use:

•used to

My dad used to read me stories when I was small.

Your sentence: My mother used to read me books, when I was a child.

We cannot use used to to talk about single events in the past or when we give a period of time. In
this case, we use the past simple.

She used to work in a factory. She worked there for five years.

NOT She used to work in a factory for five years.

Your sentence: _____________________________________________________________

The negative form of used to is didn’t use to.

 GATEWAY TO THE WORLD B2+
UNIT 1
GRAMMAR II

• would

We use would with past actions, but not past states.

He would visit us often. NOT He would have a bike.

Your sentence: _____________________________________________________________

We do not usually use wouldn’t to talk about past habits.

He didn’t use to give us presents. NOT He wouldn’t give us presents.

Your sentence:

When we stress would it usually implies that the speaker finds the habit annoying.

Mum would insist on me getting up early on Sundays.

Your sentence: _____________________________________________________________

•the past continuous with an adverb of frequency. We oſten use always, constantly and continually
to imply that the speaker finds the habit annoying.

My dad was always working late at that time.

Your sentence: My friend was always cheering gum next to my ear.

To talk about things that are normal or familiar to us, we can use be used to. We can use this to talk
about the past, present or future by changing the tense of be. Aſter be used to,we use a gerund.

I’m used to getting up early

Your sentence: _____________________________________________________________

Activities

A. Choose the correct tense to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.
1. Jane (used to / is using) bake cookies every Sunday.
2. He (always reads / is always reading) a book about history, how boring!
3. We (will visit / used to visit) our grandparents every holiday.
4. My dad (was always watching / was used to watch) football at home.
5. She (will go / used to go) to the gym three times a week.
6. Every morning, Sarah (goes / used to go) for a run in the park.
 GATEWAY TO THE WORLD B2+
UNIT 1
GRAMMAR II

7. In my old job, I (would work / did work) with a diverse team.

8. He (would read / is reading) comics during his breaks at school.

9. They (are used to / would be) the cold weather since they moved here.
10. When I was younger, I (was used to play / would play) soccer in the park.

B. Read the sentences below and decide if the verbs in bold are in the correct form. If the verb
is incorrect, rewrite it with the correct form.
1. She is use to eating spicy food because she grew up in India. _______________
2. Last weekend, they played tennis at the club. _______________
3. My mother is always telling me what to do and I hate it! _______________
4. We used to go to the beach every summer when we were kids. _______________
5. He was always listened to music while he was working. _______________
6. I’m used to talking to my parents about my problems. _______________
7. I used to go to Venice once for a holiday. _______________
8. They were studying for their exams but now they study hard. _______________

9. We used to live in a small town before we moved to the city. _______________

10. My grandmother would have a knitting machine. _______________
Now open your books page 12 to do the activities 4 and 5 then come back for your: Exit
Test
C. Please write a paragraph comparing your past habits to present habits. Write at least 10
sentences.
E.g. I used to play with toys but now I play computer games.
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 GATEWAY TO THE WORLD B2+
UNIT 1
GRAMMAR II

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