Used To

Subscribe to English Grammar Exercises by Email

Used to is used to express habits in the past.

Examples

This is Jack. He gave up smoking two years ago. He no longer smokes. But he used to smoke. He used to smoke 40 cigarettes a day.

He used to smoke means that he smoked regularly for some time in the past, but he doesn't smoke now :

We use used to with the infinitive (used to do/ used to smoke etc.) to say that something regularly happened in the past but no longer happens. Let's see the following examples :

I used to play tennis a lot, but now I'm too lazy.

Do you go to the cinema very often?' 'Not now, but I used to.'

We also use used to for past situations (which no longer exist). Let's see the following examples :

we used to live in a small village but now we live in Jakarta.

This building is now a furniture shop. It used to be a cinema

Used to + infinitive is always past. There is no present. You
cannot say 'I use to do'. For the present ' use the present simple (I do). Let's see the following examples !

Past	Present
He used to smoke. I used to live. There used to be ....	He smokes. I live. There is .....

The normal question form is did ... use to ...? Let's see the following examples :

Did you use to eat a lot of sweets when you were a child?

The negative form is didn't use to ... (or 'used not to'). Let's see the following examples :

Jack didn't use to go out very often until he met Jane.

Be careful not to confuse I used to do and I am used to doing. Structures and meanings are different. Let's see the following examples !

I used to live alone . (= I lived alone but no longer live alone.)

I am used to living alone .(= I live alone and don't find it strange or new because I've been living alone for some time.)

Used to Exercises

Exercise I

Complete the sentences below with used to and a correct word!

Your mother doesn't cry so much now but she ................ every day before you came back .
She ................... my girlfriend but now I am married to someone else.
We live in Bandung now but we ............... in Jakarta.
Now there's only one woman in my heart but there.............. three.
When I was a child I ................. football, but I don't like it now.

Exercise II

Use your imagination to complete the table describing Jack's habit at twenties and at sixties. Use the phrases provided. Number 1 has been done for you.

get up early, work in an office, go to night clubs, sing rock songs, travel a lot, have a lot of meetings, smoke, go to bed early, have lunch out, spend a lot of time with friends

At Twenties (the past)	At Sixties (now)
1. He used to get up early. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.	1. He gets up late.

Answer

Exercise I

Your mother doesn't cry so much now but she used to cry every day before you came back.
She used to be my girlfriend but now I am married to someone else.
We live in Bandung now but we used to live in Jakarta.
Now there's only one woman in my heart but there used to be three.
When I was a child I used to play football, but I don't like it now.

Exercise II

At Twenties (the past)	At Sixties (now)
1. He used to get up early. 2. He used to work in an office. 3. He used to go to night clubs. 4. He used to sing rock songs. 5. He used to travel a lot. 6. He used to have a lot of meeting. 7. He used to smoke. 8. He never used to go to bed early. 9. He used to have lunch out. 10. He used to spend a lot of time with friends.	1. He gets up late. 2. He doesn't work anymore. 3. He stays at home at night. 4. He doesn't sing any songs. 5. He stays at home a lot. 6. He hardly has a meeting. 7. He doesn't smoke. 8. He goes to bed early. 9. He has lunch at home. 10. He spends a lot of time with his wife.