I used to cook. Now I don't.

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Used to, Didn't Use to

Intermediate

After this lesson, you will be able to talk about things you did repeatedly in the past.

Exercise 1

Sentence Practice

I used to stay up late at night.
We used to play basketball after school.
Alex used to be fat.

I didn’t use to eat breakfast.
Japan didn’t use to be a rich country.
This hotel didn’t use to be famous.

Grammar Focus

Why do we use 'used to'?

We use 'used to' to talk about a habit or a situation that existed in the past.

I used to smoke. (= Now I don't smoke.)
She used to be rich. (= She is not rich now.)
There used to be a house here. (= The house is not here now.)

How do we use 'used to'?

Put 'used to' before a verb in the plain form: used to + verb. For example: 'used to + cook', 'used to + travel'.

To negate 'used to', put 'didn’t' in front of it, and remove "d" : didn't use to.

I didn’t use to smoke. (= I smoke now)
I never used to smoke. (= I smoke now)
She didn’t use to be rich. (= She is rich now)
There didn’t use to be a house here. (= Now there is a house here)

Tip: "Didn't Used to" vs "Didn't Use to"

You will see both "didn't use to" and "didn't used to" in major English-language publications. On exams however, you may want to use "didn't use to" to be safe.

Exercise 2

Sentence Practice

He used to drink 3 cans of beer every day.
There used to be a tall tower here.
I used to have short hair.
Driving cars used to be a hobby only for rich people.
I didn’t use to have long hair.
We didn’t use to live in town.
This office didn’t use to be noisy.
I never used to work in the evening.
My brother never used to like vegetables.

Exercise 3

Rephrasing Sentences

Rephrase the following sentences using used to / didn't use to.

It was my habit to swim every day.

It was never my habit to swim every day.

There was a kindergarten here before.

There never was a kindergarten here.

She liked spinach as a child.

She didn't like spinach as a child.

Hong Kong was once a small fishing village.

Hong Kong was not such a large city.

Exercise 4

Sentence Building

Talk about the things that you used to do or didn't/never used to do as a child.

Example

go to school every day → I used to go to school every day.

get sick/ill often
cry a lot
play outside often
live in a different city
hate eating vegetables
get into fights with other kids
feed ducks at the park