'used to do' or 'be used to doing'.
Hello and welcome everyone. This is Minoo at Anglo-Link.
In today's lesson, we're going to look at the expression 'used to',
which I find many of my students use incorrectly.
We will start with three tips, and we will end with an error correction exercise.
That's the really important part, so don't miss that.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use this expression
more confidently when you speak.
A quick reminder to download my free guide
on how to speak more fluently and confidently through doing listening activities.
You will find the download link in the description box.
So, let's get started with the lesson,
So, Tip number 1 is to use 'used to' only for a habit or a fact in the past,
for example...
here we have a habit in the past: I used to run on Sundays.
you mean that you don't run on Sundays anymore.
A fact in the past: She used to live in the countryside.
it means that she doesn't live in the countryside anymore.
Now, a couple of quick grammar points
is that it's a fixed expression.
So, it doesn't change with the pronoun.
Whether it's 'I' or 'she' or 'he' or 'we',
And after 'used to', we use the base verb,
the infinitive without 'to'.
'She used to live in the countryside.'
So, that's how you use 'used to'.
A common mistake that I hear my students make
is using this expression 'used to' without the 'd'.
So, 'use to' for a habit or a fact in the present.
For example...
Or: Now she uses to live in a city.
This expression does not exist in the present.
You can never say things like this.
So, I suppose you're asking yourself:
How do we express a habit or a fact in the present?
Maybe there's a tense you can use to express a habit or a fact in the present?
I hope your answer was that there is a tense,
which is the Present Simple tense:
So, let's look at the correct sentences
because we need to add an 's' to the second sentence.
something that you do regularly,
you can add the adverb 'usually' to your sentence.
Or: Now I usually run on Fridays.
So, Tip 2 is about a spelling mistake.
Remember our sentence was 'I used to run on Sundays.'
Now, we want to make this sentence negative or question.
It's an expression in the past, so we use 'didn't' and 'did'.
One thing you need to do to avoid this spelling mistake
like you would do with any other past tense:
I didn't use to run on Sundays.
And: Did she use to live in the countryside?
Okay! That's the end of Tip 2, short one.
Let's look at our Tip number 3, a very important one!
Tip number 3 is that the expression
these two expressions are completely different.
They're different in their idea,
and they're different in their grammar.
'used to' refers to a habit or fact in the past.
'be used to' means to 'be okay with',
to 'be comfortable with', 'not mind'.
For example...
when you say: I am used to spicy food.
you're saying: I'm okay with spicy food.
I'm comfortable eating spicy food.
When I eat spicy food, I don't experience any problems.
That's the idea of 'be used to'.
So, let's look at the grammar of this expression.
Here, the main thing is the verb 'be'.
So, that's what gets conjugated.
If you want to make it negative, you just add 'not'
because it's the verb 'to be'.
You can put it in any tense you want.
You conjugate the verb to be in another tense:
You can say: I will be used to...
Now, a very common mistake still related to grammar
saying: I am used to eat spicy food.
So, what has happened here is that we are using
this expression followed by a verb.
If you do that, you need to use NOT the base verb
I am used to eating spicy food.
So, let's end the lesson with a quick summary of the three tips.
Tip 1:
Do not use 'used to' for present habits and facts.
Write 'use to'. Drop the 'd' after 'did' and 'didn't' when you make negative and questions.
Remember that 'used to' and 'be used to'
are completely different, both in meaning and structure.
Okay!
It's time now for our error correction exercises.
I have four sentences for you with a mistake in them,
and I'd like you to correct them.
So, let's look at the first sentence.
Nowadays, we use to eat fish twice a week.
What's wrong with this sentence?
So, obviously 'nowadays', we're talking about a habit in the present.
We cannot use this expression for a habit in the present.
Just use the Present Simple tense:
Nowadays, we eat fish twice a week.
So, let's look at the correct sentence:
Nowadays, we eat fish twice a week.
you can add the expression, the adverb, the frequency adverb
'usually' to your sentence as well,
We usually eat fish twice a week.
Okay! let's look at sentence number 2:
What's wrong with this sentence?
We are using the sentence in the negative with 'didn't'.
Therefore, there should be no 'd' here.
Let's look at the correct sentence:
Okay!
Let's look at sentence number 3:
I'm not used to wake up early.
I'm sure you got this one as well.
We're using the expression 'I'm not used to'.
So, it's the expression 'be used to',
and therefore this must not be in the base verb form,
I'm not used to waking up early.
In the nineties, he used to working as an accountant.
What do you think is wrong here?
Okay! I hope you found that as well.
'used to'.
The expression 'used to',
but the mistake is using the gerund here.
After the expression 'used to',
So, that's the correct sentence:
In the nineties, he used to work as an accountant.
Okay! That's the end of the lesson.
For more practice, check out my other lesson on 'used to',
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