How to use ” used to (do) “

How to use ” used to (do) “

Team Ambitiousbaba and AB are here with a Grammer series. In this series, candidates will be introduced to Basic Grammer and this will help you in improving your grammar, which will improve your score in the English section in the competitive examinations. Today’s Grammer topic is How to use ” used to (do) ”

Study this example situation:

Nicola doesn’t travel much these days.
She prefers to stay at home.

But she used to travel a lot.
She used to go away two or three times a year.

She used to travel a lot = she travelled oft en in the past, but
she doesn’t do this any more.

I used to do something = I did it oft en in the past, but not any more:

• I used to play tennis a lot, but I don’t play very much now.
• David used to spend a lot of money on clothes. These days he can’t afford it.
• ‘Do you go to the cinema much?’ ‘Not now, but I used to.’ (= I used to go)

We also use used to … for things that were true, but are not true any more:

• This building is now a furniture shop. It used to be a cinema.
• I used to think Mark was unfriendly, but now I realise he’s a very nice person.
• I’ve started drinking coffee recently. I never used to like it before.
• Lisa used to have very long hair when she was a child.

‘I used to do something’ is past. There is no present. You cannot say ‘I use to do’.
To talk about the present, we use the present simple (I do).

• We used to live in a small village, but now we live in a city.
• There used to be four cinemas in the town. Now there is only one.

Read More : How to use I will and I’m going to

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