Simple Past, Time Clauses, Used To, and Would
1 Before TV existed, families listened to the radio together.
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B Pair Work Compare your sentences with a partner. How many different ways are there to
say the same thing?
A I wrote, “Before free education was available, most people did not read
or write.”
What did you write?
B I wrote, “Until free education was available, most people did not read
or write.”
C Over to You Think of three more sentences like the ones in B. Use your own
ideas and the words after, before, when, until, or as soon as. Share your sentences
with a partner.
Before there were microwave ovens, it took a long time to heat up food.
3 Past with Used To and Would
Grammar Presentation
Used to and would Before we had the Internet, we used to go to the library a lot.
describe repeated past Before there was refrigeration, people would use ice to keep food
actions, habits, and cool.
situations.
3.1 Statements with Used To
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE
Base Base
Form of Did + Form of
Subject Used To Verb Subject Not Use To Verb
I I
You You
to the did not
He / She / It used to listen He / She / It use to watch TV.
radio. didn’t
We We
They They
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Data from the Real World
Research shows that statements about the past with didn’t use to I didn’t watch a lot of TV when
are not very common. Instead, you can use the negative form of I was younger.
the simple past.
3.2 Yes / No Questions and Short Answers with Use To
Base Form
Did Subject Use To of Verb Short Answers
I Yes, I did. No, I didn’t.
food
you Yes, you did. No, you didn’t.
cool
Did he / she / it use to keep Yes, he / she / it did. No, he / she / it didn’t.
with
we Yes, we did. No, we didn’t.
ice?
they Yes, they did. No, they didn’t.
Data from the Real World
Research shows that questions with use to are very rare. In those days, did you keep
Instead, you can use questions with the simple past. food cool with ice?
3.3 Information Questions with Used To
Wh- Word Did Subject Use To Base Form of Verb
I
When
you
Why
did he / she / it use to keep food cool with ice?
Where
we
How often
they
Wh- Word Used To Base Form of Verb
Who used to keep food cool with ice?
3.4 Statements with Would
AFFIRMATIVE
Subject Would Base Form of Verb
I
you
In the past, he / she / it would build a fire to heat water.
we
they
52 Unit 5 Simple Past, Time Clauses, Used To, and Would
Simple Past, Time Clauses, Used To, and Would
3.4 Statements with Would (continued)
NEGATIVE
Subject Would + Not Base Form of Verb
I
you
would not
In the past, he / she / it bathe often.
wouldn’t
we
they
Data from the Real World
Research shows that statements about the past with wouldn’t are In the past, they didn’t bathe
not very common. Instead, you can use the negative form of the often.
simple past.
3.5 Information Questions with Would
Time Context Wh- Word Would Subject Base Form of Verb
I
you
how
In the past, would he / she / it heat the water?
where
we
they
Time Context Wh- Word Would Base Form of Verb
In the past, who would heat the water?
Data from the Real World
Research shows that Yes / No questions with would are very rare. In the past, did you always get
Instead, you can use Yes / No questions with the simple past. information from the library?
3.6 Using Used To
A You can use used to for actions that My grandmother used to wash clothes by hand.
happened regularly in the past. These actions
do not happen now.
B You can use used to for states that were Air travel used to be very expensive. It is less
true in the past. These states are not true expensive now.
anymore.
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3.6 Using Used To (continued)
C Do not use used to for things that happened In the 1940s, chemists discovered a new way to
only once. make ice cream.
In the 1940s, chemists used to discover a new
way to make ice cream.
3.7 Using Would
A You can use would for actions that When my grandparents were children, they would listen
happened regularly in the past. to the radio every night.
B Before you use would, first make In the old days, people would wash clothes by hand.
the past time clear. Use a time They would hang them outside to dry.
expression, a simple past verb, or It used to be a day or more before the clothes would
used to. dry.
C With stative verbs, use used to, not We used to love to eat ice cream.
would, to talk about the past. Some We would love to eat ice cream.
examples of stative verbs are be,
love, know, and want. Ice cream used to be a luxury.
Ice cream would be a luxury.
D Do not use would to talk about Last week, Joe made green tea ice cream at home.
things that happened only once. Last week, Joe would make green tea ice cream at home.
E Use full forms in writing. Use In writing: We would sing songs or play games in
contractions in speaking. the evening.
In speaking: We’d go to bed early.
54 Unit 5 Simple Past, Time Clauses, Used To, and Would
