Wednesday 26 December 2007

AAE Q116: 'used to'

Hi,

When is the tense : "I used to study" used?

Explain it please

Mahmoud



Hi,

'Used to'

It refers to past habits and states. If we say that somebody used to do something, we mean that some time ago he was in the habit of doing this, but he no longer does it now. Here are some examples:

  • 'I used to smoke 30 cigarettes a day, but I gave up when I became convinced that smoking causes cancer.'
  • 'I didn't use to like cricket, but now I'm getting interested in it.'
  • 'Didn't he use to be vegetarian?' 'Yes, he did, but he started eating meat last winter and now he's a real carnivore.'
Hope this helps

M

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