Study the rules, look at the examples, then do the exercises.
We often want to say that something was true in the past but is not true any more. Maybe you had a habit and you stopped it, or a place was different years ago. English has a special structure for exactly this idea: used to.
Here is the core idea in one line: used to + base verb describes a past habit or a past state that is finished now. When you hear "used to", you know two things at once: it was true before, and it is not true today.
The form is wonderfully simple. The subject never changes anything: it is always used to (with a d) plus the base verb (V1), for every person — I, you, he, she, we, they.
| Subject | used to | base verb | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / you / we / they | used to | live | We used to live in a small town. |
| he / she / it | used to | have | She used to have long hair. |
This is the most important spelling point in the whole unit. In the negative and the question, we use did / didn't. Because did already shows the past, the d of used drops off — we write use to, not "used to".
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | used to + V1 | I used to walk to school. |
| Negative | didn't use to + V1 | I didn't use to like vegetables. |
| Question | Did + subject + use to + V1? | Did you use to play football? |
| Short answer | Yes, I did. / No, I didn't. | "Did she use to dance?" "Yes, she did." |
This is where students make the biggest error. Used to is only for repeated habits or long states. For a single, finished action (something that happened once), you must use the Past Simple.
| Idea | used to | Past Simple |
|---|---|---|
| Repeated habit over time | I used to visit my grandparents every summer. | I visited them every summer. (also possible) |
| One single action (once) | ✗ not used | Last week I visited them. |
| Long past state | She used to live in Paris. | She lived in Paris for ten years. |
Careful: be used to and get used to look similar but mean something completely different. They mean be / become accustomed to — something feels normal because you do it often. The form is be/get used to + noun or -ing, NOT the base verb.
| Structure | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| used to + V1 | past habit, now finished | I used to get up late. (before, not now) |
| be used to + -ing | accustomed to (it feels normal) | I am used to getting up early. (no problem now) |
| get used to + -ing | becoming accustomed to | I am getting used to my new school. |
These are the errors B1 students make most often with "used to". Check your own writing against this list.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Did you used to live here? | Did you use to live here? | after "did", the d drops: use to. |
| I didn't used to like carrots. | I didn't use to like carrots. | after "didn't", the d drops: use to. |
| Yesterday I used to see my old friend. | Yesterday I saw my old friend. | a single event → Past Simple, not used to. |
| She used to has long hair. | She used to have long hair. | always the base verb after used to. |
| I am used to get up early now. | I am used to getting up early now. | be used to + -ing, not the base verb. |
Deniz walks around the old neighbourhood with his grandpa and they talk about how it has changed. Read it twice and notice how they use "used to" for the past and the Past Simple for single events.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the words, then use them in your own sentences about your childhood.
Write 8 sentences about your childhood and how life used to be. Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): childhood · memory · neighbourhood · tradition · generation · change · get used to
Last weekend, the electricity in our flat went off for a whole evening. There was no internet, no television, and of course no charged phones. At first my little brother and I felt bored and a little lost. Then our grandmother, who was visiting us, laughed and said, "This is exactly how life used to be when I was your age." That evening, by the light of a few candles, she told us all about life before smartphones, and it was one of the most interesting talks we have ever had.
"When I was a child," Grandma began, "we did not have mobile phones at all. Our family used to have one telephone, and it was fixed to the wall in the hall. If you wanted to call a friend, everybody in the house could hear your conversation! We didn't use to have any privacy, so we learned to keep our secrets in a different way."
I asked her how people used to arrange to meet without messages. She smiled. "We used to plan everything in advance," she said. "If I agreed to meet a friend at the park at four o'clock, I simply had to be there. There was no way to send a quick message to say I was late, so we used to wait patiently, and we always kept our promises."
Grandma also told us that children used to spend much more time outside. "Every afternoon, we would play in the street until it got dark," she remembered. "We used to climb trees, ride our bikes and invent our own games. We did not use to stay inside staring at screens. Our parents used to call us home for dinner by shouting from the window."
Then she talked about how people used to find information. "There was no internet," she said, "so we used to use big, heavy books called encyclopaedias. When I had homework, I used to walk to the library, which was a special place full of quiet and paper. Finding one fact could take an hour, but I think we used to remember things better because of it."
My brother asked if life was boring without phones. Grandma shook her head firmly. "Not at all! We used to write long letters to our cousins, and we waited days for a reply. We used to listen to the radio together as a family, and we used to know all our neighbours. Life was slower, but in some ways it was richer, because we really talked to each other."
Of course, Grandma admitted that not everything used to be better. "If you got lost, it was a real problem," she laughed, "because there were no maps on a phone. And if you missed your favourite programme on television, you simply missed it forever. Today you can watch anything whenever you like, and that is wonderful."
By the time the lights came back on, my brother and I did not even want them. We had spent the whole evening talking, laughing and playing an old card game that Grandma used to love. It felt strange to realise that we had not looked at a single screen for hours, and that we had not missed them at all.
Now, once a week, our family has a "no-screen evening", just like the old days. We play games, read books and tell stories, exactly as Grandma used to do. Smartphones are useful, and I would never want to give mine up completely. However, that evening taught me something important: sometimes the best way to feel close to people is simply to put the screen down and talk.
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE word from the text. Mind the form (used to / be used to / get used to).
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. How did people used to arrange to meet before mobile phones?
2. According to Grandma, what did children used to do instead of staring at screens?
3. What did the narrator learn from the evening without electricity? Do you agree?
Find these connectors in the text — each one appears at least once: and, but, so, when, however. (You will use these same connectors in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
Todd and Rachael remember how things were different when they were children.
You will hear two friends, Todd and Rachael, talking about things that used to be normal when they were children — but that are strange or even illegal today. You will listen TWICE. First listen: answer questions 1-5. Second listen: answer questions 6-10. (Kaydı İKİ kez dinleyeceksin: ilk dinlemede 1-5, ikinci dinlemede 6-10.)
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
A list of short, separate sentences is not real writing. What connects your ideas is linking words. At A2 you used and, but, so, because. At B1 you add four more powerful connectors: also, when, while, although and however. These let you compare the past and the present like a confident writer.
| Connector | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | add information | We used to play outside, and we knew all our neighbours. |
| but | show a small contrast | Life was simple, but we were happy. |
| so | show a result | We had no phones, so we talked more. |
| because | give a reason | I loved summers because we used to visit my grandparents. |
| also | add an extra point | Our town used to be small. It also used to be very quiet. |
| when | say at what past time | When I was a child, we used to walk to school. |
| while | two things at the same time | While my parents worked, I used to stay with my grandmother. |
| although | show a strong contrast | Although we had little money, we did not use to worry. |
| however | contrast between two sentences | I did not use to like the city. However, I got used to it. |
See the difference — the same facts, written two ways:
| Separate sentences ✗ | Connected, fluent writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| I used to live in a village. It was small. We had no cars. We used to walk everywhere. I moved to the city. I like it now. | I used to live in a small village, and we had no cars, so we used to walk everywhere. When I moved to the city, I did not like it. However, I got used to it, and now I love it. |
A "how life used to be" paragraph has three parts. The skeleton stays the same every time — you change the content, not the structure:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | A general topic sentence with "used to" | Life used to be very different when I was a child. |
| 2. Body | Old habits and states with "used to" and "didn't use to", plus one single event in the Past Simple, linked with connectors. | We used to play outside all day. One summer, I fell and broke my arm. |
| 3. Closing | A comment about now, using "nowadays" or "get used to" | Nowadays life is faster, but I am used to it now. |
Write about how life used to be before smartphones and the internet — for you, your family, or your parents' generation. Use "used to" a lot, and mix in the Past Simple for single events.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + listening. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
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