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Habit

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Analía Roitman
Analía Roitman

The document discusses different ways to talk about past and present habits in English. It explains that "used to" is used to describe past habits or states that no longer exist. It also notes that "would" can refer to repeated past actions but not states. Additionally, the past simple tense can describe past habits. For present habits, the present simple or continuous tense are used, sometimes with frequency adverbs or "always."

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HABIT • PAST HABIT: USED TO FORM: • Positive statements Subject + Used to + infinitive - We used to walk to school every day. • Negative statements Subject + Didn’t + use to + infinitive - She didn’t use to wear such short dresses! • Questions Did + subject + use to + infinitive - Did people use to go dancing fifty years ago? USE: We use used to to talk about past habits and states that do not occur now or no longer exist. - We used to be driven to school but now we walk. - What did people use to do before electricity was invented? - Ken used to be shy, but he’s more confident since he met Cindy. WATCH OUT! 1- Used to is not used to say how often things happened or how long they took.
2- Be careful not to confuse used to with be/get used to + noun/gerund. This means be/become accustomed to something because you’ve been doing it for a while. - I’m used to making my own meals. - I can’t get used to the cold winters. • PAST HABIT: WOULD Would is also used to talk about habits and repeated actions but not about pat states. - When I was little, I would/used to play with my brother’s model cars. NOT: We would used to live in a small village • PAST HABIT: PAST SIMPLE This can also be used to describe past habits and states. - When I was a child, I walked to school every day. • PRESENT HABIT: PRESENT SIMPLE OR CONTINUOUS To talk about present habits we can use: - Present simple, often with a frequency adverb: I generally park outside the library. - Present Continuous + always: He´s always going abroad on conferences. This often suggests an annoying habit. My sister is always borrowing my clothes.

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Habit

  • 1. HABIT • PAST HABIT: USED TO FORM: • Positive statements Subject + Used to + infinitive - We used to walk to school every day. • Negative statements Subject + Didn’t + use to + infinitive - She didn’t use to wear such short dresses! • Questions Did + subject + use to + infinitive - Did people use to go dancing fifty years ago? USE: We use used to to talk about past habits and states that do not occur now or no longer exist. - We used to be driven to school but now we walk. - What did people use to do before electricity was invented? - Ken used to be shy, but he’s more confident since he met Cindy. WATCH OUT! 1- Used to is not used to say how often things happened or how long they took.
  • 2. 2- Be careful not to confuse used to with be/get used to + noun/gerund. This means be/become accustomed to something because you’ve been doing it for a while. - I’m used to making my own meals. - I can’t get used to the cold winters. • PAST HABIT: WOULD Would is also used to talk about habits and repeated actions but not about pat states. - When I was little, I would/used to play with my brother’s model cars. NOT: We would used to live in a small village • PAST HABIT: PAST SIMPLE This can also be used to describe past habits and states. - When I was a child, I walked to school every day. • PRESENT HABIT: PRESENT SIMPLE OR CONTINUOUS To talk about present habits we can use: - Present simple, often with a frequency adverb: I generally park outside the library. - Present Continuous + always: He´s always going abroad on conferences. This often suggests an annoying habit. My sister is always borrowing my clothes.