“Used to” +  a Verb in the Simple Form

Level: High Beginning and Up
Pair with the Songs:
“Somebody That I Used to Know” (Gotye, 2011)
“Invisible String” (Taylor Swift, 2020)
Recommended Videos:
“Somebody That I Used to Know”: the cover by Pentatnix
“Invisible String”: the official lyric video

The phrase used to + verb in the simple form refers to an action that doesn’t happen anymore or a situation that is no longer true. (In contrast, the construction to be used to + noun has a different meaning–it means “to be accustomed to.” For example, “The traffic noise used to bother me, but now I’m used to it.”) The song “Somebody That I Used to Know” repeats the title phrase nine times, and Swift’s song repeats the phrase used to three times in the first verse. You could follow up with a Draw-Write-Share Activity. Ask students to draw a picture of what they used to do or how they used to be. Under their drawing, they complete the sentence “I used to _____________________, but now I _____________________.” Then they share their drawing and their writing with a partner. (Please see Activity 3: Class Discussion on a Song’s Theme for more on the Draw-Write-Share concept.) Or students could practice “used to” with the worksheet below. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

changes.docx          changes.pdf          changes (webpage)

Preview:

Then and Now

A.  Write about three changes in your life.

  1. I used to ___________________________________________________________________. Now I ___________________________________________________________________.
  2. I used to ___________________________________________________________________. Now I ___________________________________________________________________.
  3. I used to ___________________________________________________________________. Now I ___________________________________________________________________.

B. Are you happy about these changes? Tell a partner why you are happy or not happy with each change.

© 2021 Sandra Heyer. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Image: © Photopal604 | Dreamstime. Reprinted with permission.