A. Read the two sentences under the photo. They both describe past situations and actions.

1. There used to be a candy store on that corner. There’s a restaurant there now.
2. When I was a kid, I would go to the candy store after school and buy a small bag of candy. I would usually eat it all before I got home.

Used to and would have similar meanings. Use used to + the simple form of a verb to talk about a past situation that no longer exists. Use would + the simple form of a
verb to talk about a past action that was done repeatedly.

B. Read each sentence below. Is it about a past situation that no longer exists? Or is it about a past action that was done many times? Write used to or would on the line.

1. Maya ___________________ live in Miami, and her sister ___________________ live in London. Now they both live in Brussels.
2. I had two friends who wanted to be songwriters. Every time they wrote a new song, they ___________________ sing it for me. Then they ___________________ ask me for my opinion.
3. When I was a child, I ___________________ hate tomatoes. I ___________________ hate mushrooms, too. Now I like them both.
4. Irma ___________________ work the night shift, but now she works 9 AM to 4 PM.
5. We ___________________ have a dog named Fida. She died when she was 14—a long life
for a German Shepherd.
6. When Maya lived in Florida, she ___________________ go to the beach every Saturday. She ___________________ pack a lunch, and sometimes she ___________________ stay the whole day. She ___________________ read on the beach and take walks along the ocean.
7. When I had a dog, I ___________________ take her for long walks almost every day.
Sometimes we ___________________ walk for an hour or more.
8. Alex ___________________ study French. Now he’s thinking about living in Mexico for a
year, so he’s studying Spanish instead.
9. Irma worked the night shift for years. She ___________________ start working at 11 PM. At 7 AM she ___________________ go home and get her kids ready for school. Then she ___________________ sleep until 2 PM.
10. I ___________________ have two friends who wanted to be songwriters. I’m not sure where they are now. Someone told me they’re in Hollywood, writing music for movies.
11. When I was a child, I hated tomatoes and mushrooms. Whenever my mother made a dish with tomatoes or mushrooms in it, I ___________________ pick them out and push them to the side of my plate.
12. When Alex studied French, he had a good system for learning new words. He ___________________ write each new word on a small card. Then, on the back of the card, he ___________________ write the word in his language. He ___________________ also write a sentence using the new word. He had more than a thousand cards.

Copyright © 2017 Sandra Heyer. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Photo: © Sheli Jensen | Dreamstime. Reprinted with permission.