Usually and Used to - Activity

Usually and used to

"usually" and "used to" Grammar

A common mistake both for learners of English as well as native speakers is the difference between “Used to” and “Use to” and when (or if) we put the letter D at the end of the verb.

First let’s look at the meaning of it:
Used to = an action or habit that was common in the PAST but not anymore.

This should not be confused with
To be used to = accustomed to something (normally out of habit or experience)

We use 'used to' for something that happened regularly in the past but no longer happens.

Ø  I used to smoke a packet a day but I stopped two years ago.

Ø  Ben used to travel a lot in his job but now, since his promotion, he doesn't.

Ø  I used to drive to work but now I take the bus.

We also use it for something that was true but  no longer is.

Ø  There used to be a cinema in the town but now there isn't.

Ø  She used to have really long hair but she's had it all cut off.

Ø  I didn't use to like him but now I do.

'Used to do' is different from 'to be used to doing' and 'to get used to doing'

to be used to doing

We use 'to be used to doing' to say that something is normal, not unusual.

Ø  I'm used to living on my own. I've done it for quite a long time.

Ø  Hans has lived in England for over a year so he is used to driving on the left now.

Ø  They've always lived in hot countries so they aren't used to the cold weather here.

We use 'to get used to doing' to talk about the process of something becoming normal for us.

Ø  I didn't understand the accent when I first moved here but I quickly got used to it.

Ø  She has started working nights and is still getting used to sleeping during the day.

Ø  I have always lived in the country but now I'm beginning to get used to living in the city.

Used to in Negative

If we want to make a negative sentence, the didn’t part shows that we are talking about the past tense.

It is NOT common to use Used to in negative form though we will show you how to do it anyway.

Compare the normal past tense:

Ø  I played rugby on Saturday. (past - affirmative)

I didn’t play rugby on Saturday. (past – negative – play doesn’t have the –ed at the end because the auxiliary didn’t tells us that the sentence is in the past tense)

And now let’s see a sentence with Used to:

Ø  I used to like her, but now I hate her.

I didn’t use to like her but now I think she is great.

Many times we use never instead of didn’t. In this case we use “used” in past tense. Compare:

Ø  I didn’t use to smoke.

I never used to smoke.

Used to in Questions

As with normal questions in the past tense, we use the base form of the verb (not the verb in past tense), since the auxiliary DID shows us that the question is in the past tense.

+  I used to ride a bike to school every day.

-   I didn’t use to ride a bike to school. I would normally go by bus.

?  Did you use to ride a bike to school when you were a child?

Some more examples

Ø  What did you use to do after school when you were a kid?

Ø  Where did you use to go on vacation with your parents?

Usually

The adverb usually refers to what typically or normally happens. We use it mostly in mid position, between the subject and the main verb, or after the modal verb or first auxiliary verb, or after be as a main verb:

Ø  Children usually enjoy visits to the zoo.

Not: Children enjoy usually visits …

Ø  I usually get up around eight o’clock.

Ø  You can usually buy tickets for rock concerts on the Internet.

Ø  Are you usually in your office on Thursdays?

Warning:

Usually does not mean the same as used to or be used to. 

Ø  We usually watch the news on TV before we go to bed.

Not: We used to watch the news … or We’re used to watching the news…   or We use to watch the news …

We can also use the verb tend to talk about what usually happens:

Ø  We tend to watch the news on TV before we go to bed.

We say as usual, not as usually, to talk about something which happens in the normal or typical way:

Ø  We shall meet again as usual at 5 pm next Tuesday.

Not: We shall meet again as usually at …

Typical errors

• Take care to spell usually with ll.
• Don’t confuse usually and used to. Usually refers to what normally happens; used to refers to things which were true in the past but are no longer true:

I usually play football on Wednesday evenings, so Thursday would be better for me to go out for a meal.

Not: I used to play football …

(English Grammar Today © Cambridge University Press.)

Ability and possibility

Ability and posibility

Can, Could, Be able to

Can, Could, Be able to

Can

Can is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use can to:

·        - talk about possibility and ability

·         -make requests

·         -ask for or give permission

Structure of Can

subject + can + main verb

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to").

	subject	Auxiliary verb	Main verb
+	I	can	play	tennis.
-	He	cannot	play	tennis.
		can't
?	Can	you	play	tennis?

Notice that:

·         Can is invariable. There is only one form of can.

·         The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

Use of Can

Can: Possibility and Ability

We use can to talk about what is possible, what we are able or free to do:

·         She can drive a car.

·         John can speak Spanish.

·         I cannot hear you. (I can't hear you.)

·         Can you hear me?

Normally, we use can for the present. But it is possible to use can when we make present decisions about future ability.

·         Can you help me with my homework? (present)

·         Sorry. I'm busy today. But I can help you tomorrow. (future)

Can: Requests and Orders

We often use can in a question to ask somebody to do something. This is not a real question - we do not really want to know if the person is able to do something, we want them to do it! The use of can in this way is informal (mainly between friends and family):

·         Can you make a cup of coffee, please.

·         Can you put the TV on.

·         Can you come here a minute.

·         Can you be quiet!

Can: Permission

We sometimes use can to ask or give permission for something:

·         Can I smoke in this room?

·         You can't smoke here, but you can smoke in the garden.

(Note that we also use could, may, might for permission. The use of can for permission is informal.)

Could

Could is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use could to:

·         talk about past possibility or ability

·         make requests

Structure of Could

subject + could + main verb

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to").

	subject	Auxiliary verb	Main verb
+	My grandmother	could	swim.
-	She	could not	walk.
		couldn't
?	Could	Your grandmother	swim?

Notice that:

·         Could is invariable. There is only one form of could.

·         The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

Use of Could

Could: Past Possibility or Ability

We use could to talk about what was possible in the past, what we were able or free to do:

·         I could swim when I was 5 years old.

·         My grandmother could speak seven languages.

·         When we arrived home, we could not open the door. (...couldn't open the door.)

·         Could you understand what he was saying?

We use could (positive) and couldn't (negative) for general ability in the past. But when we talk about one special occasion in the past, we use be able to (positive) and couldn't (negative). 

Look at these examples:

	Past
	General	Specific Occasion
+	My grandmother could speak Spanish.	A man fell into the river yesterday. The police were able to save him.
-	My grandmother couldn't speak Spanish.	A man fell into the river yesterday. The police couldn't save him.

Could: Requests

We often use could in a question to ask somebody to do something. The use of could in this way is fairly polite (formal):

·         Could you tell me where the bank is, please?

·         Could you send me a catalogue, please?

Be able to

Although we look at be able to here, it is not a modal verb. It is simply the verb be plus an adjective (able) followed by the infinitive. We look at be able to here because we sometimes use it instead of can and could.

We use be able to:

·         to talk about ability

Structure of Be able to

The structure of be able to is:

subject + be + able + infinitive

	subject	be main verb	able adjective	infinitive
+	I	am	Able	to drive.
-	She	Is not	Able	to drive.
		isn't
?	Are	you	Able	to drive?

Notice that be able to is possible in all tenses, for example:

·         I was able to drive...

·         I will be able to drive...

·         I have been able to drive...

Notice too that be able to has an infinitive form:

·         I would like to be able to speak Chinese.

Use of Be able to

·         Be able to is not a modal auxiliary verb. We include it here for convenience, because it is often used like "can" and "could", which are modal auxiliary verbs.

be able to: ability

We use be able to to express ability. "Able" is an adjective meaning: having the power, skill or means to do something. If we say "I am able to swim", it is like saying "I can swim". We sometimes use "be able to" instead of "can" or "could" for ability. "Be able to" is possible in all tenses - but "can" is possible only in the present and "could" is possible only in the past for ability. In addition, "can" and "could" have no infinitive form. So we use "be able to" when we want to use other tenses or the infinitive. Look at these examples:

·         I have been able to swim since I was five. (present perfect)

·         You will be able to speak perfect English very soon. (future simple)

·         I would like to be able to fly an airplane. (infinitive)

First Conditional

First Conditional

First Conditional

First Conditional: real possibility

A conditional is a sentence or part of a sentence that expresses a condition. It usually begins with the words "when," "if" and "unless."

A condition is what must happen before something else can happen.

We are talking about the future. We are thinking about a particular condition or situation in the future, and the result of this condition. There is a real possibility that this condition will happen. For example, it is morning. You are at home. You plan to play tennis this afternoon. But there are some clouds in the sky. Imagine that it rains. What will you do?

IF	condition	result
	present simple	WILL + base verb
If	it rains	I will stay at home.

We use the present simple tense to talk about the possible future condition. We use WILL + base verb to talk about the possible future result. The important thing about the first conditional is that there is a real possibility that the condition will happen. Here are some more examples (do you remember the two basic structures: [IF condition result] and [result IF condition]?):

IF	condition	result
	present simple	WILL + base verb
If	I see Mary	I will tell her.
If	Tara is free tomorrow	he will invite her.

·         In clauses with time words like when, after, until we often use the present tense forms to talk about the future:

1. I’ll come home when I finish work.
2. You must wait here until your father comes.

·          In conditional clauses with if or unless we often use the present tense forms to talk about the future:

1. We won’t be able to go out if it is raining.
2. If Barcelona win tomorrow they will be champions. 

·         We do not normally use will in clauses with if or with time words:

1. I’ll come home when I will finish work.
2. We won’t be able to go out if it will rain. rains.

·         but we can use will if it means a promise or offer:

1. I will be very happy if you will come to my party.
2. We should finish the job early if George will help us.