Past Habits – Would / Used to

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Would v. Used to
Would / Used to Differences
Common Mistakes
Word Order
Practice

Past Habits

Would / Used to

Would versus Used to

WOULD			USED TO
Would and used to have very similar meanings and can often be used in the same situations. We tend to use would to talk about or narrate a story about typical behavior or routine in the past. Would is followed by the "plain form" (base verb form).			We tend to use used to more to talke about things that happened at an earlier stage of life, but those things are now finished (circumstances have changed). (Used to is not used just to say what, how long, or how many times an activity happened.) Used is followed by an infinitive (infinitival nonfinite clause).
We	WOULD + VERB would go	ROUTINE to the beach after school. (routine)	We	USED TO + VERB used to go	FORMER HABIT to the beach after school. (earlier stage of life)
We	would put on	our swimsuits.	We	used to put on	our swimsuits. (earlier stage of life)
We	would head	for the waves.	We	used to head	for the waves.
The guys	would smoke and act	"cool".	The guys	used to smoke and act	"cool".
	Would you	smoke too? (behavior)		†Did you use to	smoke? †Remove the final -d when using did.

head (v.) – go in the direction
waves (n.) – rolling action of water onto the beach; also used for sound or hair

Related page: Used to / Be used to

Differences Between Would and Used to

WOULD	USED TO
Would can not refer to past states. It can refer to behavior especially when related to the occurrence of another activity (conditioned outcome or behavior).	Used to can refer to past states: being, possession, mind, and major, unbreakable habits (usually bad) etc.
NOT USED FOR: PAST STATES OF POSSESSION, MIND, BEING She would have a surf board. Incorrect	PAST STATES OF POSSESSION, MIND, BEING She used to have a surf board. (state of possession)
She would think it was all right to sit in the sun all day. Incorrect	She used to think it was all right to sit in the sun all day. (state of mind)
She would be the most popular girl on the beach. Incorrect	She used to be the most popular girl on the beach. (state of being)
She would bite her finger nails / smoke / take drugs. Incorrect	She used to bite her finger her finger nails / smoke / take drugs. (major habit, doesn't do it now, earlier stage of life)
CONDITIONED OUTCOME / BEHAVIOR She would have an amazing tan by the time summer ended. (conditioned outcome)	CONDITIONED OUTCOME / BEHAVIOR She used to have an amazing tan by the time summer ended. (conditioned outcome)
She would think she was very cool whether or not anyone else did. (conditioned behavior)	She used to think she was very cool whether or not anyone else did. (conditioned behavior)
She would be the most popular girl on the beach when she wore her bikini. (conditioned behavior)	She used to be the most popular girl on the beach when she wore her bikini. (conditioned behavior)
She would bite her finger nails whenever she was nervous. (conditioned behavior)	She used to bite her finger nails whenever she was nervous. (conditioned behavior)

Common Mistakes

ERROR	FIX
Last year, I used to study very hard. (It is not used to say what happened at a past time.)	Last year, I studied very hard. (to refer to a temporary past activity) Last year, I studied very hard, but this year, not so much. (to refer to a change in intensity) When I was in college, I used to study very hard. (to refer to an earlier stage of life)
I used to live in San Diego for five years. (It is not used to say how long.)	I lived in San Diego for five years. (Use past tense with a quantity of time.) I used to live in San Diego. (Used to is not used with a quantity of time.)
I used to go to the gym several times. (It is not used to say how many times.)	I went to the gym several times. (Use past tense.) I often used to go to the gym. (Use an adverb of frequency instead.)
Did you used to live in Los Angeles? (word form error)	Did you use to live in Los Angeles? (Remove the final -d when using did.)

Related page: Used to / Be used to

Would / Used to

Word Order

AUXILIARY	SUBJECT	AUXILIARY	MAIN VERB	ADVERBIAL PHRASE	CLAUSE
STATEMENT	Joe	used to	call	every morning.
	He	would	call	every morning.
QUESTION Did	Joe	use to	call	every morning?
Would	he		call	every morning?
*TAG QUESTION	Joe	used to	call	every morning,	didn't he?
	He	would	call	every morning,	wouldn't he?
NEGATIVE	Joe	didn't use to	call	every morning.
	He	would n't	call	every morning.
†EMPHASIS	Joe	did	call	every morning.
†EMPHASIS	He	would	call	every morning.
WITH ADVERB OF FREQUENCY	Joe	always used to	call.
	He	rarely would / would rarely	call.

Neither would nor used to uses a marker for subject verb agreement: He/She/I/We/You/They used to live...
*A tag question can also occur with a negative main sentence and a positive final question: He wouldn't call very often, would he? Related page: And so / too

†Use emphasis word order when contradicting or stating that the opposite is true: "I think he didn't use to call every morning." "No, he did call every morning."

Practice

Past Habits

Would and Used to

Select the word order that best completes the sentence.
Then click the button on the right to check your answer.

#	YOUR RESPONSE	CHECK YOUR RESPONSE
1.	In the 1950s, women dishes in the kitchen sink.
2.	A woman the dishes immediately after everyone finished a meal. meal (n.) – breakfast, lunch or dinner
3.	Her husband dishes because it was not considered to be his job.
4.	A wife the dishes by hand.
5.	She the dishes three times a day. do dishes (expression) – wash dishes See make / do
6.	I remember that my mother a special towel just for dishes not for hands.
7.	She angry if we used it to wipe our hands dry.
8.	She a very strict mother. strict (adj.) – imposing rules for behavior
9.	Did your mother the same rule?
10.	You would use a separate towel for dishes,
11.	Grandmother the dishes for thirty years. Then she bought a dishwasher.
12.	Last year, she a dishwasher and will never go back to hand-washing the dishes!