would

Expressing Past Habits

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In English, you can use both “used to” and “would” for expressing past habits to emphasize that they are not true anymore.[1]https://blog.off2class.com/habits-and-repeated-actions-past/

Because they are used to talk about habits, it is slightly different than the past simple tense or the past continuous tense.

expressing past habits

Would

You can use the word “would” to talk about repeated actions in the past. A repeated action is an action that happens at a specific moment in time in the past.

You can use “would” for:

  • Moral formal situations
  • Events that happen many times

Examples include:

  • I would practice the piano every day.
  • She would hide every time I tried to find her.
  • They would have loud parties every Friday evening.

Used to

You can use the words “used to” to talk about states in the past. A state is a condition that happens over a period of time in the past.

You can use “used to” for:

  • Questions
  • Negatives
  • Stative verbs

Examples include:

  • We used to live in Paris when I was younger.
  • He didn’t use to be shorter than me.
  • Did she use to go to school with us?

Expressing Past Habits Practice Exercises

Choose the correct the correct form between “would” and “used to” for expressing past habits.

 13%

Question 1 of 8

1. When I was younger, I ________ go surfing during the summer.

Question 1 of 8

Question 2 of 8

2. They ________ have a dog.

Question 2 of 8

Question 3 of 8

3. She ________ like dancing.

Question 3 of 8

Question 4 of 8

4. They ________ live in Los Angeles.

Question 4 of 8

Question 5 of 8

5. When I was a child, I ________ often dream of becoming an actor.

Question 5 of 8

Question 6 of 8

6. When he was younger, he ________ play baseball with his friends.

Question 6 of 8

Question 7 of 8

7. Susie ________ to live in New York City.

Question 7 of 8

Question 8 of 8

8. My dog ________ chew on everything in the house.

Question 8 of 8


 

References[+]

Modal Verbs: can/can’t/could/couldn’t/would/wouldn’t

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Modal verbs are helping verbs that express obligation, permission, possibility, and ability.[1]https://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/verbs/modal-verbs/

Can/Can’t

“Can” is used in many different situations.

Positive

Subject + can + base verb

Negative

Subject + can’t + base verb

Question

Can + subject + base verb

When do you use it?

Possibility

  • I can run very fast.
  • She can speak French
  • They can visit us.

Impossibility

  • We can’t eat that food.
  • He can’t call us.
  • It can’t be done.

Ask for Permission

  • Can you help me with my homework?
  • Can they come with us?
  • Can we get ice cream?

Give Permission

  • You can eat some dessert.
  • They can come to our house.
  • She can borrow our car.

Could/Couldn’t

In the present tense, the modal verb “could” is used to:

Ask for Permission

Could + subject + base verb (this is a polite way to ask for permission)

  • Could I talk to her?
  • Could I have their number?
  • Could I have an appointment?

Give a Suggestion

 Subject + could + base verb

  • You could fly tomorrow.
  • You could ask the manager.
  • You could take the tour of the park tomorrow.

Would Like/Wouldn’t Like

The modal of “would like” is used to show if someone is interested in something (object).

Positive

Subject + would like + object

Negative

Subject + wouldn’t like + object

Question

Would + subject + like + object

Would Like To/Wouldn’t Like To

The modal of “would like to” shows if someone is interested in doing something (action).

Positive

Subject + would like + to + infinitive

Example:

  • I would like to swim right now.
  • She would like to eat lunch.
  • They would like to visit us next summer.

Negative

Subject + wouldn’t like + to + infinitive

Example:

  • I wouldn’t like to go there by myself.
  • John wouldn’t like to meet you.
  • We wouldn’t like to eat vegetables.

Question

Would + subject + like to + infinitive?

  • Would you like to come with me?
  • Would they like to eat dinner with us?
  • Would she like to talk?

Practice Exercises

Please go to Modal Verbs: can/can’t/could/couldn’t/would/wouldn’t to view this quiz

References[+]