Past habits: used to/would

Past habits: used to/would

NB: Avoid using used to /would when speaking how long or how many times something happened!

Ex.1 Fill in used to or would

1. Every time John failed the exam, he … always blame invigilators.

2. Years ago people … be less tolerant towards people of different religion or race.

3. In the past women … often sacrifice their career in favor of raising their children.

4. African Americans … be treated differently from Euro-Americans.

5. Boys and girls … go to single-sex schools.

6. I … have longer hair.

7. Why don’t you come and see your granny as you …

8. Ben … have a good sense of humor.

9. In my teens I … know a lot of poems by heart.

10. Whenever a stranger came, the dog … start barking.

Ex.2 Complete the sentences with a contrasting statement.

1. Years ago women used to do all the housework while now …

2. In the past African Americans didn’t use to have the right to vote whereas now …

3. Years ago …, but now women get married in their 30-s.

4. In the past …, while now many students drop out from schools.

5. Years ago …, but now most people have an only child.

6. A full-time student used to mean someone studying hard with an occasional vacation job, whereas now …

7. In the past …, but now many students are caught cheating at the exams.

8. In the Soviet Union … while now parents have to pay tuition fees.

9. Teenagers … , but now many of them are obsessed with social networking.

10. Primary school …, while now most children are 6-year-olds.