Habitual behaviour

will arrive home late

1. Talking about habitual actions.

We use would / used to + infinitive to describe habitual past actions.

I used to live in New York City.
I would go to Central Park every Sunday.

We also use used to + infinitive to describe past states.

He used to believe in Santa Claus when he was very young.

We use use to + infinitive with the auxiliary did/didn't in a question or negative statement.

Did you use to play football?
I didn't use to like spinach.

 

Match the two parts.

2. Correct or incorrect?

Decide if the sentences are correct or incorrect.

3. Question forms.

Complete the sentences with used to or use to.

4. Talking about habitual actions and states.

We can use different ways to describe past repeated or habitual actions. Match the examples to the forms.

5. Word order.

Put the words in order to make more sentences describing repeated or habitual actions.

6. Past or present?

BE CAREFUL! 
Be/Get used to + noun /-ing has a completely different meaning to used to + infinitive. It describes an action that was difficult or strange at first but then became familiar.

At first it was difficult, but then they just got used to living in the city. (a change that happened)
He’s used to getting up so early because he’s done it for years. (a current situation)
He used to get up early. (a habit in the past)

 

Do these sentences talk about the past or the present? Drag them into the correct box.

7. Sentence casino.

Play the sentence casino game. Are the sentences grammatically correct or incorrect?

  • You start with 20 points.
  • Decide how many points you want to bet.
  • When you are correct, you win double the points.
  • When you are incorrect, you lose the points.

How many points can you win?

8. Will for habitual behavior.

He will spend hours at a time on the Internet.

This is another way of saying:

He habitually spends hours at a time on the Internet.

Rewrite the sentences using will. Remember to include punctuation.

For more information about will for habitual behaviour see the Grammar Reference.

9. Can you remember?

Can you remember the original sentences in the previous exercise? Try and complete them.