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1.3
Used to: The Way We Were
Contrasting past habits and states with the present.
⏱️ 32 minutes
B1 Bridge
👂 Listening | 🗣️ Speaking | ✍️ Practice

🎯 Learning Objectives

  • Identify when to use used to for past habits and states that have changed.
  • Construct accurate affirmative, negative, and question forms of used to.
  • Explain how roles and processes have evolved in a professional context.
  • Compare past and present situations confidently in work and daily conversations.
📚
Grammar Explanation
4 minutes

Used to = Past Habit or State (Not True Now)

Use used to + base verb to talk about past routines, habits, or situations that have changed today.

  • Past habits: “We used to print every contract.”
  • Past states: “Our team used to be only three people.”
  • Contrast: Always implies “Now things are different.”

Form

Affirmative: Subject + used to + base verb → “I used to lead onsite workshops.”

Negative: Subject + didn't use to + base verb → “We didn't use to have CRM software.”

Question: Did + subject + use to + base verb? → “Did you use to travel every week?”

Remember the disappearing d: whenever you see did or didn't, drop the d and write use to.

Used to vs. Past Simple

  • Used to → repeated habit or long-running state: “We used to hold Monday stand-ups.”
  • Past Simple → single, finished action with a clear time: “We held a stand-up yesterday.”

Tip: Ask yourself, “Was it a routine or situation over time?” If yes, choose used to. If it happened once, use the Past Simple.

🎯
Context & Professional Usage
5 minutes
Professional Context
🛠️ Process Evolution: “We used to process invoices manually; now everything is automated.”
👥 Team Growth: “This department used to be much smaller.”
📈 Role Development: “I didn't use to lead presentations, but now it's my main task.”
💬 Client Expectations: “Our clients used to prefer phone calls. Now they want instant chat support.”
Everyday Context
🏡 Lifestyle Changes: “I used to live in Manchester before I moved here.”
📀 Technology Shifts: “People used to buy CDs. Now we stream everything.”
☕ Personal Habits: “I used to drink a lot of coffee, but now I prefer tea.”
👪 Community Stories: “There used to be a market on Saturdays; now it's a park.”
💡
Business English Examples
6 minutes

✅ Correct Professional & Daily Usage

✓ "Our company used to have a very formal dress code."
Past state that has changed to a more casual culture.
✓ "I didn't use to work remotely; I commuted every day."
Negative form shows a past habit that is no longer true.
✓ "Did you use to report to Mr. Evans in your old department?"
Question form asks about a past professional situation.
✓ "This software used to crash all the time before the latest update."
Repeated past problem that has been solved.
✓ "I used to be afraid of public speaking."
Past state that highlights personal growth.
✓ "My town didn't use to have a train station, but they built one last year."
Community change expressed with the negative form.

❌ Common Business Mistakes

✗ "He didn't used to like virtual meetings."
✓ "He didn't use to like virtual meetings." → Drop the d after didn't.

✗ "I used to send the client an email yesterday."
✓ "I sent the client an email yesterday." → Specific finished time → use Past Simple instead.

✗ "I am used to work in a team."
✓ "I used to work in a team." → For past habits that ended, use used to. Use "be used to + -ing" to mean 'be accustomed to'.
🎧
Professional Listening Exercise
6 minutes

Listen to Frank, a senior operations manager, show the new hire Anna how LogiCorp used to work and how it works now.

Audio: LogiCorp Office Tour
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0:00 / 0:00
Speed:
⚠️ Unable to load audio. Please verify the source URL.
Question 1: What is the main purpose of Frank's conversation with Anna?
Question 2: According to Frank, what did the main operations floor use to look like?
Question 3: How were shipments managed in the past?
Question 4: Complete the sentence: "The managers _______________ that you had to be in the office to be productive."
🧠
Quick Comprehension Check
4 minutes
Choose the correct option for each business scenario:
1. You are asked about your education. Which response is correct?
A) I have graduated from university in 2015.
B) I did graduate from university in 2015.
C) I graduated from university in 2015.
2. Your colleague asks, "Have you seen the quarterly report?" You saw it yesterday. What is the best reply?
A) Yes, I have seen it yesterday.
B) Yes, I saw it yesterday.
C) Yes, I've seen it.
3. You are updating your boss about your week. Which sentence is correct?
A) I have finished three client proposals so far this week.
B) I finished three client proposals so far this week.
C) I did finish three client proposals so far this week.
✏️
Professional Practice Exercises
7 minutes

Exercise 1: Then & Now Table

Read the sentences about the manufacturing company. Type the correct phrase in each column.

Sentences: We used to produce everything in one factory. Our employees didn't use to get bonuses. The company used to sell only in Europe. Now we have three specialized sites. Everyone receives an annual bonus. The company exports all over the world.

Manufacturing Company Changes
In the Past
Now

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice Cloze

Choose the correct option in each sentence.

Context A: Tech Startup Culture

1. We (1) ______ an office; everyone worked from a small co-working space.

2. We (2) ______ formal meetings.

3. The founder (3) ______ us for lunch once a week to discuss progress.

Context B: Hospital Ward Changes

1. We (1) ______ paper charts for all patient notes, which was very slow.

2. Nurses (2) ______ most of their shift writing.

3. (3) ______ a central computer system like we have now?

Exercise 3: Error Correction

Each sentence has one mistake. Write the corrected sentence.

Context A: Marketing Agency

1. We use to have a different logo.

2. Did you used to work with our competitor, AdCorp?

3. Clients didn't used to care so much about data privacy.

Context B: University

1. Students didn't used to submit their essays online.

2. This building use to be the library.

3. Did the university used to offer scholarships for international students?

Exercise 4: Sentence Building

Put the words in the correct order to make sentences.

Context A: Financial Services

1. approve / manually / to / We / used / all transactions /.

2. our clients / Did / to / visit / us / use / in person / ?

3. didn't / We / software / to / have / use / this kind of /.

Context B: Retail Store

1. to / this street / be / used / a bookshop / on / There /.

2. handwritten / use / price tags / Did / to / you / make / ?

3. online / sell / didn't / products / We / use / to /.

🗣️
Professional Speaking Preparation
4 minutes
📚 PREPARATION FOR CLASS
Use these prompts to get ready for live speaking practice about past vs. present.

Speaking Tasks - Prepare and Practice with Your Teacher:

Task 1: Controlled Practice (1 minute)
Complete these sentences with true information comparing past and present. Prepare to share one or two.
Options: (A) your first job, (B) your previous role, (C) your company five years ago.
  • I used to ________, but now I ________.
  • My company used to ________, but now it ________.
  • We didn't use to ________, but now we ________.
Task 2: Guided Practice (1 minute)
Ask your teacher about the changes they have seen in their industry.
  • "Did your industry use to be very different?"
  • "Did companies use to have more or less technology?"
  • "Did people use to have a better work-life balance?"
Task 3: Free Practice (2 minutes)
Choose one scenario and speak for about one minute. Your teacher will ask follow-up questions.
  • Technological Change: Describe a tool you use now. How did you use to do the task before it existed?
  • My Hometown: Explain how your town or city has changed. What places used to be there? What's new now?
📋
Summary & Professional Applications
3 minutes

🎯 Key Takeaways

Used to + base verb describes past habits or states that are finished now.

It always signals a contrast between the past and the present.

Remember the “disappearing d”: after did / didn't, write use to.

📚 Study Tips

Business Grammar ✓
Professional Listening ✓
Speaking Preparation ✓
Business Writing ✓
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