This ESL activity teaches students how to use "used to" and "would" for talking about finished events or series of events in the past.

1. ‘Used to’ and ‘Would’
Talking about the past

2. Used to
 When?
 In the past.
 Describes an action or state that no longer still happens.
 States include: be, have, live, love, believe
 Example:
 I used to live in France.
 I used to love her, but I had to leave her.

3. Would
 When?
 In the past.
 Describes repeated actions but not states.
 Slightly more formal than “used to”
 Example:
 When I was young, I would eat chocolate every day.
 Back then, I would walk to school every day.

4. Examples
 When I was young I used to play baseball.
 I used to have a dog.
 My grandmother would always tell stories after dinner.
 People would get very angry when the laws changed.
 In those days people would hunt for food.
 When I was a child I would wake early every day.

5. Practice
1. When we were young, my brother _________
take me to the park.
2. I __________ believe in Santa Claus.
3. When I was a student, I __________ save my
money until the weekend, and then spend it all.
4. I had a dog who __________ bark all night.
5. His girlfriend ___________ complain about him
all the time.
used to/would
used to/would
used to/would
used to/would
used to

6. Practice
 Think about yourself when you were in primary school.
 What routines did you have?
 What did you do regularly?
 Write five sentences using “used to” or “would”.