Used To - Past Habits Exercises

Used to describes things that happened regularly in the past but no longer happen now. The structure is simple: subject + used to + base verb. "I used to walk to school" means this was a regular habit that has stopped. Used to works for both repeated actions (past habits) and past states — situations that were true but have changed: "She used to live in Paris" means she lived there before, but she doesn't now. You can use "used to" for any past situation that is different from the present.

A common mistake is confusing "used to" with the present. "I used to smoke" means "I smoked before but I stopped" — it does not mean "I smoke now." The negative form is didn't use to (notice: "use" without the "d"): "I didn't use to like vegetables." Remember that "used to" has no present form — you cannot say "I use to walk" in modern English. This grammar point is tested frequently in Cambridge A2 Key and B1 Preliminary examinations.