Past habits that ended: used to
Use used to + base verb for something that happened often in the past but does not happen now.
- People used to write letters. Now they send messages.
- I didn't use to have a phone. (negative)
- Did you use to play outside? (question)
Compare with present simple for today: "Now they write emails."
Change that reaches today: present perfect
Use has/have + past participle when a change started in the past and still matters now.
- Phones have become smaller since 1990. (since + starting point)
- Cities have grown a lot for fifty years. (for + length of time)
Do not use the present perfect with a finished time word: say "In 1990 phones were big", not "have been big in 1990".
Comparing past and present
- Short adjectives: adjective + er + than: fast → faster than.
- Long adjectives: more + adjective + than: more useful than.
- Same level: as + adjective + as: as easy as.
- Linking contrast: while, whereas, however: "Letters took days; however, emails take seconds."
Words that show change
- no longer / not any more: People no longer use telegrams.
- more and more / less and less: More and more people shop online.
- become / grow / increase / decrease / replace / improve
- Time words: in the past, nowadays, over the years, by 2020, since, for.
Useful society words: smartphone, internet, online, convenient, community, lifestyle.
Key formulas and definitions
- used to + base verb = ended past habit
- has/have + past participle + since/for = change up to now
- adjective-er than / more + adjective + than
- as + adjective + as
- no longer + verb; more and more + noun
Worked examples
1. Write a sentence with used to about travel.
People used to travel by train, but now many travel by plane.
2. Complete: Life ____ (change) a lot since 1990.
has changed. Since 1990 starts in the past and continues to now, so use the present perfect.
3. Compare a letter and an email using "than".
An email is faster than a letter. A letter is slower and less convenient than an email.
Common mistakes
- Using used to for a present habit. Wrong: I use to... Right: for now use the present simple.
- Writing "I have seen it in 2010". Use past simple with a finished time: I saw it in 2010.
- Writing "more faster". Use faster (short) or more useful (long), never both.
- Forgetting the -d in "I used to": it is used to, not use to (except after did/didn't).