2.5. Express contrasting past actions. Give your reason.

Model: As a rule she gets up early. (on Sunday)

She didn’t get up early on Sunday. She got up late on Sunday. It was her day off.

1. Usually I have breakfast at 8. (yesterday)

2. She is always ready to help. (the other day)

3. Tom sleeps very well, as a rule. (last night)

4. I often go abroad on business. (last year)

5. My sister writes to me twice a month. (two years ago)

6. Nick is 20 and he has got a driving license. (when he was 15)

7. Walter is seldom away from classes. (on Monday)

8. Henry waits Kate after work and gives her a lift home. (the day before yesterday)

9. It often rains this month. (last month)

10. She speaks English fluently. (a year ago)

11. Martha skates very badly. (when she was a schoolgirl)

12. Mr Ryan doesn’t walk much. (when he was younger)

13. My parents aren’t great theatre-goers. (many years ago)

14. Sam wears glasses. (five years ago)

15. Mr Black is in a hurry. He is late for the lecture. (yesterday)

16. They always help their mother about the house. (last Friday)

17. He doesn’t remember her telephone number. (half an hour ago)

18. Sometimes I miss the 5 o’clock train. (last week)

19. He doesn’t go shopping. (the other day)

20. She doesn’t do her homework in the evening. (yesterday)

Oral Activity

The teacher divides the class into two teams and gives a sentence. The teams in turn ask questions based on the teacher's sentence. Each correct question gets 1 point. The team with the most points is the winner.

Possible sentence: They robbed a bank. / He invited her to dinner. / Ann wrote a letter. / She bought a new dress, etc.

Team A. S1:	Who robbed a bank?
Team B. S1:	Did the police catch the robbers?
Team A. S2:	How much money did they get?
Team B. S2:	Did the robbers shoot anyone? etc.

R emember:

Used to expresses past habits or states. It forms its negative and interrogative with did and it is the same in all persons. The Past Indefinite can be used instead of used to: She used to walk/walked long distances. She didn’t use to stay in and watch TV.

Would expresses past repeated actions and routine. Used to expresses past states or habits: Grandma would always make me porridge for breakfast (also: used to make). When I was young I used to live in Leeds (not: would).

Was going to expresses unfulfilled arrangements or unfulfilled plans in the past, or actions one intended to do but did not or could not do: He was going to visit Pam but she wasn’t at home.

2.6. Fill in:

(A) used to or would:

I (1) used to live in a small house in the country when I was a little girl. I (2) ..... get up every day at 7 o’clock and get ready for school. My mother (3) ..... get our breakfast ready and then she (4) ..... walk to the bus stop with us and wait for the school bus to pick us up. The bus (5) ..... be on time. We stayed at school until 3.00 pm and then we (6) ..... catch the bus home again. In the afternoon we (7) ..... walk home alone because mother didn’t pick us up. She (8) ..... work in an office, but she stopped working last year and now she stays at home.

(B) was going to, would or used to:

Last week I (1) was going to visit an old house where we (2) ..... play as children, but I didn’t have the time. We (3) ..... go there every weekend and play cowboys and Indians. We (4) ..... love it! My friend (5) ..... buy it and turn it into a hotel or so he (6) ..... say, but of course he didn’t.