General English Lower Intermediate Level
Lesson 18

Changes

1. Watch the video attentively

Expression to work on

I feel good about the life at the moment

I live in an fantastic city and I am really happy with by job at the BBC

Tell me about you

I have a fabulous partner, four beautiful children, a great job and I live in London

I am enjoying my life for the moment, because I have a good circle of friends, I have a job that I really enjoy, I’ve just bought a flat

I enjoy living in the UK, I’ve been here for about nine years

I am bad to go on holidays; I am quite looking forward to that

I am happy with where I am

My life is great, I’ve got two lovely children, a great husband and I’ve just finished paying for my house

I’ve got a career opportunity going on, progressing a bit, starting a new one, I just changed the career a couple of years back, started a family, bought a house, things like that, things are going well, I am happy so far

Is there anything you would like to change?

Eventually yes, not at the moment

Not at the moment, a little bit more travel

I’d like to be richer

Nothing I could think of

I would like to get into graphic design, that’s something I really want to change

I’d like to be able to afford to join the gym so I could get fitter

My lave has changed a lot in last 10 years, I have lived in 3 different countries

How about you? How has your life changed in about few years?

My live has changed a bit in last 2 years, specifically I had a 5 years break from work, put my career on hold and returned to full time employment

I’ve recently had a young girl, a daughter, my wife gave a birth, yes that a big change in your life

I am living in a new area, where I haven’t lived before, so it is completely new to that part of London

That’s probably the biggest change

10 years ago, I was a student, I used to get up late, I used to have lots of time and I have to go to work

My life has changed; I have developed more and established a career

I’ve made a big decision to changing my career and personal life, I got married, had my first child, bought my first property

I have a family and I don’t see so much my friends anymore, a lot of my friends moved to out of London, so we don’t get together so much anymore

Activity 1

Technology has made our lives better

Or has it...?

Welcome to this lesson. We'll learn how we talk about our past habits and past situations. Let's start with a debate! Alice and Amith are in the studio arguing about modern technology. Before we hear them, take a look at their video diaries. Who do you think loves technology and who hates it?

Watch the video and try the activity

Transcript
Alice

(on the phone)

Yeah. It's great, isn't it? Amith and I are having a debate about modern technology. Well, you know what I think. I think it's amazing. I didn't use to be able to speak to you on the other side of the world but now I can. Anyway, I better go. Yeah. OK. I'll send you a selfie from the studio. Bye.

(to camera)

Sorry about that. My cousin in Australia! It's amazing, isn’t it? I think modern technology is fantastic. That's what I'm going to say in the debate. And they've asked me to make a video diary to tell you all about it. It's so exciting! I don't think Amith is so happy about it, though. I know. I've just had a really good idea to cheer Amith up before the debate. I'm going to photobomb his video diary! Do you know what a photobomb is? Come on. I'll show you.

Amith

Er. So they've asked me to do a video blog, er, video diary, to discuss modern technology. I'm not great with technology. There's all these things like trolling and social media, which I'm not really great with. So, life used to be so much more simple before all this technology, phones... I don't really feel comfortable doing this so I think I'm gonna give it a miss, guys.

Were you right? Alice is the technology lover but Amith hates it.

To do

See how much you can remember with this true or false game! Watch the video again and look at the transcript if you need more help.

True or false

Decide if these statements about the video are true or false

  • Amith thinks life used to be simpler.
  • Alice was talking on her phone after recording her video diary.
  • Alice is going to use her camera in the studio.
  • Alice interrupts Amith’s video.
  • Amith says he doesn’t like social trolling on the internet.
True False
Session Vocabulary
  • selfie (noun)
    a photo that you take of yourself, normally on a mobile phone
  • photobomb (verb/noun)
    to suddenly put yourself into someone else's photograph; the act of doing this
  • trolling (noun)
    behaving badly online - for example, posting negative and insulting comments on social media

Activity 2

The debate

Alice and Amith go head to head

It's debate time! Alice and Amith are in the studio talking about modern technology. Listen to what they say about modern technology. Which of the following topics do you think they mention?

  • communication
  • watching TV
  • reading
  • working
  • writing

Listen to the debate and see if you guessed correctly.

Listen to the audio and try the activity

  • Mike
    Hello and welcome to the Great Debate with me, Mike. Now here on the show we discuss the important topics of the day and give you listeners the chance to vote for what you agree with. In the studio with me today I have Alice...
  • Alice
    Hello.
  • Mike
    And Amith...
  • Amith
    Hi.
  • Mike
    Here is the deal. Each of our guests this morning has 30 seconds to argue their point of view. Then we hand it over to you at home to decide who was most convincing. The topic we're discussing today is Modern technology has made our lives much better. Arguing for this motion we have Alice. Alice, are you ready?
  • Alice
    Yes, absolutely, Mike. I'm always ready.
  • Mike
    Can I have 30 seconds on the clock? Alice, when I say go, you'll have half a minute to convince us all that modern technology is indeed a wonderful thing. Three, two, one. Go!
  • Alice
    Well, firstly smartphones are fantastic because we have everything we need at the touch of a button. We can access any information we need 24 hours a day. They help us stay in touch with our friends and family when we live far away from each other. I've got friends in Asia and Africa and family in Australia. It's so far away. It used to take months for a letter to reach the other side of the world. Now I can message or email and they receive it instantly. We can even video call which feels like we're in the same place.
  • Mike
    And your time is up. Thank you for that, Alice. Amith, she argued her case well didn't she?
  • Amith
    Yes. But I disagree on some points.
  • Mike
    Well, now we're going to hear from you arguing against the motion. Amith, when I say go, you'll have half a minute to argue your case. Tell us why you think modern technology is not all that great. OK, 3, 2, 1 go!
  • Amith
    I'm old-school. Life used to be so much simpler when we didn't have to rely on all these stupid [technologies]. I used to like going to the library. I love the feeling of books and writing letters. But now it's all about social network, which I find absolutely bizarre. We didn't use to have to rely on our phones to remember our phone numbers. We used to be able to disconnect. Now it's all about sharing your daily life on social network. Technology is way too fast to keep up-to-date with. So I have to disagree with Alice.
  • Mike
    Stop! And another very convincing argument! So who do we think has won the Great Debate this time? Well, sorry both of you, it's actually down to our listeners to decide. Tell us what you think at home at bbclearningenglish.com. That's all from The Great Debate this time.
  • All
    Bye!

Did you get it right? Alice talked about communication - talking to her friends and family in Asia, Africa and Australia. Amith talked about reading and writing - he said he liked going to the library and writing letters. But they didn't mention working or watching TV.

Session Vocabulary
  • at the touch of a button (idiom)
    something that can be done immediately or very quickly and easily
  • video call
    a visual communication between two or more people, usually on the computer or smartphones
  • old-school
    having old-fashioned or traditional values
  • bizarre
    very strange or unusual
To do

What else did they talk about in the debate? Answer the questions in this activity to see what you can remember.

Question time

Answer the questions. Choose the response you think is correct

Grammar Reference

‘Used to’

Meaning and use

We use the phrase used to when we want to talk about something we did regularly in the past, but we don’t do now. We also use it to talk about a past fact which is no longer true.

  • I used to work at a restaurant, but now I work at a library.
  • Shari didn’t use to take the bus to school, but now she does.

NOT: I used to eat some cake last Saturday night. (‘Saturday night’ was just one time, so it was not something done regularly.)

Used to can help us to compare activities in the past and now.

  • I used to work at a restaurant in the past, and now I work at a library.

When we say used to, we do not do something now.

  • I used to work at a restaurant. I quit that job, and then got a new job at a library.
Form

The different forms of this phrase are used to or did/did not/didn’t + use to.

Used to is used in positive sentences. Use to is used in negative and question forms.

Positive
  • Alan used to wear his hat every day until he left it on the bus.
  • My aunt used to have a dog called Charlie.
Negative
  • Marsha didn’t use to enjoy skiing, but now she loves it.
  • I was surprised that you didn’t use to live in Shanghai.
Question
  • Which road did you use to take to the village before they built the new one?
  • Did Martin use to have a flat in this building?
Negative question
  • Didn’t Paula use to study French?
  • Didn’t William use to work at night?
Take note: adverbs

Used to already means that something happened regularly in the past. You don’t need to add adverbs most of the time. However, if you want to stress a time period, you can add an adverb.

  • John didn’t use to go shopping often, but now he does.
  • We used to visit Mexico yearly, but lately, we’ve been going to Chile.
Spoken English

In conversation, used to is sometimes pronounced as /juːstə/. And you don’t say the ‘d’ and ‘t’ as separate sounds.

In fact, it is nearly impossible to hear the difference between used to and use to. Even if you can’t hear it, you can still pronounce this phrase correctly by saying /juːzd tə/ for both use to and used to. However, when you are writing, it is important to write the correct form. Remember, if there is a did or didn’t in the phrase, write use to. Otherwise, write used to.

Activity 1

It used to take ages to learn these things!

Talking about change

In our debate, we heard Alice and Amith talking about smartphones. They mentioned some ways they have made our lives today different from the past. Here's a guide to help you use used to correctly. Read it and then try the activities at the end.

Read the text and try the activity

Talking about change
Let’s look at some examples carefully. Pay attention to the verb form:
  • Alice – “It used to take months for a letter to reach the other side of the world. Now I can message or email and they receive it instantly.”
  • Amith – “I used to enjoy going to the library….We used to be able to disconnect. Now it’s all about sharing your daily life on social network.”

When Alice and Amith say used to, are they talking about past, present, or future time. What do you think?

Of course, they are referring to the past. But what does used to mean exactly?

Well, to help you understand, take a little time to ask yourself these questions:
  • When Amith says “I used to enjoy going to the library,” is he talking about something he did once? Or is it something he did regularly?
  • When Alice says “it used to take months for a letter to reach the other side of the world,” do we know exactly when? Or is she referring to an unspecified period of time?
  • In both examples, are these things that still happen now? Or are they things from the past that no longer happen or are no longer true?

In Amith’s example, he is talking about something he did on a regular basis in the past. He used to enjoy going to the library. Perhaps he went every week or every month – we don’t know exactly but we know he went there regularly. It was part of his routine. Does he still go now? Maybe, but he doesn’t enjoy it in the same way anymore. That has changed.

Let’s look at some more examples:
  • I used to live in Egypt when I was a child. (I lived there at some point in my childhood but I don’t live there now).
  • My family and I used to go to the seaside every summer for a caravan holiday but we always go on city breaks now. (At some time in the past, we went to the seaside in the summer time and we did this for many years. However, now we go on a different kind of holiday).
  • My husband used to smoke a packet of cigarettes a day! Thankfully, he’s given up now. (This was a past habit my husband had but he doesn’t do this anymore).
  • I found an old photo of my mum the other day. I can’t believe what huge glasses she used to wear! (She had those glasses at some point in the past but she doesn’t use them anymore).

In Alice’s example, she is talking about something that used to be generally true. Not so long ago, writing a letter was the main way to communicate with people far away and this was true for people all over the world. It used to take months for letters to reach the other side of the world. However, that is a thing of the past now. With email and instant messaging, we can keep in touch with our friends and family easily wherever they are and this is also true all over the world.

Let’s look at some more general examples:
  • My grandmother always says people used to be more polite when she was younger but I disagree.
  • Did you know that in the Middle Ages, most people used to think the Earth was flat?
  • Many children used to leave school before they were ten years old but now most people stay at school until they are eighteen.
  • It used to snow a lot more when I was younger but winters are much milder now.
In summary, we can use ‘used to’ to talk about:
  • A past routine or habit
  • A past state
  • A past truth or belief

In all of these cases, this has changed and is no longer happening/true in the present.

We form these sentences as follows:

Subject + used to + verb (bare infinitive)

What about negative forms? Take another look at this example from our debate:

  • Amith said: “We didn’t use to have to rely on our phones to remember our phone numbers.”

In this example, he is talking about something that was not true in the past but is true now (personally, I used to know all my relatives’ and friends’ phone numbers when I was younger – I still do! – but now, I have to use my phone to remember numbers, including my own!)

Here are some more examples:

  • I didn’t use to own a car but now I have one. (In the past, I never had a car but that is different now).
  • I didn’t use to like broccoli at all! (I didn’t like it in the past but now I do).
  • Computers didn’t use to be so small or so fast! (Older computers were larger and slower than today’s machines).

Notice that after didn’t, we use use to, not used to (the grammatical rule is the same as past simple, for example we say I visited / I didn’t visit…) In spoken English, used to and use to sound the same so listen carefully to whether the sentence is negative or positive!

To make that clear, this sentence is correct:

  • My dad didn’t use to play golf – he took it up when he retired.

…but this one is wrong:

  • My dad didn’t used to play golf – he took it up when he retired.

We can also use ‘never’ to give a negative meaning:

  • There never used to be a park here when I was a kid.
  • I never used to cook at home much but now I make my own meals all the time.

Notice that we use used to after never, not use to.

For questions, we use did + subject + use to...? Here are some examples:

  • Did you use to watch TheA-Team when you were a kid?
  • Did people really use to think we would have flying cars in 2015?
To do

Do you understand the meaning of used to now? Test yourself with this matching quiz.

Matching sentences

Match the beginnings of the sentences with the best endings

My granddad used to be a farmer…
I didn’t use to like school…
My brother used to spend hours playing video games…
My mother used to make delicious cakes…
I used to be really good at running…
My daughter never used to eat vegetables…
Homework

1. Learn the vocabulary

2. Learn the grammar

Activity 3

6 Minute Grammar

'Used to'

In 6 Minute Grammar, Neil, Catherine and Rob share their pasts with you and give lots of examples of used to.

Here's a question about the programme: Which one of the presenters played a lot of video games in the past, but now likes to read?

Things used to be so different! Look at the telephone this man is using!

Listen to the audio

Transcript
  • Neil
    Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Neil.
  • Catherine
    And me, Catherine. Hello.
  • Neil
    In today's programme we're talking about things we used to do...
  • Catherine
    ...in other words, things we did regularly in the past.
  • Neil
    Yes, we'll look at the phrase used to in positive and negative sentences, and in questions.
  • Catherine
    We'll bring you some spelling and pronunciation tips...
  • Neil
    And we'll finish of course with a quiz.
  • Catherine
    So, let's start with some example sentences from Rob. Hello Rob.
  • Rob
    Hello.
  • Catherine
    Listen carefully and answer this question: What activities did these people do regularly in the past?
  • Rob
    Petra used to eat junk food, but now she eats salads and vegetables.
    I used to play computer games, but now I read a lot.
  • Neil
    So, Petra used to eat junk food and Rob used to play computer games. The words used to in front of an infinitive verb, like used to eat or used to play tell us that someone did an activity regularly, or several times, in the past. Now pronunciation-wise, we say used to with a short /ju/ sound, used to, not a long /ju:/ like in 'Can I use your phone please?' It's not use, it's use. Here they are together:
  • Rob
    I used to use a desktop computer, but now I've got a tablet.
  • Catherine
    Thanks Rob. And we can see from that example that we often use used to with a verb when the present situation is different to the past - so in the past Rob had a desktop, but now he's got a tablet.
  • Neil
    Now, used to with an infinitive means the activity happened regularly, or repeatedly, in the past. It can also describe a past state or situation, for example: I used to live in Japan, but now I live in London. But to say you did something just once in the past, use the past simple.
  • Catherine
    So, the sentence I used to go to the gym on Saturdays means: I went to the gym on many Saturdays in the past. But the sentence I went to the gym last Saturday describes one event in the past, it's the past simple. To talk about what happens now, use a present tense.
  • Rob
    I used to go running every day, but now I go running once a week.
IDENT

You're listening to BBC Learning English.

  • Catherine
    And we're talking about used to. Let's take a look at negatives. Rob.
  • Rob
    My sisters didn't use to talk to each other much but now they speak every day. Esra didn't use to have short hair, but she had a hair cut last week.
  • Catherine
    Thanks Rob. And the phrase didn't use to helps us talk about past states and activities that didn't happen in the past, but they do now. And for all persons, it's subject plus didn't plus use to plus an infinitive: My sisters didn't use to talk; Esra didn't use to have short hair. And there's a spelling note here isn't there Neil?
  • Neil
    Yes there is. In positive sentences, used is spelt u-s-e-d, but in negative sentences and questions, it's just use: u-s-e, without the d at the end. But when we're speaking, they sound almost exactly the same. Listen to this:
  • Rob
    I didn't use to get up early at the weekend. I used to stay in bed all morning.
  • Catherine
    Thanks Rob. Now, let's take a look at questions. Neil, which school did you use to go to?
  • Neil
    I used to go to the local school.
  • Catherine
    OK. So, for questions like which school did you use to go to, it's did plus subject plus use to plus infinitive. And it's the same for yes/no questions. Neil, did you use to walk to school?
  • Neil
    No, I didn't. I used to get the bus.
  • Catherine
    So, for questions: did, subject, use to and infinitive. And remember, used to is spelt u-s-e; no d.
  • Neil
    OK, it's time for a quiz. Question 1. How do you spell used in this sentence? I didn't use to have a tablet.
  • Catherine
    It's u-s-e without d because it's a negative.
  • Neil
    That's right. Number 2. What's the missing word? I [BLANK] to use social media every day, but now I only use it once a week.
  • Catherine
    And the answer is used with a d. I used to use social media every day.
    Neil
    ...is the correct answer. And number three. Is this sentence right or wrong? I used to go to the gym last Friday.
  • Catherine
    And that's wrong, because it's a past event that happened only once. You can say I went to the gym last Friday, or you can say I used to go to the gym every Friday.
  • Neil
    And that's the end of the quiz - and the end of the show. But there's more about used to at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again for more 6 Minute Grammar.
  • Both
    Bye.

Activity 1

Then and now

Now I live in London, which is a much, much bigger place...

What about talking about ourselves, and the changes in our lives? Well, we can talk about these things with used to as well!

Here's Christine, who works for BBC World Service, talking about changes in her life. While you listen, try to answer this question: What things have changed in Christine's life?

  • her home?
  • her computer?
  • her work?
  • her diet?
Listen to the audio and try the activity
Christine

I grew up in a small town in the northeast of England. It was by the coast, next to the sea. And now I live in London, which is a much, much bigger place compared to where I grew up.

When I was a child, I used to walk everywhere. The town was so small that you could walk from one side to the other and you never really needed a car. Now I live in London, places are so far apart that you always need to be using a bus or the Underground - Tube - or trains to get around when you’re going to work or to see friends.

When I was younger, mealtimes used to be quite predictable. And we’d eat similar foods every day, consisting of meat, potatoes, root vegetables, whatever was in season at the time. We never used to have very varied meals, whereas now my diet’s changed a lot. I don’t eat meat anymore. And I have a diet that’s all about vegetables and fruit. And I’m more adventurous in what I eat now than what I did when I was a child.

So, did you identify the things Christine talked about?

She mentioned moving from the North of England to London (that's about her home). She also talked about what she used to eat as a child and what she eats now that she has become a vegetarian (that's all about her diet). But she didn't mention anything about her work or her computer.

To do

Time to test your knowledge of used to. Complete sentences in this activity with the correct verb form. Try to remember everything you've learnt so far in the unit!

Complete the sentences

Choose the best verb form to complete the sentences

  1. Christine in the northeast of England, but now she lives in London.
  2. In her home town, she drive everywhere.
  3. Christine eat lots of different food.
  4. Now she a lot of different types of food.
Session Grammar

We use used to + infinitive for:

  • things we did regularly in the past, but we don't do now.
  • past facts which are no longer true.

I used to work at a restaurant, but now I work at a library.

NOT: I used to eat some cake last Saturday night. ('Saturday night' was just one time, so it was not something that happened regularly.)

Used to helps us to compare activities in the past and now. When we say used to, we do not do something now.

  • I used to work at a restaurant. I quit that job, and then got a new job at a library.

The different forms are:

  • positive: used to + infinitive
    I used to live in Istanbul. Now I live in Columbia.
  • negatives & questions: did / did not / didn't + use to + infinitive
    I didn't use to like sushi. Now I love it!
    Did you use to work in a restaurant?

Activity 2

Over to you!

What did things use to be like for you?
Let's think about the things we've seen and heard in this unit so far:
  • All about changes in technology, like smartphones and social
  • What it is like to move from a small town to a big city (from Christine in this Session)
  • Changing what you eat from a predictable diet to something more adventurous (also from Christine!)

Now it's over to you!

Try the activity

To do

Put what you've learnt about used to into practice by writing a description of changes in your life. Here are some ideas of what to write about:

  • A change in your living situation (Have you moved home? Have you left your country to go and live somewhere else?)
  • A change in your job - especially if you've been doing it for a long time (Is your job the same as it used to be? How has technology changed how you do your work?)
  • A change in your life because of technology (Did you use to write letters to your friends and family? How do you communicate with them now?)
Some examples
Aili, Germany

When I was a child I growed up in Finland. My family used to move home often. This was because of the work of my father. The entrepreneur of my father was always the same. Our neighbours used to move too, so the moving was never a big problem for us after all.

When I was grown and already used to work in my profession for few years I applied for a job in Germany. They approved me, then I did move again but this time the moving should change very much in my life. I planned to stay in Germany just one year to learn the language fluently but today I'm still living there - for over 40 years!

In the beginning in Germany I used to miss the light summer nights from Finland but now I accustomed myself to the dark nights in Germany. I used to miss the sauna too until I got my own. I used to eat and drink very traditionally Finnish - red meet, fish, root vegetables, milk - but now I eat mostly very big assortment of vegetables and drink water and sometimes wine.

In Germany I enjoy to join in vintage every autumn but I used to join in potato harvest in Finland. So there are many big change in my life!

Denis, Kharkov, Ukraine

I did not use to study English well at school and I used to study badly at school at all. Nowadays I understand that I simply lost my time. Now I study English with BBC Learning English because it is very important for my scientific job to know it. It is never late to start learning foreign language.

Melina, Spain

This year my life had a lot of changes.

One of the biggest changes is that I moved alone to another city.

My hometown is a small city located three hours away, in the south of Cordoba.

Where I live now is a big city so distances are bigger and I have to walk a little bit more or take a bus.

As I am living alone, now I have to do housework everyday and cook. This activities are new for me because in my hometown my mother used to do it for me.

Other big change is my diet. In my old house I used to eat healthy and handmade food everyday but now I do not have enough time for cooking so I buy junk food frequently.

I really enjoy my new life here but I have to admite that a miss the food that I used to eat.

Linh, Vietnam

My name is Linh, from Vietnam. I was married in 2005 and had two kids in 2007 and 2009 that made my life change so much.

One of the biggest changes, of course, is that I used to be a single man but I am a young father of two kids now. As a consequence, my routine is also turned over. I used to wake up early in the morning and went jogging for exercise prior to going to work. I used to get office a couple of minute earlier. And I used to spend hours to hang out with my friends at weekend. It is absolutely different now. I am so busy in the morning and I have to change my exercise time to the evening after the work that I did not use to do before. My boss did not use to complain about my lateness whereas he notices me more often now. I spend time for my kids at weekend instead of my friends as I used to do before.

Along with these, there are some positive changes. Firstly, I used to be a heavy smoker but I gave up just after my first kid was born. Secondly, I am a good cooker now even thought I did not use to cook while I lived with my parent before my marriage. Finally, it used to be not easy for me to play with children but I can spend whole day with my kids now.

In conclusion, my life is absolutely changed after having kids. It is the same with you, isn’t it?

Have a good day!