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Observant writers and grammarians see words as more than letters and
syllables that help to form an idea. We view them as paring knives and
brush strokes that define and shape thoughts that connect with other
people.
For that reason, we pay close attention to word choices and their nuances.
Common speech sometimes switches certain words to mean the same things. In
thoughtful writing, however, we understand the differences and apply them
for more-exact meanings.
Would
and used to are a pair that can sometimes confuse in referring to
past actions that are now concluded. They tend to be swapped freely when in
certain contexts they should maintain separate duties. The following
guidelines will help distinguish them.
1. Would should be used only if the past time frame is established
up front. Used to does not require this.
Examples
Grammatical:
We used to go to the movies every Saturday when I was a kid back
in the ’70s.
Not grammatical:
We would go to the movies every Saturday when I was a kid back in the ’70s.
Note the difference in the second example if we introduce the time early
on:
Grammatical:
When I was a kid back in the ’70s, we would go to the movies every Saturday.
By starting the sentence in the past, we set up the grammatical inclusion
of would.
2. Would is not used with stative verbs, i.e., those that describe
a state (e.g., feel, love, know) rather than an activity (e.g., run, jump, write).
Examples
Grammatical:
When I worked at the arena, I used to know the booking agent who
could get backstage VIP passes for me and my friends.
Not grammatical:
When I worked at the arena, I would know the booking agent who
could get backstage VIP passes for me and my friends.
3. Used to describes a past state in a simple, declarative
statement, where would grammatically would not function.
Examples
Grammatical in the past tense:
I used to be a football running back.
Not grammatical in the past tense:
I would be a football running back.
Grammatical in the past tense:
She used to lead the company as its CEO.
Not grammatical in the past tense:
She would lead the company as its CEO.
Attention to subtleties differentiates careful writers from casual ones.
Understanding when and how to apply would and used to
further shows your mastery of English in composing crisp and meaningful
content.
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Pop Quiz
Choose the grammatical use of would or used to in the following sentences. Answers are at the bottom of the newsletter.
1) When he was a supervisor at his last job, he (would / used to) close the
warehouse at 6 p.m. sharp.
2) We (would / used to) play hopscotch every day during the summer.
3) Call me crazy, but when I was in college I (would / used to) love to
write the longest papers in all of my classes.
4) Work (would / used to) get so busy that we (would / used to) skip lunch
at least twice a week.
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Wordplay
Pop Quiz Answers
1) When he was a supervisor at his last job, he would
close the warehouse at 6 p.m. sharp.
2) We used to play hopscotch every day during the summer.
3) Call me crazy, but when I was in college I used to love
to write the longest papers in all of my classes.
4) Work used to get so busy that we would skip lunch at least twice a week.
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Learn all about who and whom, affect and effect, subjects and verbs, adjectives and adverbs, commas, semicolons, quotation marks, and much more by just sitting back and enjoying these easy-to-follow lessons. Tell your colleagues (and boss), children, teachers, and friends. Click here to watch.
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