life on horseback /used to would /

used to Vs would

Presentation

start

Section

listen to the audio

TASK; guess the topic we are going to discuss today

Presentation

When we talk about something that happened regularly or repeatedly in the past but not now, we often use the structures ‘used to + infinitive’ and ‘would + infinitive’.

used to+ infinitive

We use used to + infinitive when we talk about things that happened in the past but do not happen now. In the negative we say didn’t use to + infinitive: I used to live in a large city, but now I live by the seaside. I didn’t use to go swimming everyday. Did you use to live in a small or large city? We can use this structure with both states and actions: Paul used to be very calm when he was younger. Now he’s stressed all the time. (STATE) Paul used to work full-time, but now he only takes on part-time jobs. (ACTION)

would + infinitive

When we are telling a story or recalling a situation from a long time ago, we often prefer to use would to describe repeated behaviour in the past, although both would and used to are possible: I remember growing up in the countryside. It was a peaceful and simple life. I would pick vegetables every day and from time to time I would feed the chickens with my mother. Note that would can only describe past events and actions. It is not usually used with states. To describe past states we can only use used to: Paul would be used to be very calm when he was younger. Now he’s stressed all the time

Things to remember

• We can also use the simple past to talk about repeated past states and actions. • If a past action did not happen regularly or repeatedly, we cannot use used to or would – we must use the simple past: I moved to London in 1998. • We normally use would in the context of telling a story or recalling a time in the past. If we simply want to state that we had or did something regularly in the past, we use used to: I used to play tennis every weekend. However, if we recall a time in the past, we can use used to or would: When I was at school, I would play/used to play tennis every weekend.

Complete the story below with would plus the following verbs. One of the verbs is used in the negative. Listen to check your answers.

Would + infinitive

When James was a student, his lifestyle was completely different. He didn’t have a lot of money, so he--------------------- 1 in cheap student canteens instead of restaurants. During the year, he--------------------------- 2 with his friends to student bars and have fun. It was the best time of his life. In his third year, he studied abroad in Italy – he didn’t have a lot of lectures, so he--------------------------- 3 late and go sightseeing during the day. However, in his final year, he----------------------------- 4 very often because he had a lot of exams. He------------------------ 5 a lot of time in the library and he 6 his friends as much.

eat go out See spend study Wake up

Complete the sentences below with used to or would. If both structures are possible, use would.

Would or used to

1. Living with Angela was great. Every Friday evening we---------------------- (go) to a restaurant. 2. I------------------------ (think) that eating a lot of bread is good for you. 3. When I was living in Greece, I ------------------(go) to the beach every day. 4. My father---------------------- (work) very hard. He’s retired now. 5. Jacob’s wife----------------------- (tolerate) his difficult character. Now she can’t stand him. 6. Living with my flatmate was difficult at first. We --------------------(argue) all the time. 7. -------------------------------(play) a musical instrument when you were younger? 8. It------------------------ (be) very expensive to travel by plane. Nowadays there are plenty of budget airlines. 9. Before Harry won the lottery, he---------------------------------- (eat) sardines for dinner every day. 10. People ----------------------------------(write) letters to each other. 11. It ----------------------------------(not/rain) so much in my country. This must be the effect of global warming. 12. Jack -------------------------------------(have) lots of free time. These days, however, he is very busy

Answer the following questions using the structures from this lesson:

1. Talk about some things you did regularly in your childhood. 2. How was life different before the Internet? 3. Think about a time in the past when your life was different. Talk about your lifestyle.

Video

living with mongolian Nomads

watch the video

Watching for detail

Watch the clip again and write the missing words in the transcript:

I’m in Mongolia to discover what it means to be a modern-day nomad. Wrestling is --------------------1 in Mongolia you know. Was it physically difficult? Yes. Was I scared? Yes. Did I lose? I was slaughtered. What made it special was at the end of that whole day, I had this man speaking to me in Mongolian and sharing his philosophies of--------------------------- 2 . You need to be able to ride on------------------------------- 3 to be a nomad. Children learn to do this, literally in many cases, before they even---------------------------------- 4 . I’ve never been on a horse in my life. There was no------------------------------------- 5 – it was get on your horses and go. In that moment it felt like there was no ----------------------------------6 between myself the horse, the earth, the land, the culture. It all blended into one and I will remember that for the rest of my life. Mongolian life is extremely difficult but you don’t hear a lot of--------------------------------- 7 . I don’t even think they would define it in those terms as-------------------------------------- 8 or difficult. It was just life. Could I survive as a nomad for more than a month? Well, definitely not. But just a glimpse into their-------------------------------------------------------- 9 will help to dissolve the wall between our self and others. We can walk away feeling that this Mongolian wrestler, this Mongolian herdsmen or nomad is just 10 us.

Choose the best meaning for each word in bold.

Vocabulary in context

a. killed

b.completely defeated

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

1. Wrestling is traditional in Mongolia you know. ............................ Did I lose? I was slaughtered. /’slO:t@d/

c. angry

Choose the best meaning for each word in bold.

Vocabulary in context

a. not able to see

b. became very confusing

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

2. ... it felt like there was no separation between myself, the horse, the earth, the land, the culture. It all blended into one ...

c. mixed together

Choose the best meaning for each word in bold.

Vocabulary in context

a. a short look

b. a conversation

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

3. But just a glimpse into their experience ...

c. thinking deeply

Choose the best meaning for each word in bold.

Vocabulary in context

a. identify

b. break down

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

3. But just a glimpse into their experience ...

4. ... will help to dissolve the wall between ourself and others.

c. repair

Grammar: habits and changes

Match these forms with their uses:

1. used to + infinitive 2. be used to + verb with -ing/noun/pronoun 3. get used to + verb with -ing/noun/pronoun

a. to describe past habits, repeated actions and states b. to talk about new things that are strange and difficult at first, but are becoming familiar, normal and easy for us c. to talk about things that are already familiar, normal and easy for us

Now decide if these sentences are true, false or not given, based on the information in the video. Be ready to explain your answers using information from the clip/transcript.

1. Herding used to be the main way of life in Mongolia. 2. Chris was used to wrestling so he wasn’t worried about trying the sport. 3. Children get used to riding horses from an early age. 4. Chris used to ride horses when he was younger. 5. Mongolians are used to hard work but Chris isn’t. 6. He was interested in the way the nomads were getting used to modern technology.

Practice

Complete the six sentences about yourself. Of the sentences, make four true and two false. Be careful with grammar!

1. I used to ... 2. I never used to ... 3. I’m used to ... 4. I’m not used to ... 5. I’m getting used to ... 6. I will never get used to ...

Extension – presentation skills

Read these sentences from the transcript. How many speakers were there? Why are these sentences unusual? Why did the speaker choose to present information in this way?

Was it physically difficult? Yes. Was I scared? Yes. Did I lose? I was slaughtered. Could I survive as a nomad for more than a month? Well, definitely not.

THANKS!