Would / Used To: Past Habits and States
Both would and used to describe the past — but only used to can describe past states. I used to work in finance — now I’m in tech (habit) and She used to be very shy (state) both work with used to; would is restricted to past habits and repeated actions (Every Friday, we would go for lunch together, He would always bring coffee to morning meetings). The spelling trap: used to in the positive, use to in the negative and question after did/didn’t (I didn’t use to like coffee, not I didn’t used to like coffee).
This worksheet drills B1 use of would and used to for past habits and states, with focus on the state-verb restriction on would and the spelling rule.
Worksheet preview
What’s inside:
- Grammar Box with the two forms, the state-verb restriction on would, and the used / use spelling rule
- Used to or would? gap-fill: choose the appropriate form, with (both) marking ambiguous items
- Sentence transformation: rewrite past simple sentences using used to or would
- Childhood memories production: answer four reflection questions using both forms
- Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes on the state-verb rule and the spelling trap
Common mistakes addressed: would with state verbs (She would be shy when she was young), didn’t used to with -d in the negative, and confusion between used to (past habit) and be used to (present familiarity).
For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Past-habit modals are a recurring target in Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) and B2 First (FCE) Writing — particularly in nostalgic and reflective tasks (“describe a place you used to visit”). Part of the Modal Verbs collection — the natural sibling is Can / Could / Be Able To, which covers the present and past ability counterparts to the habit modals practised here.
