Used to / Would Exercises PDFSet 2: Used to vs Would: Past Repeated Actions
20 questions·14 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.When I was young, my dad ___ me a bedtime story every night.
a) would readb) was used to readc) would to readd) used to reading
2.We ___ a house near the lake, but we sold it in 2015.
a) would ownb) used to ownc) were used to ownd) would to own
3.Every Saturday, my grandmother ___ a huge lunch for the whole family.
a) used to cookingb) would to cookc) would cookd) got used to cook
4.She ___ curly hair when she was a teenager.
a) would haveb) got used to havec) was used to haved) used to have
5.During the holidays, the children ___ in the river for hours.
a) would swimb) would to swimc) used to swimmingd) were used to swim
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.would read
2.used to own
3.would cook
4.used to have
5.would swim
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."would read"(a)
'Would + infinitive' can describe past repeated actions. 'My dad would read me a story' means he did it regularly in the past. The time clause 'When I was young' provides the necessary past context.
2."used to own"(b)
'Owning a house' is a past state, not a repeated action. We must use 'used to' for past states. 'Would' cannot describe states — 'would own' is incorrect here.
3."would cook"(c)
'Would cook' describes a past repeated action with the time marker 'Every Saturday'. 'Would' works well here because cooking lunch is a repeated action, not a state.
4."used to have"(d)
'Having curly hair' is a past state (physical appearance), not a repeated action. We must use 'used to have', not 'would have'.
5."would swim"(a)
'Would swim' describes a past repeated action during holidays. The time context 'During the holidays' sets up the past frame needed for 'would'.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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