Fill
in with the PRESENT SIMPLE OR PRESENT CONTINUOUS the following sentences:
It …………………… (snow) quite often in
We ……………………..( go to bed) now. Good night.
“Where´s Alex?” -“He ………………….
(cook) the dinner at the moment
The River
Sarah has got an exam soon, so she ………………… (work) very hard at the
moment
Don´t forget your umbrella when you go out. It ………………… (rain) now.
I …………………. (sleep) on a sofa this week because my bed is broken.
USED TO/ WOULD (ALWAYS)
USE 1 Habit in the Past 
"Used to" expresses the idea that something was an old habit that
stopped in the past. It says that something was often repeated in the past, but
it is not usually done now.
EXAMPLES:
Jerry used
to study English.
Sam and Mary used to go to Mexico in the summer.
I used to start work at 9 o'clock.
Christine used to eat meat, but now she is a vegetarian.
USE 2 Past Fact 
"Used to" can also be used to talk about past facts or
generalizations which are no longer true.
EXAMPLES:
I used to
live in Paris.
Sarah used to be fat, but now she is thin.
George used to be the best student in class, but now Leena is the best.
Oranges used to cost very little in Florida, but now they are quite
expensive.
Would Always
FORM Would Always
[WOULD ALWAYS] + [verb]
EXAMPLE:
I would
always take my surf board to the beach with me.
USE 1 Habit in the Past
Like "Used to" and Simple Past, "Would Always" expresses
the idea that something was an old habit which stopped in the past. It says
that something was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now.
This form suggests that someone willingly acted that way and often expresses annoyance
or amusement at the habit. It can also suggest the habit was extreme.
EXAMPLES:
She would
always send me strange birthday gifts.
Sam and Mary would always choose the most exotic vacation destinations.
Sally would always arrive early.
Christine would always come late to the meetings
IMPORTANT "Would
Always" is Different
"Would Always" is not exactly the same as "Used to" or the Simple Past. "Would
Always" cannot be used to talk about past facts or generalizations. It can
only be used for repeated actions.
EXAMPLES:
Sarah was
shy, but now she is very outgoing. CORRECT
Sarah used
to be shy, but now she is very outgoing. CORRECT
Sarah would
always be shy, but now she is very outgoing. NOT CORRECT
EXERCISES: Some of the
sentences below contain common verb form mistakes. Find the sentences with
errors and correct them using either "Simple Past," "Used
to" or "Would Always."
EXAMPLE: used to
A) I would always be unhealthy as a child.
1. When I was a child, I rode
my bike everyday.
2. She would always be
beautiful when she was young.
3. I used to go to the beach
yesterday.
4. Margie loves horses because
she used to have one as a child.
5. James would always have a
very important test last week.
6. Jerry always used to
cook dinner for himself, but now his wife prepares dinner.
7. Jamie would always have a
dog when she was a child, but now she has a cat.
8. Laura would always bake
cookies for us when we were kids.
9. I used to graduate from
Georgetown University in 1992.
10. He would constantly
embarrass himself by asking stupid questions in class.
11. They would spend Easter
with us every year until we moved.
12. They used to spend Easter
with us every year until we moved.
13. They spent Easter with us
every year until we moved.
14. I used to be fat, but I
lost a lot of weight in high school.
15. I would always be fat, but
I lost a lot of weight in high school.
To be used to doing something vs. used to do something
Choose the correct answer.
1 When I was a child I ... go
swimming in the lake.
used to
am used to
2 I ... in front of an
audience. I am a teacher.
used to speak
am used to speaking
3 As a father I ... the mess
my children make every evening.
used to clean up
am used to cleaning up
4 In the army I ... at six
every morning.
used to get up
am used to getting up
5 My grandmother ... 5 miles
to go to church on Sundays.
used to walk
is ued to walking
6 Anderlecht ... the best
Belgian players. Nowadays they can't afford that any longer.
used to attract
is used to attracting
7 I ... the paper after
lunch. That's one of the things I really enjoy.
used to read
am used to reading
8 In Spain you will soon ...
a siesta in the afternoon.
used to take
be used to taking
9 On holiday in Finland my
wife ... a sauna every day!
used to take
is used to taking
10 After all this time I have
become quite ... this program.
used to operate
used to operating
TRANSLATE THESE SENTENCES:
Cuando era pequeña solía llevar pañales.
Solía ir al teatro cuando tenía 12 años.
No suelo llegar tarde.
¿Solías vivir sólo?
No estoy acostumbrado a viajar sólo.
María estaba acostumbrada a escribir mucho.
¿Estabas acostumbrada a trabajar en el extranjero?
Mis hermanas no solían hacer la cena.
La gente está acostumbrada a vivir con ordenadores.