EnglishLooking back at past routines
Think about your life ten years ago.
Use each prompt to talk about your past.
- 10 years ago
- What was different in your life?
- Past routine
- What did you do then that you do not do now?
- Home life
- Which household duties did you have?
- Transport
- How did you travel to work, school, or university?
- Weekends
- What did you usually do at weekends?
Speak:
Ten years ago, I …
Now, I …
Daily-life words
Sort the words: routine, chore, or busy-life problem.
Read, repeat, and use the words in short personal sentences.
- routine [/ruːˈtiːn/]
- a usual sequence of activities
My morning routine starts at seven. - chore [/tʃɔː/]
- a regular household task
Cleaning is my least favourite chore. - commute [/kəˈmjuːt/]
- travel regularly between home and work or study
Her commute takes forty minutes. - rush [/rʌʃ/]
- do something in a hurry
I rush to work on Mondays. - cope with [/kəʊp wɪð/]
- manage a difficult situation
He copes with stress well. - deal with [/diːl wɪð/]
- take action to solve or manage something
She deals with customer emails. - iron [/ˈaɪən/]
- make clothes smooth with an iron
I iron my shirt on Sunday. - vacuum [/ˈvækjuːm/]
- clean a floor with a vacuum cleaner
We vacuum the living room weekly. - do the laundry [/duː ðə ˈlɔːndri/]
- wash clothes
They do the laundry at weekends. - get up [/ɡet ʌp/]
- leave your bed after sleeping
I get up at half past six. - tidy up [/ˈtaɪdi ʌp/]
- make a place neat and organised
Please tidy up your desk. - take out the rubbish [/teɪk aʊt ðə ˈrʌbɪʃ/]
- carry rubbish outside for collection
He takes out the rubbish. - grocery shopping [/ˈɡrəʊsəri ˈʃɒpɪŋ/]
- buying food and household supplies
We do grocery shopping on Friday. - set an alarm [/set ən əˈlɑːm/]
- programme an alarm to wake you up
I set an alarm every night.
Say two true sentences:
I usually …
I have to …
Talking about past habits
Past habits and past facts
Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
used to + infinitive | A past habit or state that is not true now | I used to live in Moscow. |
would + infinitive | A repeated past action, usually with a clear past-time context | Every Sunday, we would visit Grandma. |
Past Simple | A finished event or a past fact | Last Sunday, we visited Grandma. |
I used to be shy.
We would play outside after school.
I visited my cousin last Sunday.
Would describes repeated actions, not states.
Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|
I used to be young. | I would be young. |
Every summer, we would swim in the lake. | Every summer, we would live near the lake. |
Verb patterns to remember
Verb group | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
enjoy / avoid / suggest | + -ing | She enjoys cooking. |
want / decide / promise | + to-infinitive | He decided to vacuum. |
let / make | + bare infinitive | My mum made me tidy up. |
I enjoy doing the laundry.
We decided to do the grocery shopping.
My parents let me stay out late.
My parents made me tidy my room.
Common mistakes
Mistake | Correct form |
|---|---|
I used to lived near work. | I used to live near work. |
I would be very shy. | I used to be very shy. |
I enjoy to cook. | I enjoy cooking. |
They suggested to leave early. | They suggested leaving early. |
My boss made me to stay late. | My boss made me stay late. |
Remember: learn each verb with the form that follows it. Do not translate the pattern word for word from another language.
Choose the right form
Connect each verb with its pattern
Connect each verb with the form that follows it.
- enjoy
- -ing
- avoid
- -ing
- want
- to-infinitive
- promise
- to-infinitive
- let
- bare infinitive
- make
- bare infinitive
Complete each sentence ending
Connect each sentence beginning with the best ending.
- When I was little, I used to
- be afraid of dogs.
- Every summer, we would
- visit our cousins by the sea.
- Yesterday, I
- did the laundry.
- My parents made me
- tidy my room.
Choose the best past form
When she was a child, she [___] have a long commute to school.
On winter evenings, my grandfather [___] tell us stories.
They decided [___] the kitchen before dinner.
Complete the verb pattern
I enjoy [___] my shirts while listening to podcasts.
We suggested [___] the grocery shopping together.
My boss let me [___] early yesterday.
My parents made me [___] the rubbish.
Life before smartphones
Read aloud together.
When I was ten, we used to have one family computer in the living room. I used to finish my homework before I could use it. Every Saturday, my brother and I would ride our bikes to the library and choose DVDs. On rainy afternoons, we would make hot chocolate and play board games with our neighbours. My mum used to write shopping lists on paper, and my dad used to get lost when he drove to new places. He would stop and ask people for directions. We did not check messages at the dinner table, because nobody had a phone there. Now I use my smartphone for maps, music, homework, and shopping. My brother lives abroad, so we video-call instead of meeting at the library. I enjoy the convenience, but I sometimes miss those slower weekends.
Difficult words
- neighbours — people who live near you
- directions — information about how to get somewhere
- get lost — not know where you are or where to go
- abroad — in or to another country
- video-call — speak to someone using video online
- convenience — the quality of being easy and useful
- slower — more relaxed; not as busy
- Where was the family computer?
- What did the narrator and their brother do every Saturday?
- Why did the narrator’s father ask people for directions?
- How does the narrator communicate with their brother now?
Say:
I used to …, but now …
Quick recap
Key points
- used to + infinitive: a past habit or state that is not true now
- would + infinitive: repeated past actions, not states
- Past Simple: a finished event or a past fact
- enjoy / avoid / suggest + -ing
- want / decide / promise + to-infinitive
- let / make + bare infinitive
Word review
routine • chore • commute • rush • cope with • deal with • iron • vacuum • do the laundry • get up • tidy up • take out the rubbish • grocery shopping • set an alarm
Speak:
I used to …
At home, I enjoy / avoid / want to …
