Knowledge (XXG)

English markers of habitual aspect

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means that at first drinking black coffee was unusual, but now it has gotten familiar. tells of a state of affairs that was unfamiliar, but that the speaker/writer is now accustomed to (also sometimes a state of affairs that was once hard and is now simple or easy).
608:
means that the speaker formerly habitually went to college, and normally implies that this is no longer the case. Less often, this verb form is employed to identify states in the past which are no longer true. For example:
755:
is preferred when emphasizing these forms of past repetition in positive forms. On the other hand, when forming questions or negative sentences, modern prescriptive grammar dictates that the simple past is better.
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expresses the lexical verb’s habitual aspect in the past tense, and is in the indicative mood and active voice. In informal spoken English questions or negative statements, it is treated like neither a
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implies the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the past. It indicates that something was often repeated in the past, but it does not usually occur in the present.
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The form is employed to talk about a habit or frequent action in a former time. One usually applies for the past habitual when one is telling a story about the past.
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means only that an individual has done an action in a particular tense, such as in the statement "She was singing" (the habitual is "She sings").
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verb, but as a past tense of an ordinary verb. (Though informal, especially when the "d" is pronounced, no direct formal equivalent exists.)
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In the first case—the past habitual verbal form—it is followed by the infinitive (that is, the full expression consists of the verb
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should not be confused with second case—the adjectival form—of the same expression, meaning "familiar with, accustomed to", as in
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requires an accompanying indication of the time of occurrence (more specifically than simply before the present): e.g.,
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refers to habits or frequent actions in a former time, especially ones not done in the present. Thus the statement
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can also be used to talk about past realities or generalizations which are no longer true. Both simple past and
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However, for past reference English uses the simple past form or either of two marked constructions:
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Linguistic aspect in African-American English-speaking children: An investigation of aspectual "be"
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is a form of expression connoting repetition or continuous existence of a state of affairs. In
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Habitual aspect African-American, Caribbean, and South-West Hiberno English Dialects
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is typically employed without a specific indication of the time of occurrence—e.g.,
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Adrian, Evadne. Longman Language Activator. Longman Group United Kingdom, 2006.
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However, it is more standard to ask questions and make negative forms using
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indicates that a subject repeatedly does an action or embodies a trait. In
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actions (usually with the implication that they are no longer so), as in
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to mark the past habitual is distinct from each of several other uses of
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can refer to past habits, past facts and past generalizations; however,
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after that experience we would not try it again for the next three years
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When I was a kid, we would often have a drink after class on a Monday.
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argue that one should employ 'use' and not 'used' when employed with
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When the adjectival form is followed by a verb, the gerund is used:
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When I lived in Romania, we would go to a little bar near our house.
477:) to indicate that performance of the verb is of a habitual nature. 801:
When I was younger I used to play with toys, but I don't any more.
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eating cookies, but the Black children said that Cookie Monster
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It took me a while, but now I'm used to using this new computer.
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describes an action that did happen, but does not happen now.
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means that in the past I drank black coffee, but now I don't.
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across all tenses, with no added meaning. In fact, AAE uses
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Did he use(d) to come here? He didn't use(d) to come here.
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in the passive voice with an infinitive of purpose, as in
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It is a common misconception that AAE simply replaces
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I'm getting used to the abnormal smell in the factory.
1003:In one experiment, children were shown drawings of 806:Before I passed my driving test, I used to cycle. 730:I didn't use to want to have an expensive villa. 632:This verb form has a phonological distinction: 784:I am used to going to college in the mornings 413: 8: 725:He didn't use to like cake, but he does now. 587:A spoon is used to eat ice cream from a bowl 458:back then we would go there (every Thursday) 420: 406: 26: 969:, however, the use of (an inflection of) 845:I'll never get used to the heat in Iraq. 1260:English modals of habits and past facts 1037: 34: 18:English modals of habits and past facts 1076:. learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org 573:, or a state of accustomedness, as in 504:Last year we would go there frequently 1045: 1043: 1041: 7: 1230:"SYNERGY – African-American English" 945:or extended actions in place of the 694:forms questions and negatives using 450:we used to go there (every Thursday) 895:African-American Vernacular English 816:I am used to drinking black coffee. 643:, in contrast to the ordinary verb 464:African-American Vernacular English 381:AmE and BrE grammatical differences 376:African-American Vernacular English 823:I am used to drinking black coffee 25: 1290:English modal and auxiliary verbs 659:I used your scissors this morning 579:I am used to ice cream in a bowl. 285:Transitive and intransitive verbs 1265: 1253: 904:This section is an excerpt from 547:Would you open the door, please? 498:The past habitual employment of 42: 1175:Jackson, Janice Eurana (1998). 1134:How to Use "Used To" in English 828:I am accustomed to black coffee 720:Did he use to study in Germany? 628:(but now they live in England). 565:expresses past states or past 1: 1270:The dictionary definition of 1052:. perfect-english-grammar.com 858:are shown in the below list: 600:-infinitive). The expression 575:I am used to eating ice cream 790:I used to drink black coffee 769:we must get used to the cold 508:We would go there frequently 442:I go there (every Thursday). 715:Did you use to be a worker? 616:(but now I have long hair). 1316: 1019:subjects agreed that Elmo 903: 892: 878:didn't use to do something 852:Longman Language Activator 622:(but now he doesn't read). 1146:I used to vs I am used to 1124:englishgrammarsecrets.com 673:We used to go there often 626:They used to live in Iran 614:I used to have short hair 1001:to presently be singing. 967:General American English 931:African-American English 918:, also called invariant 899:South-West Irish English 883:used not to do something 671:has the same meaning as 539:I would do it if I could 811:I am used to something. 606:I used to go to college 571:I used to eat ice cream 1050:"Used to + infinitive" 830:has the same meaning. 1007:eating cookies while 559:The idiomatic phrase 313:Conditional sentences 1262:at Wikimedia Commons 863:used to do something 513:This application of 1136:english-at-home.com 997:to sing habitually, 987:to mark a habitual 949:inflected forms of 922:, is the use of an 669:We used to go there 30:Part of a series on 1295:Grammatical tenses 1086:Used to vs. Use to 989:grammatical aspect 759:The verbal use of 650:and its past form 527:future in the past 1258:Media related to 1064:. linguapress.com 961:. In AAE, use of 935:Caribbean English 778:Adjectival form: 765:I am used to this 506:, but not simply 430: 429: 16:(Redirected from 1307: 1269: 1257: 1241: 1240: 1238: 1237: 1226: 1220: 1219: 1217: 1216: 1205: 1199: 1198: 1172: 1166: 1155: 1149: 1143: 1137: 1131: 1125: 1119: 1113: 1107: 1101: 1095: 1089: 1083: 1077: 1071: 1065: 1059: 1053: 1047: 1011:looked on. Both 947:Standard English 873:never used to be 868:there used to be 656: 649: 642: 535:conditional mood 438:standard English 422: 415: 408: 390:Grammar disputes 386:Double negatives 383: 46: 27: 21: 1315: 1314: 1310: 1309: 1308: 1306: 1305: 1304: 1280: 1279: 1250: 1245: 1244: 1235: 1233: 1228: 1227: 1223: 1214: 1212: 1207: 1206: 1202: 1187: 1174: 1173: 1169: 1156: 1152: 1144: 1140: 1132: 1128: 1120: 1116: 1112:englishclub.com 1108: 1104: 1100:englishpage.com 1096: 1092: 1084: 1080: 1072: 1068: 1060: 1056: 1048: 1039: 1034: 1029: 1028: 1027:eating cookies. 939:Hiberno-English 909: 901: 891: 704:prescriptivists 702:Note that some 620:He used to read 557: 545:of politeness ( 485: 434:habitual aspect 426: 397: 396: 392: 388: 384: 379: 378: 373: 365: 364: 360: 356: 352: 347: 337: 336: 335: 331: 327: 323: 319: 315: 311: 299: 289: 288: 287: 283: 279: 275: 271: 267: 265:Irregular verbs 263: 259: 240: 221: 219:Auxiliary verbs 216: 206: 205: 204: 200: 196: 181: 170: 166: 162: 158: 154: 150: 146: 142: 131: 127: 123: 119: 115: 104: 100: 95: 85: 84: 83: 72: 61: 56: 36:English grammar 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 1313: 1311: 1303: 1302: 1297: 1292: 1282: 1281: 1278: 1277: 1263: 1249: 1248:External links 1246: 1243: 1242: 1221: 1200: 1185: 1167: 1150: 1138: 1126: 1114: 1102: 1090: 1078: 1066: 1054: 1036: 1035: 1033: 1030: 1009:Cookie Monster 910: 902: 890: 887: 886: 885: 880: 875: 870: 865: 854:usual uses of 848: 847: 842: 837: 819: 818: 813: 808: 803: 780: 779: 776: 733: 732: 727: 722: 717: 630: 629: 623: 617: 556: 551: 496: 495: 492: 484: 479: 428: 427: 425: 424: 417: 410: 402: 399: 398: 374: 371: 370: 367: 366: 354:Capitalization 348: 343: 342: 339: 338: 300: 295: 294: 291: 290: 217: 212: 211: 208: 207: 156:Interrogatives 129:Demonstratives 96: 91: 90: 87: 86: 57: 52: 51: 48: 47: 39: 38: 32: 31: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1312: 1301: 1298: 1296: 1293: 1291: 1288: 1287: 1285: 1276:at Wiktionary 1275: 1274: 1268: 1264: 1261: 1256: 1252: 1251: 1247: 1231: 1225: 1222: 1210: 1204: 1201: 1196: 1192: 1188: 1186:9780591960327 1182: 1178: 1171: 1168: 1164: 1160: 1154: 1151: 1148:ecenglish.com 1147: 1142: 1139: 1135: 1130: 1127: 1123: 1118: 1115: 1111: 1106: 1103: 1099: 1094: 1091: 1087: 1082: 1079: 1075: 1070: 1067: 1063: 1058: 1055: 1051: 1046: 1044: 1042: 1038: 1031: 1026: 1022: 1018: 1014: 1010: 1006: 1002: 998: 994: 993:to be singing 990: 986: 982: 978: 974: 972: 968: 964: 960: 956: 952: 948: 944: 940: 936: 932: 928: 925: 921: 917: 916: 907: 900: 896: 888: 884: 881: 879: 876: 874: 871: 869: 866: 864: 861: 860: 859: 857: 853: 846: 843: 841: 838: 836: 833: 832: 831: 829: 824: 821:In contrast, 817: 814: 812: 809: 807: 804: 802: 799: 798: 797: 795: 791: 787: 785: 777: 775:Verbal form: 774: 773: 772: 770: 766: 762: 757: 754: 750: 746: 742: 738: 731: 728: 726: 723: 721: 718: 716: 713: 712: 711: 709: 705: 701: 697: 693: 690: 686: 682: 676: 674: 670: 666: 662: 660: 653: 646: 639: 635: 627: 624: 621: 618: 615: 612: 611: 610: 607: 603: 599: 595: 590: 588: 584: 580: 576: 572: 568: 564: 563: 555: 552: 550: 548: 544: 540: 536: 532: 528: 524: 520: 516: 511: 509: 505: 501: 493: 490: 489: 488: 483: 480: 478: 476: 475: 469: 465: 461: 459: 455: 451: 447: 443: 439: 435: 423: 418: 416: 411: 409: 404: 403: 401: 400: 395: 391: 387: 382: 377: 372:Variant usage 369: 368: 363: 359: 355: 351: 350:Abbreviations 346: 341: 340: 334: 330: 326: 322: 318: 314: 309: 308: 303: 298: 293: 292: 286: 282: 278: 277:Phrasal verbs 274: 273:Passive voice 270: 266: 262: 257: 256: 252: 248: 243: 238: 237: 233: 229: 224: 220: 215: 210: 209: 203: 199: 198:Subordinators 194: 193: 189: 184: 179: 178: 173: 169: 165: 161: 157: 153: 152:Interjections 149: 145: 140: 139: 134: 130: 126: 122: 118: 113: 112: 107: 103: 99: 94: 89: 88: 81: 80: 79:frequentative 75: 70: 69: 64: 60: 55: 50: 49: 45: 41: 40: 37: 33: 29: 28: 19: 1272: 1234:. 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Umass.edu 924:uninflected 906:Habitual be 737:simple past 525:marker for 345:Orthography 329:Periphrasis 269:Modal verbs 236:subjunctive 228:conditional 168:Possessives 148:Intensifier 133:Determiners 1300:Verb types 1284:Categories 1236:2012-05-23 1215:2012-05-23 1163:0582419522 1110:used to do 1088:grammar.cl 1032:References 953:, such as 893:See also: 638:pronounced 543:modal verb 321:Do-support 307:in English 281:Verb usage 247:continuous 232:imperative 144:Expletives 102:Adjectives 93:Word types 68:in English 54:Morphology 1195:304446674 1074:"used to" 1062:"Used to" 913:Habitual 685:auxiliary 596:plus the 472:habitual 325:Inversion 177:List here 138:List here 125:Compounds 1191:ProQuest 943:habitual 941:to mark 567:habitual 537:marker ( 533:); as a 251:habitual 183:Pronouns 117:Articles 98:Acronyms 74:Suffixes 63:Prefixes 1273:used to 1122:Used to 1098:Used To 933:(AAE), 856:used to 794:Used to 761:used to 753:used to 749:used to 745:Used to 741:Used to 683:nor an 665:Used to 657:(as in 655:/juːzd/ 641:/juːst/ 602:used to 562:used to 554:Used to 521:: as a 446:used to 302:Clauses 255:perfect 106:Adverbs 59:Plurals 1193:  1183:  1161:  995:means 648:/juːz/ 583:to use 456:as in 452:, and 448:as in 362:Hyphen 317:Copula 297:Syntax 242:Aspect 192:person 1211:. PBS 1017:White 1013:Black 979:with 681:modal 523:tense 519:would 515:would 500:would 482:Would 466:uses 454:would 358:Comma 214:Verbs 202:Verbs 160:Nouns 1181:ISBN 1159:ISBN 1015:and 1005:Elmo 999:not 957:and 937:and 897:and 689:Used 652:used 634:used 594:used 432:The 394:Thou 261:-ing 223:Mood 188:case 111:flat 959:are 929:in 850:In 708:did 696:did 661:). 645:use 636:is 589:.) 577:or 549:). 1286:: 1189:. 1040:^ 1025:be 1021:is 985:be 981:be 977:is 971:be 963:be 955:is 951:be 927:be 920:be 915:be 786:. 771:. 767:, 739:. 710:: 698:: 692:to 675:. 598:to 510:. 474:be 468:be 460:. 253:¡ 249:¡ 234:¡ 230:¡ 190:¡ 1239:. 1218:. 1197:. 1165:. 908:. 529:( 470:( 421:e 414:t 407:v 310:) 304:( 258:) 244:( 239:) 225:( 195:) 185:( 180:) 174:( 141:) 135:( 114:) 108:( 82:) 76:( 71:) 65:( 20:)

Index

English modals of habits and past facts
English grammar

Morphology
Plurals
Prefixes
in English
Suffixes
frequentative
Word types
Acronyms
Adjectives
Adverbs
flat
Articles
Coordinators
Compounds
Demonstratives
Determiners
List here
Expletives
Intensifier
Interjections
Interrogatives
Nouns
Portmanteaus
Possessives
Prepositions
List here
Pronouns

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