UNIT 9: GENERALLY SPEAKING

Clauses and phrases showing contrast and exception

• Use WHILE, UNLIKE and IN CONTRAST TO to present contrasting information.

Examples:

WHILE many Americans drive every day, people in my country use public transportation.
UNLIKE the average American, people in my country don't use credit cards very often.
IN CONTRAST TO the average American, people in my country don't usually eat out.

• Use EXCEPT THAT and EXCEPT FOR to show an exception.

Examples:

I'm very similar to the average American EXCEPT (that) I don't have a car.
People in my country don't eat out EXCEPT (for) on special occassions.

Exercise 1: Contrasting Ideas

Exercise 2: Except and except for

Exercise 3: 

Choose the correct linking word or phrase.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Past habit – used to/would/

When we talk about things that happened in the past but don’t happen anymore we can do it in different ways.

Used to

• We used to live in New York when I was a kid.
• There didn’t use to be a petrol station there. When was it built?

We can use ‘used to’ to talk about past states ….

• I used to go swimming every Thursday when I was at school.
• I used to smoke but I gave up a few years ago.

… or we can use ‘used to’ to talk about repeated past actions

Remember that ‘used to’ is only for past states/actions that don’t happen now – we can’t use it for things that still happen now. Also, ‘used to + infinitive’ should not be confused with ‘be/get used to + ‘ing’ form’ – this is covered in a separate section.

Would

• Every Saturday I would go on a long bike ride.
• My teachers would always say “Sit down and shut up!”

We can use ‘would’ to talk about repeated past actions.

Often either ‘would’ or ‘used to’ is possible. Both of these sentences are possible.

• Every Saturday, I would go on a long bike ride.
• Every Saturday I used to go on a long bike ride.

However, only ‘used to’ is possible when we talk about past states.

• We used to live in New York when I was a kid.
• We would live in New York when I was a kid.

Exercise 1: Used to / Would

Exercise 2:  Used To

Exercise 3: "Used To" or "Would"?