Addendum on Used To vs. Use To

Addendum on Used To vs. Use To Addendum on Used To vs. Use To Addendum on Used To vs. Use To By Maeve Maddox It sometimes happens that I write a post that I think is beautifully focused on one point of usage, and then I receive a slew of emails faulting me for misrepresenting the topic. That’s what happened with a post on the modal use of used and use to express habitual action in the past. When an article receives this kind of response, I have to assume that my intended explanation wasn’t as clear as I thought it was. The post was based on the following question from a reader: Which is correct    He USED to go to the game on Friday. He USE to go to the game on Friday. All I intended to point out in my answer was that used is the correct choice for the examples given, but that use is correct when it follows the negative didn’t. What I said was, When the statement is positive, as in the reader’s example, the expression is used to. In negative statements, the expression is use to. For example, â€Å"He didn’t use to go to the game on Friday.† One reader correctly commented, â€Å"The distinction is not really about positivity/negativity,† and offered the following sentences as evidence: He did use to go to the game on Friday. He never used to go to the game on Friday. The first example is correct as a contradictory statement. For example: Person A: He didn’t use to go to the game on Friday. Person B: He did use to go to the game on Friday. The second example contains the negative adverb never, but used is still the correct form. Any adverb, negative or otherwise, may modify the modal used: never used to go always used to go rarely used to go I apologize for my sweeping statements about positive and negative. Another reader asks, Can we say â€Å"usednt to† instead of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"didn’t  use to†? It depends. If you live in the UK or some other place where this expression is common, go ahead and use it. If you say it to an American speaker, you’re likely to get a puzzled look. For British speakers, here’s what it says about the different forms in The Penguin Writer’s Manual: The strictly correct negative form of used to is used not to, which can be shortened to usedn’t to: â€Å"You used not to (or usedn’t to) mind if we came in a little late.† This often sounds rather formal, so that did not use to or didn’t use to (but not didn’t used to) are generally acceptable in informal speech or writing. Likewise, the traditionally correct negative question form used you not to..? or usedn’t you to..? is often replaced, more informally, by didn’t you use to..? If neither of these options seems acceptable, you used to, didn’t you? can be used. Another reader demands, What is your authority for this? My usual authorities are the OED, Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, and The Chicago Manual of Style. This time, however, I relied for the most part on British and American grammar sites that target English learners. BBC: When talking about things that we did in the past but dont do now we can use the expression  used to. The negative form, to talk about things which we didnt do in the past but do now, is  didnt use to.   Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries: Except in negatives and questions, the correct form is used to: â€Å"I used to go there every Saturday.† To form questions, use did: Did she use to have long hair? The negative form is usually didn’t use to, but in British English this is quite informal and is not usually used in writing. English Stack Exchange: Except in negatives and questions, the correct form is used to: â€Å"we used to go to the movies all the time† (not we use to go to the movies). However, in negatives and questions using the auxiliary verb do, the correct form is use to: â€Å"I didn’t use to like mushrooms† (not I didn’t used to like mushrooms). Finally, several readers wondered about the pronunciation of used to and use to. You’ll find a thorough treatment of British and American pronunciation of these forms at the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries site. Thanks to all of you for your comments. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid55 Boxing IdiomsUlterior and Alterior

How to Live Large on an Entry Level Budget

How to Live Large on an Entry Level Budget You’ve finally landed an entry level job and everything has been going well.  Ã‚  You’ve gotten your first pay stub and you’re excited and ready to go out and spend that money on extravagant items. BUT WAIT, there’s one thing you forgot–you’ve got bills to pay! Now you find yourself in a position where you have to create a budget  so that you don’t spend your  money carelessly. Being an adult is tough work, but if you follow these 6 steps, you can develop an effective budget that will leave money in your pocket while still living large! 1.  Plan your budgetThe first, most obvious, step, is to make a budget. Mint is a great app that helps you track what you have coming in and where it goes where you spend it. It nudges you to remember to save some money for fun things like   entertainment, but also helps you save for large purchases or even retirement investments.2. Rent cheaper apartmentsYou have to live somewhere and it can be tempting to pick the coolest neighborhood or the shortest commute, near where your friends live or right by your favorite music venue. But casting your net a bit wider, geographically speaking, may help you maximize your floor plan while minimizing your monthly rent expenses.3.  Cook your own foodReal Talk: My first year of employment and New York living, the Chinese takeout near me knew my out-of-state area code and order so well they’d answer the phone with, â€Å"Yes, Virginia, steamed dumplings and†¦?† It was not a good look. As a newly fledged adult I’ve learned to cook the basics- proteins, pasta, roasted vegetables. Salt and pepper. Cooking even the simplest things is better for you than living on leftovers- and making smart (cheap) choices for breakfast and lunch lets you save a few bucks for a nice meal out now and then.4. Work on your bargain hunting skillsGet to know the stores that take consignment or accept trades. Sell back old textbooks. Build up your eBay skills so your listings are polished and professional, and see how your collectible former fads fare on the resale market.5.  Enjoy the FREE festivitiesMuseums and libraries are your new best friends; outdoor concerts are your bread and butter. Gallery openings, tourist offerings, offseason events with discounted fees, and of course apps like Groupon can all help you make the most out of that limited entertainment budget Mint helped you set aside!6. Take advantage of company perksThis will all depend on where you’re working, but often corporate employers have partnerships with entertainment venues, fitness centers, or educational organizations. They may even offer public transit rebates! Figure out how to make the most out of your employer’s strategic alliances to secure experiences or goods and services that make your life better!And finally, remember that this too shall pass- every annual review is a chance for a cost of living increase or a tit le bump. Eventually you will look back and wonder how you saved up all this money- and it’ll be because you developed responsible habits when you didn’t have much to spend.