Unit 3 Grammar - Present Tenses

DESCRIBING HABITUAL  ACTIONS

1.       HABITUAL  ACTIONS IN THE PRESENT

               I.            PRESENT SIMPLE

             II.            OTHER WAYS

a.        PRESENT CONTINUOUS + ALWAYS

b.       WILL + INFINITIVE

c.        KEEP + ING

2.       HABITUAL  ACTIONS IN THE PAST

                I.            PAST SIMPLE

                II.            USED TO + INFINITIVE

                III.            WOULD + INFINITIVE

                IV.            USED TO-BE USED TO-GET USED TO

1-        

I. THIS IS THE USUAL WAY OF EXPRESING PRESENT HABITUAL ACTIONS:

Whenever I go to town, I spend too much money.

TEND TO + INFINITIVE:

The verb tend to + infinitive can be used to refer to usual or generally occurring actions.

She tends to get up late at weekends

II-THERE ARE OTHER WAYS OF EXPRESING HABITUAL ACTIONS IN THE PRESENT:

a.        THIS IS USED MAINLY TO REFER TO ACTION WHICH ARE TOO FREQUENT:

He is always giving me presents

IT IS ALSO USED WHEN YOU ARE ANNOYED WITH YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE:

You are always complaining about my cooking

b.       THIS CAN BE USED INSTEAD OF THE PRESENT SIMPLE TO REFER TO BEHAVIOUR WHICH IS PREDICTABLE OR TYPICAL:

I will sit for hours watching TV.

c.        THIS IS USED FOR HABITUAL ACTIONS WHICH ARE ACCIDENTAL OR ANNOYING:

I keep bumping my head on that tree.

2-        

I. WHEN A PAST SIMPLE VERB REFERS TO HABITUAL O REPEATED ACTIONS IT CAN BE ACCOMPANIED BY A FREQUENCY EXPRESSION:

When I worked in London, I usually got home at six o´clock

II.THIS REFERS TO HABITUAL PAST ACTIONS WHICH NO LONGER HAPPEN:

Before I had car, I used to cycle to work.

IT CAN ALSO BE USED FOR ACTIONS THAT DID NOT HAPPEN BEFORE, BUT HAPPEN NOW:

I didn´t use to have foreign holidays. Now I go abroad every year.

NOTES:

                                 i.            Remember the question form of used to:

 WHERE DID YOU USE TO GO FOR YOUR HOLIDAYS?

                                ii.            Sentences with used to do not need frequency adverbs, but they are sometimes included for emphasis.

 I ALWAYS USED TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL.

           III.            THIS REFERS TO HABITUAL PAST ACTIONS:

Every summer our parents would take us to the seaside.

Do not uses would in questions and negative sentences, as its meaning can be completely different.

NOTE: there is a difference in meaning between USED TO and WOULD:

USED TO can refer to permanent situations as well as habitual actions:

I used to be able to see the church from my bedroom window.

WOULD can only refer to actions, not situations. You can say:

He’d catch the 7.30 train, but you cannot say He’d work in London.

           IV.            USED TO + INFINITIVE

REFERS TO HABITUAL PAST ACTIONS:

My father used to get up at 5 a.m.

BE USED TO + ING

MEANS TO BE ACCUSTOMED TO:

I must go to bed early. I´m used to having ten hours sleep at night.

GET USED TO + ING

MEANS TO BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO, OFTEN TO SOMETHING UNUSUAL OR STRANGE:

If you come to England, you´ll have to get used to driving on the left hand side of the road.

NOTE: Other common verbs which follow the same pattern are look FORWARD TO and OBJECT TO.