"usedn't to" vs. "usen't to"

[Soklong]

Hi teachers!!

What the different between the use of usedn't to and usen't to.

Is there any different between the two below?

He usedn't to go there very often.
He usen't to go there very often.

Thanks!!

Soklong

[Jamie (K)]

Those forms "usedn't to" and "usen't to" show up in ESL books written by foreigners, but I had never heard or read them in my entire life until I heard a foreign English teacher say them. And since she said them, I have never seen or heard them again.

I believe they are more or less obsolete in the UK. (Alan can correct me, if I'm wrong.) If you say them in the US or Canada, people will think they are not English and will correct you.

The best thing to do is to forget about "usedn't to" and "usen't to", and use "didn't use to" instead.

[Bara]

Hi Jamie,

Me too. This is the frist time I heard these words. Although, I am not English native speaker, I didn't read, listen and see in any book I've studied or bought for just reading. What I studied was "used to" and "did not use to". So I agree with you, it could be obsolete as you said.

We benefit from natives :wink:

regards,
baraa

[Soklong]

Hi teachers!!

If you say I should to forget that that is impossible, because I none-native English speaker so I have to know all the state-of-the-art or obsolete words use. To master one language knowledge, he must be aware of the old to, right?

I still ask the same question, is there any difference?

[Yankee]

[Alan]

Hi Soklong,

Your quotes:

[Tom]

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

Sorry, I don't know what question you're referring to. I assume it was about "used to", but I don't understand what you're asking me now. :?:

I see no problem with the negative "didn't use to".

Many native speakers also write "didn't used to", but most grammar books categorize this form as grammatically incorrect.

Does that answer your question?

Amy
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Belgian Student]

I study English at university in Ghent, Flanders.

I came across this using google, because I was confused by something I saw in my textbook and on the slides of my class. In grammatical usage we learned about usedn't. So it's probably right, no? My question is, what the hell does it mean?

[Jamie (K)]

[Oshaughnessyc]

Although apparently obsolete in England (Britain?), the form "usedn't to" is standard usage in Ireland. One does not hear "didn't use to" or "didn't used to".

I recently came across this expression in the 1936 Agatha Christie novel, Murder in Mesopotamia, chapter 8 (used by Miss Johnson).

[Alan]

Hi,

This construction is in a bit of a mess and that comes from the fact that in conversation it's really impossible to hear the 'd' in 'used'. The point is that 'used to' is stuck in the past and to say 'didn't used to' really refers twice to the notion of 'past' but then 'didn't use to' creates a new verb 'use' (to rhyme with 'loose') which doesn't really exist. One way out of the problem is to say: 'used not to'. That way at least it seems logical.

Alan
_________________
English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Progressive Forms

[Silvinadayanes]

Sorry guys but t I'm afraid those expressions weren't wrong as you said before. My English Teacher has told me that those expressions belong to old English and maybe they're not used now because the pronunciation is very difficult and the words are so long.

I hope my answer can help you!