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'would' as a form of the past



 
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ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
Don't be crude vs. don't be rude | Series and serious homonyms?
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'would' as a form of the past Sat Mar 11, 2006 19:00 pm  'would' as a form of the past
 

Hi, could you please explain the use of would to describe events in the past? For example, when we talk about things we used to do we can use would:

When I was a child my parents would read stories to me.

What is the difference between these sentences:

There was a time when I would work more than 10 hours a day.
There was a time when I used to work more than 10 hours a day.

There was a time when I worked 10 hours a day.

Thanks again and have a good Saturday,
Nicole
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Nicole
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'would' as a form of the past Sat Mar 11, 2006 20:19 pm  'would' as a form of the past
 

Hi Nicole!

"Would" is normally used to describe a past routine, and it's much widely used than "used to". But I can't see any difference whatsoever in meaning between both. So, for example, both: * He used to spend the day by the river.
and: * He would spend the day by the river.
bear the same meaning of past habit & routine.
Note, however, that when "used to" expresses a "discontinued habit" (i.e. I used to smoke a lot when I was younger), it CANNOT be replaced by "Would". Laughing
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More widely used? Sat Mar 11, 2006 23:08 pm  More widely used?
 

Ajanah wrote:
"Would" is normally used to describe a past routine, and it's much widely used than "used to".

Hi Ajanah, thank you for your explanation. Do you mean more widely used? Or maybe much more widely used? I mean, why would you use much to modify an adverb?
Regards
Nicole
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Life is for living.
Nicole
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 24 Jun 2004
Posts: 157
Location: Bern, Switzerland

'would' as a form of the past Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:16 am  'would' as a form of the past
 

Laughing Hi Nicole
just a misprint...thanks for that!! Laughing
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Be yourself no matter what they say!
Ajanah
I'm new here and I like it ;-)


Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 32
Location: Morocco

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