"didn't use to" or "used not to" ?
"I used not to smoke when I was a teenager" or "I didn't use to smoke when I was a teenager" ?
Which is correct and why ?
Top answer
[1] I used not to smoke when I was a teenager. [2] I didn't use to smoke when I was a teenager . Both are OK and have the same meaning, though [2] is much more common, especially with younger speakers I believe.
- [1] I used not to smoke when I was a teenager.
- [2] I didn't use to smoke when I was a teenager .
- Both are OK and have the same meaning, though [2] is much more common, especially with younger speakers I believe.
- Grammatically, the difference is that in [1] "used" is an auxiliary verb, while in [2] it's a lexical verb as can be seen from the fact that it has support do .
- Incidentally, well done for getting the spelling correct – many people get it wrong, especially in [2] where the incorrect "used" is often found.
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[1] I used not to smoke when I was a teenager.
[2] I didn't use to smoke when I was a teenager.
Both are OK and have the same meaning, though [2] is much more common, especially with younger speakers I believe.
Grammatically, the difference is that in [1] "used" is an auxiliary verb, while in [2] it's a lexical verb as can be seen from the fact that it has suppo
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