Grammer

Question

I want to know if you can say "I didn't used to have" when making a sentence.  For example: I didn't used to have long hair.  The people I work with say this is correct.  I am working as a teacher in Turkey but I am American and we never talk like this.

Reefannie · Accepted Answer

Yes, this is okay.

If you don't use the contraction, does it sound better to you?

"I did not used to have long hair."

I suppose you could just side step it altogether, right?

Long ago my hair was very short!

K

=^^=

Julieakyol · Answer

Thanks for your quick reply.  Sometimes I feel like I don't even know my own language.  I am speechless:):)

Cool Breeze · Answer

There's variety. Some people think didn't used is wrong but reputable dictionaries accept it. A liberal grammarian will accept: I didn't use/used to have long hair and I used not to have long hair.

CB

SJD87 · Answer

Hi,
I think when people are speaking, it's not clear whether they are saying didn't use to or didn't used to.
I don't think didn't used to is standard English.
Actually, when people want to write, they sometimes mistakenly write it as didn't used to.
I think in standard English, it's either didn't use to or used not to.

Philip · Answer

Sometimes, in jest, I will throw a "used to didn't" in a conversation, just to be sure the others are paying attention.

It is only recently that I discovered that with the auxiliary didn't, used to is probably incorrect. The proximity of used to is such that it's hard to hear what actually is going on.

Cool Breeze · Answer

PhilipIt is only recently that I discovered that with the auxiliary didn't, used to is probably incorrect. The proximity of used to is such that it's hard to hear what actually is going on.

This is one of the numerous points of grammar on which there is no agreement. The following quotation is from the Collins Concise English Dictionary:

"The most common negative form of used to is didn't used to (or didn't use to), but in formal contexts used not to is preferred."

The preference of many people to say didn't use to is of course based on the fact that ordinary verbs require an infinitive with did. Consequently didn't use to appears more "grammatical" than didn't used to. However, English grammar is replete with all sorts of anomalies. Besides, used to has no other tense, no present tense, for example: We use to go to church on Sundays is wrong! Isn't it rather peculiar that a verb which doesn't have a present tense could have an infinitive? After all, the infinitive (use) and the present tense (use) are normally the same in English!

As the verb has no present tense, it's easy to overlook the ending of used to and not think of the edas a past tense ending at all - even though the verb is used in the past tense only.

However one approaches the negative past tense ofused to, it remains a grammatical oddity.

CB

Grammer

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