0
Zany banana 409 Posted 9 years ago
Grammar
Past simple vs 'used to'
Princess Aurora: Then why don't you? All the other fairies fly.
Maleficent: I had wings once. They were stolen from me. That's all I wish to say about it.
Princess Aurora: What colour were they? Were they big?
Maleficent: So big that they dragged behind me when I walked. And they were strong.
This is a scrap of dialogue taken from the movie Maleficent.
I was just wondering that the part 'they dragged behind me...'conveys the sense of a repetitive action and 'drag' could be preceded by 'used to' ( ...they used to drag...)
What I guess is that past simple can be used in place of 'used to'. If so, could you please give some examples where past simple and 'used to' can be used interchangeably?
please help!
Maleficent: I had wings once. They were stolen from me. That's all I wish to say about it.
Princess Aurora: What colour were they? Were they big?
Maleficent: So big that they dragged behind me when I walked. And they were strong.
This is a scrap of dialogue taken from the movie Maleficent.
I was just wondering that the part 'they dragged behind me...'conveys the sense of a repetitive action and 'drag' could be preceded by 'used to' ( ...they used to drag...)
Is my assumption right?
What I guess is that past simple can be used in place of 'used to'. If so, could you please give some examples where past simple and 'used to' can be used interchangeably?
please help!
Top answer
)Is my assumption right? That is not enough reason to use 'used to' here. 'Used to' is more than just past repetitive action; it is more a matter of past habit, when one wishes to indicate that it was customary.
- )Is my assumption right?
- That is not enough reason to use 'used to' here.
- 'Used to' is more than just past repetitive action; it is more a matter of past habit, when one wishes to indicate that it was customary.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
1 Answers
0
zany banana 409I was just wondering that the part 'they dragged behind me...'conveys the sense of a repetitive action and 'drag' could be preceded by 'used to' ( ...they used to drag...)Is my assumption right?
That is not enough reason to use 'used to' here. 'Used to' is more than just past repetitive action; it is more a matter of past habit, when one wis
0
Related Questions