| Here's a way to introduce the structure "used | | | | |
| to" to your ESL students. | | | | Student: "The aeroplane. Before the |
| | | | aeroplane, people travelled long distances by |
| 1 Find or draw on the board a picture of | | | | ship. Now they fly." |
| someone who looks like they could have just | | | | |
| won some money. A photo from a magazine of | | | | Teacher: "Good! So, people used to travel |
| someone driving an expensive car, or sitting | | | | long distances by ship, but now they fly. |
| in a luxurious room, for example, would work | | | | |
| well. Give the person a name, and set the | | | | 5 After the first round of feedback, |
| scene for your students of someone who has | | | | students will be starting to catch on, so now |
| just won the lottery, or elicit it from them | | | | do a second round, asking students to use the |
| ("Why is Jane driving an expensive car?"; | | | | new structure with their second invention. |
| "How did she afford her expensive clothes?" | | | | They will probably still need some prompting, |
| etc.) | | | | but by the third round of feedback, using |
| | | | their third invention, they should be |
| 2 Ask students about Jane's life after | | | | producing "used to" without too much help. |
| winning the lottery. Depending on the | | | | |
| imagination of your students, you might have | | | | 6 Use one or two of the students' ideas to |
| to prompt them a little ("Where does she | | | | highlight the written form of the structure |
| live?"; "Does she have a job?"; "Is she | | | | on the board. Don't forget the question and |
| happy?"; "Where does she go on holiday?" | | | | negative forms! |
| etc.) Then ask students to describe how | | | | |
| Jane's life was different before winning the | | | | 7 Now it's time to go back to your picture |
| lottery ("Where did she live?"; "Was she | | | | of Jane. Ask the students if they remember |
| happy?"; "What was her job?") After you have | | | | Jane and why she is driving her expensive |
| built up some facts about Jane's life before | | | | car. Then ask them once again to tell you |
| and after her lottery win, put your picture | | | | about her life before and after winning the |
| to one side and tell them to remember Jane | | | | lottery, this time using "used to". ("She |
| because you will be returning to her later in | | | | used to live in a small flat, but now she has |
| the class. | | | | a mansion"; "She used to work, but now she |
| | | | doesn't"). Be sure to give students plenty |
| 3 Next, as a group, brainstorm important | | | | of practice with the question and negative |
| inventions in history. Take one suggestion | | | | forms as well. You could have one student ask |
| (it doesn't matter which one, as this is just | | | | another a question about Jane's old life, and |
| an example to model the exercise which will | | | | ask some questions yourself that require a |
| follow). Elicit what life was like before | | | | negative response. |
| this invention, and how life changed with the | | | | |
| invention. For example: "The internet. | | | | 8 For further controlled communicative |
| Before the internet, most people wrote | | | | practice of "used to", you could devise a |
| letters, but now most people send emails." | | | | questionnaire about students' childhood for |
| | | | them to use in pairs. This could contain some |
| 4 Now put students into pairs and have them | | | | prompts, such as "go to school"; "live". One |
| think of three more important inventions, | | | | student in each pair must then form a |
| what life was like before the invention and | | | | question ("Where did you use to live?") and |
| how life changed with it. When they have | | | | the other must answer ("I used to live in |
| done this, have each pair share one of their | | | | Paris"). |
| ideas with the class, but this time introduce | | | | |
| "used to" by rephrasing their ideas as they | | | | And there you have it, an easy way to |
| give feedback. For example: | | | | introduce "used to" to your ESL students. |