3 The used to game

A Your name is Martin Green. These pictures show some things that you used to do (but don’t do anymore).
You have just met a new friend and you are talking about the past. Find out if there are any things that you
both used to do.

..................................................................................................................................

B Your name is Sarah Simpson. These pictures show some things that you used to do (but don’t do anymore).
You have just met a new friend and you are talking about the past. Find out if there are any things that you
both used to do.

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Pre-Intermediate Teachers Notes.indd 6 11/16/10 1:05 PM

 3 The used to game
Activity
Pairwork. Game.

Focus
Used to.

Preparation
Photocopy one worksheet for each pair. Cut the worksheet
in half.

Procedure
• Hand out one half of the worksheet to each person in a
pair. Emphasize that they must not show their pictures to
each other.
• Allow some preparation time for students to think of used
to sentences for each picture. Offer help with vocabulary.
With weaker classes you could work through an example
or two together using other pictures, e.g. a picture of a jar
labelled ‘coffee’ ➔ ‘I used to drink coffee’, e.g. a picture of
a house with ‘NY’ in the background ➔ ‘I used to live in
New York.’
• Pairwork. Students tell each other things they used to do
and attempt to find similarities between their past lives.
With weaker classes this can just be single sentences.
Stronger classes should attempt to do this as a social
conversation, e.g. chatting, showing interest, replying, etc.
• At the end you can check which similarities they
discovered.

Answers
Strong similarities are: both used to play football; both
used to watch a lot of TV.
Other possible answers are: both used to collect things;
both used to live in a capital city; both used to ride a bike
or motorbike.
The following are some possible used to sentences for the
pictures:
I used to ride a bike / motorbike.
I used to live in Paris / London.
I used to smoke; I didn’t use to smoke.
I used to collect stamps.
I used to collect postcards / photos.
I used to play football.
I went on holiday to Florida / Austria.
I used to watch a lot of TV.

Pre-Intermediate Teachers Notes.indd 7 11/16/10 1:05 PM