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539 Glossary for any unfamiliar terms

Modality | 661

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Interrogative

The interrogative of used to has two forms; the more common form is with auxiliary

did

. The alternative form involves subject-verb inversion, and is very rare:

Did you used to have ambitions when you were younger for the future?

A: Didn’t that big building on the corner used to be a cinema?

B: Yes it was, years ago.

It looks different. 

Used it to be like that?

(very rare)

Emphatic

Emphatic did may occur with used to. The construction may be represented in

writing as did used to or did use to:

A: Do you stay up to celebrate the New Year?

B: When me and my sisters used to get together before I got married we did used

to celebrate it, with my sisters. 

She 

did use to cuddle me, my mother, not passionately, like Aunt Eileen did.

Tags

When a tag follows a clause with used to, it is normally constructed with auxiliary did:

You 

used to work in Manchester, didn’t you?

I 

used to go there every year, I did, when I was younger.