2. 2
1. Habitual behaviour in the present
Adverbs of frequency
(1) Subject + adverb + main verb (2) Subject + BE + adverb (3) Subject + Auxiliary + adverb + main verb
Natàlia always passes her exams She is always happy She has always passed her exams.
% Adverbs of frequency Examples
100% always She always studies after class
90% usually They usually walk to work
80% normally / generally He normally gets good marks at school
70% often / frequently I often read in bed at night
50% sometimes My sister sometimes sings in the shower
30% occasionally The children occasionally go to bed late
10% seldom My granny seldom puts salt on her food
5% hardly ever / rarely She hardly ever gets angry
0% never Vegetarians never eat meat
FCE
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Habitual Behaviour → Habitual behaviour is a form of automatic and routine behaviour.
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(1) Present simple for habitual behaviour
→ They work in a factory; WITH a frequency adverb: They always get up very early I the morning.
(2) The present continuous + frequency advs: → They are always asking for a
higher salary.
STRUCTURE for FREQUENCY ADVERBS:
3. 3
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žž We use the present simple to talk about habits in the present.
We use it with or without an adverb of frequency.
Example:
- Peter often goes shopping with his girlfriend.
- They have lunch in a café.
USE OF PRESENT FOR
Habitual behaviour
Frequency adverbs are used to indicate how often an action occurs.
(1) An adverb of frequency goes before
a main verb (except with To Be).
Subject + adverb + main verb
I always remember to do my homework.
He normally gets good marks in exams.
(2) An adverb of frequency goes after
the verb TO BE.
Subject + to be + adverb
They are never pleased to see me.
She isn't usually bad tempered.
POSITION of ADVERBS:
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(3) An adverb of frequency goes between
the auxiliary and the main verb.
Subject + aux. + adverb + main verb
They have never seen the sea.
He hasn't ever got bad marks in exams.
4. 4
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We can also use the present continuous to talk about habits,
especially (but not always) those habits which we find annoying.
Present continuous + frequency adverb
● We must include a suitable adverb: always, constantly, continually, forever.
Those neighbours are always talking at my door.
She’s constantly saying how beautiful and intelligent she is.
He's always leaving the bath taps running.
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5. 5
tend to is used to make general statements about the habitual actions or situations.
FCE
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Other examples:
(1) Teenagers tend to be moody
(2) People in big cities tend to be more tolerant than people from small cities.
(3) Older people tend to be more easily wakened by noises than younger people.
e.g.: First Certificate students tend to be hard-working.
● Check explanations and more examples in your Coursebook
French people tend to drink
coffee rather than tea.
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6. 6
FCE
by Matifmarin. Will + bare infinitive
We can use will to talk about habitual behaviour. The meaning is present, not future.
Examples:
It´s 10 o’clock in the evening. Nathaly will be on her way home from her English class now.
→ She has classes from 8 to 10 in the evening and it’s usual for her to go home after the class.
My neighbour will always greet me with a smile.
→ It’s what she always does as a habit.
Don’t call the Johnston now, they’ll be having dinner.
→ I know they always have dinner at this time.
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7. 7
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He keeps (on) annoying his sister.
Keep on + gerund
To be healthy, I keep
on drinking water.
● Check explanations and more examples in your Course book
My flowers
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8. 8
Would is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use would mainly to:
- talk about the past →We would go to the same beach every summer.
- talk about the future in the past → I knew she would marry him. / I knew she wouln't marry him.
- express the conditional mood →The student wouldn’t have failed this semester if he had studied harder.
We also use would for other functions, such as:
expressing desire, polite requests and questions, opinion or hope, wish and regret...
Structure of Would:
subject + would + main verb
The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to").
WOULD
2. Habitual behaviour in the past
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- Past simple + frequency verbs
- Used to + infinitive
- Would + infinitive
Past simple + frequency verbs:
- I always got up at 7 in the morning when I lived in London.
- I hardly ever went away on holiday when I was young.
• I Would like some coffee? • Since you ask me I'd say the red one is best.
• Would you open the door, please? • I wish you would stay / I wish I wouldn’t have said that.
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9. 9
subject auxiliary verb main verb
+ She
would
like tea.
'd
- She
would not
like whisky.
wouldn't
? Would she like coffee?
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Notice that:
•Would is never conjugated. It is always would or 'd (short form).
•The main verb is always the bare infinitive.
Would is never conjugated!!!!
when I was younger,
I would always seduce ladies
with my exquisite personality
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10. 10
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(a) This structure expresses a past action and state. It has no present equivalent.
e.g.: When I was a child, we used to go on holiday to the seaside.
Pay attention to the negative and the question:
e.g.: Where did you use to go? - I used to go to the beach.
- We didn't use to do anything interesting.
IMPORTANT!!
We cannot use used to with a time reference + a number.
Compare:
*We used to have a holiday there for 10 years/three times
But …
We used to go there every year.
Used to + infinitive
● You can see more examples in the Contents of unit 14 (also in my blog)
● Check also the difference between “be use to + gerund”, “get used to” and “used to + inf.”
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11. 11
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1. Be used to + -ing / noun in the affirmative describe the state in which one no longer finds
situations new or strange.
e.g.: I am used to the heat = it is no problem for me now.
2. Get used to + -ing / noun in the affirmative describes the process of reaching normality with a
new or strange situation.
e.g.: I am getting used to the heat = it 's less of a problem for me now than before.
3. What form of the verb is used after 'be used to" and "get used to" → the gerund
→ Please, check information on pg. 206 of Grammar reference in your Coursebook!!
Check the following:
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12. 12
□ Practise doing this activity
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For each of the following sentences, choose either "used to" or "would". If both are possible, use
"would".
1. Do you remember how your Uncle David ______________ sit in that chair and smoke those disgusting cigars.
2. Your mother ______________ have a Yorkshire Terrier when she was a young girl, didn't she?
3. For years, they _______________ go on holiday to the Rockies, but then it became very fashionable and, hence,
expensive.
4. Years ago, I ______________ write a diary every day but then I got bored with doing it and I stopped. Maybe it was my life
that was boring!
5. At the start of their marriage, they ________________ be very happy - but then it all went wrong!
6. You __________________ spell so well. Whatever happened?
7. When I was five, I _________________ be able to do incredible gymnastics. Now I can't even touch my toes.
8. Before getting my driving licence, I _________________ ride a bicycle everywhere.
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13. 13
ANSWER KEY
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Answers "used to - would"
1 - would.
2 - used to.
3 - would.
4 - would.
5 - used to.
6 - used to.
7 - used to.
8 - would.
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14. 14
UNIT 1 topic Lifestyle and fashion
Read the article about teenage models in your Coursebook and talk about this topic to a classmate
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