The way we used to live — Workbook
1. Vocabulary gap-fill
Complete each sentence with ONE word or short chunk from the box.
- drop , we didn't have Wi-Fi, and honestly, we didn't miss it.
- drop , my grandmother used to bake bread every Saturday morning.
- I meant to check my email for a minute, but drop , an hour had passed.
- This neighbourhood drop ; ten years ago it was so much quieter.
- I still bite my nails when I'm nervous — drop .
- drop , people didn't use to answer calls from unknown numbers.
- My kids don't even know what a phone book is — drop .
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5. Find and fix the mistake
Each sentence has ONE common mistake. Rewrite it in natural A2+/B1 English.
- I was reading when the phone was ringing.
- Last summer I used to go to Rome once.
- She didn't used to smoke, but now she does.
- What you were doing at midnight?
- When I was a child I use to walk to school.
- I was cook dinner while my sister called.
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6. Combine with a contrast linker (although / but / whereas)
Join the two ideas into ONE natural sentence.
- I used to love clubs. Now I prefer quiet dinners.
- She didn't use to cook at all. Today she cooks every night.
- We used to write letters. We didn't use to send messages every five minutes.
- He was working from home. He was still checking his email at midnight.
- This café used to be my favourite place. It isn't what it used to be.
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7. Listening — 'How life used to be'
Three people talk about a past habit or belief. Listen for 'used to' AND for one specific past moment inside the habit.
- Speaker 1 (Ines): what was she doing when her plans changed, and what did she do instead of going to the party?
- Speaker 2 (Marek): what did he use to think about people who worked from home, and what changed his mind?
- Speaker 3 (Rania): what did her family use to do every Friday, and why did it stop?
Show transcript
Speaker 1 · Ines:Two Saturdays ago, I was standing at the train station, buying a coffee, when my sister called and said the party was cancelled. My first reaction, honestly, was relief. I didn't cancel the ticket. I got on the next train, went to the city alone, and I ended up walking for four hours with no plan. It's not something I used to do — I used to always have a schedule — and I think I'm going to do it again.
Speaker 2 · Marek:Back in 2018 I used to think — quite loudly, I'm afraid — that people who worked from home were basically on holiday. I used to say it as a joke, but I probably meant most of it. Then, in 2020, I found myself working from my kitchen table, and by month three I was working longer hours than I ever did in the office. In hindsight, I was completely wrong, and I owe most of my old colleagues a small apology.
Speaker 3 · Rania:Every Friday, my whole extended family used to have dinner together at my aunt's flat — about twelve of us, sometimes more. We used to spend hours at that table — nobody was checking the time, nobody was on their phone, because we didn't use to sit at the table with phones back then. After my aunt moved to Canada, and after the kids grew up and got jobs in different cities, it just stopped. How times have changed, honestly.
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8. Writing — The way I used to live
Write 90–110 words comparing your life five years ago with your life today. Include: (a) at least THREE 'used to / didn't use to' phrases, (b) at least ONE past continuous ('I was …-ing when …'), (c) at least ONE time linker (when / while / as soon as / after), and (d) ONE specific memory (a real moment, not general). End with a reflective sentence starting with 'In hindsight,…' or 'Looking back,…'.
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9. Reflection (discursive)
Answer each in 2 full sentences.
- The narrator misses 'the seriousness we used to give to a ringing phone'. Is there a small ritual from your past that you don't want back, but you miss the MEANING of? Explain.
- The daughter 'checks the screen first' before answering. Have we lost something by filtering every call, or is it simply progress?
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