2015-08-27 Core: 7 "used to" and "rent or buy"

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk
(This is the Core class.)
---
Homework: p. 165 practice 1 and 2
practice 1
1 isn’t as big as
2 as fast as
3 the biggest
4 less expensive
5 warmer
6 hotter
7 smaller than
8 quicker
the + [comparative], the + [other comparative] = two things have a correlation
The sooner you do it, the better I’ll feel. = The sooner, the better. = Sooner is better.
practice 2
1 I used to live in San Francisco when I was young.
2 They didn’t use to have their own house.
3 Did there use to be more forests and parks in the city?
4 The boys often used to play tennis in the park. (The boys would often play tennis in the park.)
5 Where did your father use to work when he was younger?
6 She didn’t use to go to the movies often when she was a girl. (She wouldn’t often go…)
7 He used to tell me all about his life in Australia. (He would tell me…)
8 We used to eat lunch in a cafe near my grandparents’ house. (We would eat lunch…)

(A $1,000,000 house is cheaper than a $1,200,000 house, but it is not cheap.)
---
used to: past actions and situations that were true for some time, but aren’t true now
(“true for some time” = repeated actions, continuing situations)

would: past repeated actions (we don’t know if they’re true now)
(We usually use a time or frequency expression with “would”, to make it clear that it’s about the past.)
---
p. 85 part 9 - rewrite the sentences with “used to” if possible (sometimes it’s not possible)
1 NYC used to be a lot greener than it is now.
2 There used to be a lot of forest and natural landscapes.
3 The early residents didn’t use to live in a large city. (This is a bit strange, because it sounds like now the early residents live in a large city, but the early residents are all dead.)
  The early residents didn’t live in a large city. / The residents didn’t use to live in a large city.
4 People used to hunt beavers for their skins.
5 (no change - they fought once and then finished)
6 What originally used to be in the area where Fifth Avenue is now?

“My grandparents used to be poor” and “My grandparents didn’t use to be rich” both imply that my grandparents are alive and rich now. Because they are dead, it’s more clear to use the simple past:
“My grandparents were poor” or “My grandparents weren’t rich”
---
part 10 - complete the paragraph with the correct forms of the verbs (sometimes more than one choice is okay)
1 moved (it happened once and was finished -> simple past)
2 used to stand / would stand
3 were (at that specific time they were taller than everything he’d seen earlier)
4 were (about the past (no information about the present), not an action)
5 used to run / would run
6 didn’t go (“first few months” is short in comparison to how long ago this happened, so “used to” seems wrong) / wouldn’t go (= we refused to go)
7 didn’t own / didn’t use to own
8 took / used to take / would take (simple past doesn’t mean it’s NOT repeated, so it’s okay here)
9 would have / used to have
10 would go / used to go
11 was
12 used to be
---
BREAK
---
p. 85 part 11 - complete the sentences so they are true for you (with simple past, used to, or would)
Then share your answers in groups of three, correct each other’s mistakes, and ask additional questions about at least three of your partners’ sentences.
---
If you are going to rent or buy a place to live, what things are important for your location/neighborhood?
- transportation
- safety (it’s not dangerous, you are unlikely to be injured)
- security (people who shouldn’t be there can’t get there)
- accepting/tolerant neighbors
- school system
- parking
- price
- noise level
- nearby restaurants, bars, and entertainment
- shopping (for groceries and for other things)
- recreational activities
- cleanliness (the noun for “clean”)
---
p. 88 - listen to the conversation - what six things does the woman specify
anonymous = unknown, without a name
1 to rent
2 two bedrooms
3 elevator (preferable, not necessary)
4 doesn’t care if it’s new or old
5 doesn’t need a garage (she has a bike)
6 downtown
part 3 - listen again and complete the expressions
---
would + base form -> I would rather rent. / Would you rather look at new places?
I prefer walking or biking. / I prefer to walk or bike.
I prefer bikes to cars. / I prefer biking to driving.
I would rather bike than drive. (“bike” is both a noun and a verb)
I would like to bike rather than drive.
I would rather live in the city than the countryside.
---
Tomorrow you will design a tiny (10 square meters) house with your group.
Homework: look at some websites for ideas about tiny homes, and make a list of the most important things you need to have inside (because you can’t have everything you would have in a big house).
http://www.countryliving.com/home-design/g1887/tiny-house/
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/
http://www.fyi.tv/shows/tiny-house-nation/videos/safety-vs-staircase
http://tinyhousecommunity.com/faq.htm