A Humorous Lesson on the Grammatical use of "used to"

1. The Past Perfect
Grammar
With Humor 17
Used to
Complete the jokes by using used to with one of the
following verbs:
be chase dive get know turn saw sit study
take be called
1 And where did you learn to chop down trees, old man?
> In the Sahara desert in Africa.
But there aren’t any trees in the Sahara, the young man
replied.
> I know. But there ………………..!
2 Two magicians met at a party and started talking.
> What happened to the girl you …………….. in half?
Oh, she’s now living in New York and San Francisco.
3 I wonder what happened to that silly blonde girl Peter
…………………..
> I dyed my hair!
4 In India when I was a young man in the army, I …………
wild elephants on horses.
> Really? I never knew that elephants could ride horses.
5 I worked in a circus when I was in my twenties.
> What did you do?
I …………… into a bucket of water from a height of six
meters. Then I broke my neck.
> What happened? Did you miss the bucket?
No. Some idiot had emptied the water out.
6 I learned to swim at an early age. When I was three my
parents …………. me out to sea in a little boat and throw me
into the water.
> Wasn’t that a difficult way to learn to swim?
Well, the swimming was easy – it was getting out of the sack

2. that was the difficult bit.
7 I ……………… into a werewolf once a month but I’m all
right nowooowoowooo!
8 Our cat …………. Tom. Now it’s called Isabelle.
> Why did you change its name?
It had five kittens last week.
9 David, you ………………… very good marks in your
class tests. I just don’t understand why you’re now at the
bottom of the class.
> It’s the teacher’s fault.
What do you mean?
> I …………….. next to the boy who is always top of the
class but the teacher moved me to another seat and now I
can’t copy from him!
10 I ………… French, German and Algebra at school.
> Funny! I’ve never heard anybody speak Algebra.
ANSWERS
1 used to be 2 used to saw 3 used to know
4 used to chase 5 used to dive 6 used to take
7 used to turn 8 used to be called 9 used to get,
used to sit 10 used to study
8 driving.
HUMOR PIC Reflection
* One can lose one’s clear
thinking or memory when
there is stress, anxiety or fear.
Train the mind to be steady,
concentrated and mindful!
* Do not let your feelings or
emotions overwhelm you to
the extent that you lose
rational and wise thinking.