WOULD & USED TO

Difference between would and used to

Use WOULD for REPEATED ACTIONS

When he was at university, he would sleep until noon at the weekends.

Use USED TO for PERMANENT STATE OR SITUATION

Mary used to be a dentist. Now she is a salesperson.

I used to live in Manchester, but I moved to London last year.

Can we use WOULD in this sentence?

No, we can't, because 'living in Manchester' wasn't repeated. It's simply a situation in the past.

WOULD + VERB INFINITIVE

To talk about HABITS / CUSTOMS in the PAST.

My dad would read me amazing stories every night at bedtime.

We would always go to the same beach every summer.

USED TO + VERB INFINITIVE

To talk about HABITS/ CUSTOMS in the PAST that are NOT LONGER TRUE.

He used to smoke but he gave up 3 years ago.

I used to eat a lot of chocolate. Now I only eat fruits.

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