used to
used to: formerly did, had the habit of
Examples of USED TO
- We used to go to the county fair every year when we were kids.
- I used to dream about becoming an astronaut and going into space.
used to: formerly did, had the habit of
to turn down: to reduce in brightness or volume; to reject, to refuse Examples of TO TURN DOWN I hate to turn down a tired traveler, but my hotel doesn’t have any more rooms available. Sarah turned down my offer to take her to dinner.
to give birth to: to bear a human being or animal Examples of TO GIVE BIRTH TO His wife, Olivia, had given birth to their second son two days before the crash. His reliable nanny goat, Honeybear, had given birth to five baby goats, or kids.
all along: all the time, from the beginning (without change) Examples of ALL ALONG After we searched and searched, it turned out that the turtle was in his crate all along! We knew all along that Jeremy would win the election.
as a matter of fact: really, actually (also: in fact) Examples of AS A MATTER OF FACT I know you thought I’d forgotten your birthday, but as a matter of fact, I’ve been planning a surprise party all along. As a matter of fact, I was hoping that New England would lose.
to make a difference (to): to be of importance (to), to affect Examples of MAKE A DIFFERENCE The sociology student just wanted to make a difference in the lives of the poor. “I can’t figure out how to make a difference in this community,” the frustrated politician thought to himself.
to take for granted: not to appreciate fully; to assume to be true withoutgiving much thoughtA noun or pronoun often follows the verb take. Examples of TO TAKE FOR GRANTED Most citizens in Africa do not have these luxuries we take for granted. These people are being careless and taking for granted the lives that…