Used to- Trivia Quiz

Used to- Trivia Quiz
Work in groups with one Student A worksheet and one Student B worksheet. Perhaps after
some preparation time, read out one of the questions from your sheet, the correct answer
there, and your own idea for a false answer made from the sentence starter that is there,
in the order given. Your partner should then try to say the correct answer back (in a full
sentence). Guess the correct option to your partner’s question in the same way, then take
turns asking and answering questions until your teacher tells you to stop.

Used to grammar presentation
What is the meaning of “used to”?

Can “They wore tights” and “They used to wear tights” have the same meaning? Can
“They wore tights” and “They used to wear tights” have different meanings? If so, what is
the possible difference?

What time expressions often go with “used to”?

What is the present of “They used to put the bowling pins back up after they were knocked
down”? How is that present tense similar to “used to”?

What is the yes/ no question form of “used to”? Why doesn’t it have the word “used” in it?
What is the negative form of “used to”? Why doesn’t it have the word “used” in it?

Why is the pronunciation of the question and negative form “use to” and the pronunciation
of the positive statement form “used to” so similar?

Make up similar questions to test each other with, from your own knowledge about the
past and/ or from research.
Suggested used to question stems
 How did doctors use to treat…?/ What did doctors use to recommend to help with…?
 How many … did … use to … every…?
 How often did … use to…?
 What colour(s) did … use to be?
 What did … use to … instead of…?
 What did … use to … with…?
 What did … use to be called?/ What did the name of … use to be?
 What did … use to be made of?/ What did … use to have in it?
 What did … use to do/ wear/ eat/ drink/ live in?
 What did … use to use … for?
 What did …’s job use to be?/ What job did … use to do?
 What did people use to use to… (before … was invented)?
 Where did … use to…?
 Why did … use to…?

p. 1

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2021

Student A
What did the UK royal family’s name use to be before they changed it to “Windsor”?
 It used to be “Saxe Coburg and Gotha”.
 It used to be…

What did pinsetters use to do?
 They used to…
 They used to put the bowling pins back up after they were knocked down.

What did a lamplighter use to do?
 They used to…
 They used to light streetlamps every evening (because they used gas).

What did body snatchers use to do?
 They used to dig up dead bodies to be used to medical experiments.
 They used to…

How did Neanderthals use to make fire?
 They used to make fire by hitting two stones together.
 They used to make fire by…

What did doctors use to recommend to help with asthma?
 They used to recommend smoking tobacco.
 They used to recommend…

What did the energy drink RadiThor use to have in it?
 It used to have… in it.
 It used to have radioactive radium in it.

What colour food did the French composer Erik Satie use to eat for every meal?
 He only used to eat…food.
 He only used to eat white food.

How many cups of coffee did French writer Honoré De Balzac use to drink every day?



He used to drink 50 cups of coffee a day.



He used to drink … cups of coffee a day.

What did the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky use to do for 15 minutes to improve his
creativity?
 He used to…
 He used to stand on his head for 15 minutes every day.

How did American inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin use to start his day?
 He used to open all his windows and take off his clothes.
 He used to…

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Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2021

What did the artist Pablo Picasso use to carry with him everywhere?
 He used to carry a gun full of blanks with him everywhere.
 He used to carry… with him everywhere.

What did the Irish mainly use to eat before Europeans started growing potatoes?
 They mainly used to eat…
 They mainly used to eat oats.

What did Englishmen use to wear on their legs before trousers became popular?
 They used to wear…
 They used to wear tights.

What used to pull wagons along tracks before steam engines became popular?


… used to pull them.

 Horses used to pull them.

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Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2021

Student B
What did factory lectors use to do?
 They used to read out loud to factory workers while they were working.
 They used to…

What did knocker-ups use to do?
 They used to wake people up by knocking on their windows.
 They used to…

What did grooms of the stool use to do?
 They used to…
 They used to help the king go to toilet.

What did link boys use to do?
 They used to…
 They used to hold torches in front of people walking through the street.

What did doctors use to make patients drink after a dog bit them?
 The used to make the patient drink the hair of the dog that bit them.
 They used to make the patients drink…

What drug did Coca Cola use to have in it?
 It used to have… in it.
 It used to have cocaine in it.

Why did Victorians use to swallow tapeworm eggs?
 They used to swallow tapeworm eggs to try to…
 They used to swallow tapeworm eggs to try to lose weight.

What did artist Salvador Dali use to do to try to remember his dreams?
 He used to…
 He used to sleep holding a key over a metal pan.

How often did Queen Elizabeth the First of England use to take a bath?
 She used to take a bath once a month.
 She used to take a bath…

How did Beethoven use to refresh himself after working for too long?
 He used to pour cold water over his head.
 He used to…

Where did American artist Georgia O’Keeffe use to paint?
 She used to paint…
 She used to paint in the back seat of her car.

p. 4

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2021

What did heroin use to be sold as a cure for?
 It used to be sold as a cure for…
 It used to be sold as a cure for coughing.

What did the English mainly use to eat for Xmas dinner before they discovered turkeys?
 They mainly used to eat goose.
 They mainly used to eat…

What did the Ancient Greeks use to wear to take part in the Olympics?
 They used to wear…
 They used to wear nothing.

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Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2021