B1 Lesson 7: Used to + Weather Phrasal Verbs

WARM UP

Think about weather and natural disasters.

• Have strong winds ever blown away something near you?
• Have you ever seen a building burn down?
• What do you usually do when the weather clears up?
• Does the sun often come out after rain in your city?
• Have you ever had to search for something after bad weather?

Answer in full sentences.

VOCABULARY – WEATHER PHRASAL VERBS

• blow away – llevarse volando
Example: The wind blew away several signs.

• burn down – quemarse completamente
Example: The old building burned down during the fire.

• clear up – despejarse
Example: The sky cleared up after the storm.

• come out – salir
Example: The sun came out in the afternoon.

• fall down – caerse
Example: A tree fell down during the storm.

• put out – apagar
Example: Firefighters put out the fire quickly.

• split up – separarse / dividirse
Example: The group split up during the emergency.

• stressful – estresante
Example: The situation was very stressful.

• waste – desperdiciar / perder
Example: Don’t waste water during hot weather.

• search – buscar
Example: Rescue teams searched for missing people.

Say each phrase out loud.
Think about news stories or real experiences.

GRAMMAR – USED TO

We use used to to talk about past habits or situations that are different now.

• used to + base verb

Examples

• I used to live in a place with many storms.
• We used to play outside every day.
• The river used to flood every winter.
• People used to burn wood to stay warm.

Negative Form

• didn’t use to + base verb

Examples

• I didn’t use to like rainy weather.
• We didn’t use to worry about floods.

Question Form

• Did + subject + use to + base verb?

Examples

• Did you use to live near the sea?
• Did it use to snow here often?

More Examples

• Strong winds used to blow away signs near my old house.
• The sun used to come out after every storm.
• Firefighters used to put out fires in this area every summer.
• We used to think extreme weather was less common.

DIALOGUE – TALKING ABOUT THE PAST

Anna: Did you use to live in the countryside?
Mark: Yes, and storms often blew away trees there.

Anna: That sounds stressful.
Mark: It was. Sometimes buildings even burned down during hot summers.

Anna: Did the weather usually clear up quickly?
Mark: Yes, and the sun always came out after the rain.

Anna: Did people ever search for missing animals after storms?
Mark: Yes, especially after floods and strong winds.

Read again and practise.

SHORT ARTICLE

When I was younger, I used to live in a small town near the mountains. Every winter, heavy storms caused problems. Strong winds sometimes blew away signs and fences, and old trees often fell down. During the summer, the weather became very dry, and one year a large building burned down after a fire started nearby. Firefighters worked all night to put out the flames. After storms, rescue teams often searched for lost pets and damaged property. Although life there was sometimes stressful, I still enjoyed it because the sky usually cleared up, and the sun always came out again.

Read the article twice. Focus on the use of used to.

LANGUAGE SUPPORT

Using used to

• I used to live near the coast.
• We used to have stronger storms.
• He used to be afraid of lightning.

Negative form

• I didn’t use to like winter.
• They didn’t use to worry about floods.

Question form

• Did you use to live there?
• Did it use to rain a lot?

Full sentence model

• Strong winds used to blow away trees near my house.

PERSONAL QUESTIONS

Answer in full sentences.

• Did you use to live in a place with extreme weather?
• Have strong winds ever blown away something you owned?
• Have you ever seen something burn down?
• What do you usually do when the weather clears up?
• Did it use to rain more in your area when you were younger?
• Have you ever seen a tree fall down during a storm?
• Do firefighters often put out fires in your country during summer?
• Have you ever had to search for something after bad weather?
• Do you think modern life is more stressful because of climate change?
• What bad habits do people need to stop so they don’t waste resources?

HOMEWORK (WRITE & RECORD)

Writing

Write 8 sentences:

• 6 sentences using used to
• 2 negative or question forms with used to

Use at least 8 vocabulary words from the lesson.

Recording

Read your sentences aloud clearly.
Focus on the pronunciation of used to and the weather phrasal verbs.