Day 17 New words AND Used to

1.New words

flashmob (noun)
a crowd of people who gather together quickly and suddenly, often organised through social media

selfie (noun)
a photo that you take of yourself, normally on a mobile phone

photobomb (verb/noun)
to suddenly put yourself into someone else’s photograph; the act of doing this

weatherbomb (noun)
a short period of extreme weather

thoughtbomb (noun)
a group session where people think together; brainstorm

troll (noun/verb)
person who behaves badly online - for example, someone who posts negative, insulting comments on social media; to do this

2.‘Used to’

Meaning and use
We use the phrase used to when we want to talk about something we did regularly in the past, but we don’t do now. We also use it to talk about a past fact which is no longer true.

I used to work at a restaurant, but now I work at a library.

Shari didn’t use to take the bus to school, but now she does.

NOT: I used to eat some cake last Saturday night. (‘Saturday night’ was just one time, so it was not something done regularly.)

Used to can help us to compare activities in the past and now.

I used to work at a restaurant in the past, and now I work at a library.

When we say used to, we do not do something now.

I used to work at a restaurant. I quit that job, and then got a new job at a library.

Form
The different forms of this phrase are used to or did/did not/didn’t + use to.

Used to is used in positive sentences. Use to is used in negative and question forms.

Positive

Alan used to wear his hat every day until he left it on the bus.
My aunt used to have a dog called Charlie.

Negative
Marsha didn’t use to enjoy skiing, but now she loves it.
I was surprised that you didn’t use to live in Shanghai.

Question

Which road did you use to take to the village before they built the new one?

Did Martin use to have a flat in this building?

Negative question

Didn’t Paula use to study French?
Didn’t William use to work at night?

Take note: adverbs
Used to already means that something happened regularly in the past. You don’t need to add adverbs most of the time. However, if you want to stress a time period, you can add an adverb.

John didn’t use to go shopping often, but now he does.
We used to visit Mexico yearly, but lately, we’ve been going to Chile.

Spoken English
In conversation, used to is sometimes pronounced as /juːstə/. And you don’t say the ‘d’ and ‘t’ as separate sounds.

In fact, it is nearly impossible to hear the difference between used to and use to. Even if you can’t hear it, you can still pronounce this phrase correctly by saying /juːzd tə/ for both use to and used to. However, when you are writing, it is important to write the correct form. Remember, if there is a did or didn’t in the phrase, write use to. Otherwise, write used to.

3.Vocabulary Reference

selfie (noun)
a photo that you teake of yourself, normally on a mobile phone

photobomb (verb/noun)
to suddenly put yourself into someone else’s photograph; the act of doing this

trolling (noun)
behaving badly online - for example, posting negative and insulting comments on social media

at the touch of a button (idiom)
something that can be done immediately or very quickly and easily

video call
a visual communication between two or more people, usually on the computer or smartphones

old-school
having old-fashioned or traditional values

bizarre
very strange or unusual

shun
avoid, ignore, or reject

mining
the process of removing valuable metals and minerals from the ground

extract (verb)
to remove minerals from a rock

mechatronics
a combination of mechanics, electronics, and computing

interior
a central area, away from the coast

uninhabited
where no-one lives

rich pickings
a large amount of valuable resources/materials

precise
exact, accurate

remote
far away, removed

manual labour
hard, physical work needing strength more than skill

root vegetables
the large part of particular plants that are used for vegetables, for example carrots, swede or beetroot

in season
(here)the period of the year when something is easily available, for example strawberry season

adventurous
(here)willing to try new experiences

experimental
based on new or untested ideas

compulsory
something which must happen, because of a rule

reputation
the opinion which people generally have about something or someone

anarchic
without rules, order, or control

pick
(here) choose

the pictures
an old-fashioned way to say ‘the cinema’

pan
a post for cooking things in

caterer
a person or company that makes food for groups of people

conventional
normal, ordinary, or traditional

neat
tidy and well organised

bride
woman who is going to get married soon

made for each other
have a good understanding of each other, are a perfect match in a romantic relationship

couple
two people in a romantic relationship

settle down
stay in a place for a long time with a partner

wedding
ceremony in which people get married

female
a girl or woman