Re: CHAT: return of the long-lost (was: RE: THEORY/USAGE: irregular English plurals

En réponse à Andrew Smith <andrew.smith20@...>:

>
> By the way, your "used you to" question above sounds very strange to me,
> but
> now more pressing is that I can't decide how to write the answer:
> a) "I did use to" or
> b) "I did used to".
>
> Clearly, using the emphatic "did" instead of the basic past normally
> requires a basic verb "use", yet "used to" now appears to me to be
> fossilised, and so I have a strong aversion to changing it in any way.
> Help!
>
Well, my opinion is only the one of a non-native English speaker, but it may be
interested for you all to know how I (and my fellow French students) were
taught how to use the expression "used to".

Basically, we were taught that "used to" behaved mostly like an auxiliary verb,
like "can", "will" and such (unlike "to be used to" which takes the -ing form),
except that it cannot make interrogative or negative sentences. You have to use
the "to be used to +ing" form to supplete for the lack. Now the discussion
makes me wonder whether this is is really done by native speakers. So, was I
taught nonsense, or is it really a good way to supplete for the missing forms
of "used to" and prevent the appearance of forms that look awkward for many
speakers?

Christophe.

http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr

Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.