The use of "used to" is much more frequent than "use to", but what about "did used to" vs. "did use to"?
7998
Which is the correct sentence, if there is a correct one?     I use to be a hitman.        I used to be a hitman.   I've read the second sentence recently in a book, but I was sure it should be I use to be a hitman.
86561
I am really confused now, so I've found out that:  Facts :  HAVE GOT is only used in the present and past form.  the plain "have" is used in all tenses.  HAVE GOT cannot be combined with the modal verbs such as :must, may, might, can, etc. and can't be combined with to+infinitive.  Only the plain "have" can be combined with the modal verbs &amp; it can be combined with to+infinitive. ex. I want to have a pair of shoes (or) I want to have got a pair of shoes.  HAVE GOT and the plain "have" are used in BrE. (Do BrE natives use both ? Could you explain the differences between them?)  The pattern  A. HAVE GOT : I have got.. &amp; I haven't got..&amp; have I got (in the negative, haven't I got ___ ?)  B. HAVE : I do have.. / I have.. &amp; I don't have.. &amp; do I have? (negative, don't I have?)  C. past : I had got /(I did have) I had &amp; I hadn't got /I didn't have &amp; had I got (hadn't I got?), did I have? ( didn't I have?)  Are these facts correct? I await your explanations, thanks.
36115
In regard to this , my question is similar but that answer is not clear. I want to know why we use base form of verb, e.g. 'go' to form the past tense instead of past form such as 'went'?     Question: Did you go to a bank?  (Why we use 'go' here, rather than 'went'?)   Answer: I went to a bank.   Am I confusing verb forms with tenses? Please note that I'm not a native speaker so some clarification or reference on this would be helpful.
82424
I have a sentence:     Please show me the right way so that I can do that rather than take blind action.     Is this sentence grammatically correct?   Can I use instead of to replace rather than? If replaced, the meaning of this sentence is changed?   What is the difference between rather than and instead of? Can you show me some examples to distinguish them?
110994
I let him do it.   and     I allow him to do it.   Why does the latter require to?  What are the "rules" of using to with an infinitive? When is it necessary?
64070
Please tell me is there any fundamental difference between the two sentences:   Even today, people continue to use cheques.  Even today, people are continuing to use cheques.    I mean is there a difference as in time period (i.e when the action starts and when it ends). Or are the two sentence just the same and interchangeable?
89880
I was told that if an action is completed once in the past, the simple past is used. Ex:  I saw that movie.  If the action is completed more than once, the present perfect tense must be used. Ex:  I have seen that movie twelve times.    So, "I have seen that movie twelve times on Tuesday." is correct and "I saw that movie twelve times on Tuesday." is incorrect?
1640
I see these two expressions are used almost identically in different contexts. Is there a difference between I have got and I have gotten?
6870
This question is inspired by comments on . The original poster wrote:     How to correct this error?   And comments say that it's an incorrect question. Better is     How do I correct this error?   I am not a native English speaker, so the fact that both versions sound natural to me is quite irrelevant. But I would like to ask anyway whether the first version is really bad.  I have seen a lot of questions starting with How to, so if you say that the first version is incorrect, could you please summarize when it is OK to use How to and when it is preferable to say How do I.
85892
I have seen people use both forms below. Which is correct? If both are, in which situation is each better used?  I am a software engineer based in New York. I am a software engineer based out of New York.
83243
What is the difference in the meaning between following sentences:        John was to have picked strawberries yesterday but the downpour made the field too muddy.   John was to pick strawberries yesterday but the downpour made the field too muddy.      (Source: modified )  I've read in Learn English BBC that the form "was to" and "was to have" is used for past plan which wasn't fullfiled.  But What  I haven't understood is that these form look similar to me. I'm in a dillema which one (was to, or was to have) is used for past plan and which one is for unfullfilled past plan.  So, what is the differences between the construction was/were to ...  and was/were to have + past participle?
12698
Regarding actions taken in the past, besides the differences those two tenses have semantically, my teacher shared that it could be a British vs American English case.   When talking about past action, British prefers present perfect because they take into account that the effect from their past action still happens until now. As for American, they prefer to state the action only. It happened in the past, so past tense it is.     I have had dinner. [British]   vs.      I had dinner. [American]   I hope to hear it from the native speakers, both British and American. What do you think about this? Is it true?  If it is, I don't think it can apply to all cases of past actions. There have to be cases when both style agree to use the same tenses. Could you please help me define the situation when this kind of difference applies and when doesn't?
104875
I hear people using of when I have always thought it was with in the circumstances explained above.  It seems to be getting more common.
83481
I have noticed a lot of people use of instead of have, for example: "that must of been really annoying".  Is this correct?
71612
What's the difference between      I have been playing tennis for five years.   and   I have played tennis for five years.   Are they grammatically correct? If yes, how are they different in meaning/nuance?
117788
Is there any difference in meaning between the two sentences below?     I did call him   And     I called him   Both of the above sentences are in past tense. Please help me understand the difference in meanings. Also please help me with example.
116720
She spends a lot of time to shop. She spends a lot of time shopping.   Are both of these sentences grammatically correct and do they have the same meaning?