Re: Question form of "used to" [Was: Did these words used to rhyme?]

Peter T. Daniels wrote:
Lee Sau Dan wrote:


How about sentences that use the phrase "be used to"? OK. Just treat
it like any other sentence where the main verb is "to be":

3) He is used to drive to work. --> Is he used to drive to work.

(3a) is not a possible sentence of English.

Formally, there is no corresponding question for (3a') "He used to
drive to work"; informally, it's (3b') "Did he used to drive to work?"
If you intended (3a") "He is used to driving to work," then there is no
problem.

Now, things become interesting when we try to consider the phrase
"used to". It is sort of past tense of "be used to". But it's so
strange that the above rules for forming question do not apply.

There is no such relation between them.

"He is used to ..." = 'he is accustomed to ...ing'

"He used to ,,," = 'he was formerly in the habit of ...ing but no
longer ...s'

4) He used to drive to work. --> *Did he use to drive to work?

Doesn't seem to sound right. Should we treat "used to" as a model
verb, then? Let's try:

It _sounds_ fine, but it is not used in writing, so there's no proper
way to spell it.

5) He used to drive to work. --> *Used he [to] drive to work?

Where you use the word "to" there, it still sound strange.

With or without "to," it is impossible. "Used" /yuwst/ is not yet an
auxiliary or even a modal.

'Used he to ... ' is fine in my idiolect, and (I think) in BrE in general.


Colin
.