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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > I need help!
I need help!
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Belanaana
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I need help!
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Hi everyone! Can you help me with this sentence? There didn �t use to be a cinema in this street. / There used not to be a cinema in this street. Which is the correct one? |
3 Jul 2016
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Pedro14
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As far as I �m concerned, only the first one is correct. You can also say: there never used to be a cinema in this street. Wait for other answers though. |
3 Jul 2016
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FrauSue
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The first one is correct. You could also say: There used to be no cinema in this street; There wasn �t a cinema here before. I prefer your first sentence as it is the most idiomatic way of expressing the idea. |
3 Jul 2016
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tandil
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Hi, nice question!
According to Practical English Usage by Michael Swam (3rd Ed. 2005: 595), the second statement is also possible in a formal style, though it is not very common. Hence, both sentences are grammatically correct.
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3 Jul 2016
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yanogator
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Tandil is correct, but the second one is ridiculously formal and stilted. I wouldn �t recommend using it at all. Bruce |
3 Jul 2016
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