unit 8: How It Used to Be

Week 1

🎯 Goal: use comparatives to talk about how you have changed, so you can say things like “I’m more confident than I was before” or “My smile is bigger than last year.”

Chronically Online or Offline Soul?

How many hours a day do you spend online?
What apps do you use the most?
Do you think life is easier or harder now?

But wait... How do you actually say that something changed? How do you compare your life now with your life before? Anna and Aunt Clara are about to show you — and you might be surprised by whose life sounds better...

How did you live without the internet?

Anna and Clara discuss about what people used to be before computers and smartphones

transcript

Anna: Aunt Clara, seriously, how did you live without the internet? That must have been so boring.
Aunt Clara: Life was different back then, Anna. We used to spend much more time outside.
Anna: Doing what?
Aunt Clara: We used to ride bikes, play hide-and-seek, and talk to our neighbors. It was fun, not just staring at a screen all day.
Anna: Hmm. I think online games are better.
Aunt Clara: Maybe, but we laughed a lot more when we were together.
Anna: And movies?
Aunt Clara: We used to rent DVDs at the video store. Friday nights felt special.
Anna: Netflix is faster and easier.
Aunt Clara: True, but choosing one movie together was funnier than scrolling forever and not deciding.
Anna: And music?
Aunt Clara: We used to record songs from the radio. Sometimes we waited a long time for just one song.
Anna: That sounds harder than opening Spotify.
Aunt Clara: Yes. But it felt more rewarding.
Anna: And texting was different too, because there was no WhatsApp.
Aunt Clara: Definetly ! We used to call on the home phone or pass notes in class.
Anna: Well, WhatsApp is definitely quicker.
Aunt Clara: But those notes were cuter than any emoji.
Anna: So you think the past was better?
Aunt Clara: Not better, just different. Life was slower and simpler in some ways.

Let’s discuss

Why does she say music “used to feel magical”?
What did you use to do with your friends before you had a smartphone?
Which do you think is better — family movie nights in the past or streaming now?

Let’s look at your sentences. They all use comparatives.

Comparatives are used to compare two things: the past and the present, you and another person, two situations, etc. We usually make comparatives like this:

Short adjectives (1 syllable) → add er + than

big → bigger than
fast → faster than
Movie nights were funnier than scrolling on Netflix.
Streaming is faster than renting a DVD.

Adjectives ending in -y → change y to ier + than

happy → happier than
easy → easier than
Passing notes in class was funnier than sending emojis.
Listening to Spotify is easier than waiting for the radio.

Long adjectives (2+ syllables) → use more + adjective + than

more interesting than
more comfortable than
Family games outside were more exciting than video games.
Phones are more convenient than home phones.

Important:

We always use than to show the difference.
The comparison can be with before, last time, in the past, your old profile, another person, etc.

Let’s practice - Complete the sentences with comparatives

Fill in the blanks using the correct comparative form of the adjective in parentheses. Always use than.

Week 2

🎯 Goal: use comparatives to talk about how you have changed, so you can say things like “I’m more confident than I was before” or “My smile is bigger than last year.”

You're getting good at comparatives! But here's a question: What if you want to talk about something that doesn't exist anymore? Something you did before... but not now? There's a special phrase for that — and Clara used it a lot. Did you catch it? 👀

They used to be…

We can use comparatives to talk about changes — for example, to compare now with the past. "Her dress is more elegant than before" → we compare the past and the present. But there is another way to talk about change: used to. We use used to to talk about something that was true in the past, but it’s not true now.

We used to record songs from the radio.

Movie nights used to feel so special.

Life used to be slower.

We used to call our friends on the home phone

Transformation with used to

create the opposite sentence using used to or didn’t use to.

Now people watch movies on Netflix →
Now people send messages on WhatsApp →
Now kids play online games →
Now we listen to music on Spotify →
Now people use emojis →
Now people spend hours scrolling →

Practice – Write your own

Complete the sentences with your ideas:

I used to________ , but now I________ .
I used to________ , but now I ________.
I used to________ , but now I ________.

Clara & Anna – Then vs. Now

Look at the sentences below. Think about how Clara and Anna’s lives were different in the past and how things are now. Complete the sentences using:

used to
didn’t use to
or a comparative adjective (e.g. faster than, cuter than, more magical than)

Use the clues in parentheses when needed!

Clara

Clara used ___________
Clara________ play outside.
Clara didn’t use to spend so much time________ .
Family nights were________ then than now. (special)
Passing notes was ________ than sending emojis. (cute)
Music was________ then than just clicking on Spotify. (magical)
Life was ________ then than today. (slow)

Anna

Anna didn’t use to play________ .
She didn’t use to watch________ on Netflix.
She used to send________instead of messages.
Now Anna thinks online games are________ than street games. (good)
Netflix is________ than renting DVDs. (fast / easy)
WhatsApp is ________ than using the home phone. (quick)
Emojis are________ than old paper notes. (funny)

Let’s talk!

What games did you use to play when you were younger? Are online games better than those games?
Did your family use to rent DVDs? Do you think movie nights are more special now or in the past?
How did you use to listen to music before streaming? Was it easier or harder than today?
Did you use to call your friends on the phone? Is WhatsApp more convenient than that?
Did you use to pass notes in class? Were they cuter than emojis?
Do you think life was slower than today? Was it also funnier than now?

Week 3

🎯 Goal: Create a short professional presentation about your career. You will use used to and comparatives to talk about your professional past vs. your present.

My Professional Profile

This week your challenge is to fill in a LinkedIn-style “About” presentation and then present it in class.

Topics you must include: About me, Education, Work experience, and Personal skills.
Use used to / didn’t use to at least 2 times.
Use comparatives at least 2 times (e.g. more confident than, better than, faster than).

Title & Visual

Choose or draw a photo that represents your "past self" vs. your "present self" (real or imaginary).

Example title:
“From Shy Kid to Party Queen”
“Life Used to Be Slower — Now It’s Just Better”

Your 5 Sentences – Then vs. Now

Write 5 complete sentences comparing how your life used to be and how it is now. Use a mix of used to, didn’t use to, and comparatives.

💡 Examples:

I used to hate waking up early, but now I feel more productive in the mornings.
I didn’t use to like exercise, but now I’m more active than ever.

What You’ve Learned

Add 2–3 sentences reflecting on the changes.

Was life better before or is it better now?
What do you miss? What do you prefer today?

💡 Examples:

Life used to be slower, but now it’s more exciting.

4. Presentation

At the end, you will read your profile to the group as if you were really posting it. Be creative, funny, and confident!

Want help starting? Here's a model:

Hi, I’m Ruth Bennett, a Graphic Designer with six years of experience. I used to work mostly as a freelancer, but now I’m more confident than before and I lead bigger projects than I used to.

I studied Visual Communication Design at Connor Hamilton University. I didn’t use to do much video work, but now I’m better at video and layout than I was in the past.

My experience includes a festival banner project and leading a website redesign team. My key skills are social media content design, video editing, and social media analysis.

Follow-Up Activity: Timed Talk Challenge

How it works:

Step 1: Choose a question

Pick one of the questions below (or let your teacher choose for you).

Step 2: Prepare ⏳ 2 minutes

Think about your answer. Write notes if you need. Plan what you will say — but don't write full sentences!

Step 3: Speak ⏳ 1 minute (minimum!)

When the timer starts, keep talking! Your goal is to speak for at least 1 full minute without long pauses.

⚠️ Rules:

You must use at least 1 comparative and 1 "used to" sentence.
No stopping! If you run out of ideas, add examples, give more details, or explain why.
It's okay to make mistakes — the goal is to keep going.

🎤 Speaking Questions

Question 1

How has technology changed your daily life?

💡 Think about: phones, music, movies, communication

💡 Useful Phrases to Keep Talking

Use these to extend your answer and fill your30 seconds!

"For example, I used to..."
"Another thing is that... is more ___ than..."
"I remember when I used to..."
"Compared to before, now it's ___er than..."
"Also, I think... is more ___ than it used to be."
"What I mean is..."
"Let me give you an example..."

Question 2

How have your hobbies changed since you were a child?

💡 Think about: games, sports, free time, weekends

💡 Useful Phrases to Keep Talking

Use these to extend your answer and fill your30 seconds!

"For example, I used to..."
"Another thing is that... is more ___ than..."
"I remember when I used to..."
"Compared to before, now it's ___er than..."
"Also, I think... is more ___ than it used to be."
"What I mean is..."
"Let me give you an example..."

Question 3

How have YOU changed as a person?

💡 Think about: personality, confidence, habits, fears

💡 Useful Phrases to Keep Talking

Use these to extend your answer and fill your30 seconds!

"For example, I used to..."
"Another thing is that... is more ___ than..."
"I remember when I used to..."
"Compared to before, now it's ___er than..."
"Also, I think... is more ___ than it used to be."
"What I mean is..."
"Let me give you an example..."

Question 4

How is your routine different now compared to 5 years ago?

💡 Think about: work, study, mornings, sleep

💡 Useful Phrases to Keep Talking

Use these to extend your answer and fill your30 seconds!

"For example, I used to..."
"Another thing is that... is more ___ than..."
"I remember when I used to..."
"Compared to before, now it's ___er than..."
"Also, I think... is more ___ than it used to be."
"What I mean is..."
"Let me give you an example..."

Question 5

How do you stay in touch with friends now vs. in the past?

💡 Think about: calls, messages, meetings, social media

💡 Useful Phrases to Keep Talking

Use these to extend your answer and fill your30 seconds!

"For example, I used to..."
"Another thing is that... is more ___ than..."
"I remember when I used to..."
"Compared to before, now it's ___er than..."
"Also, I think... is more ___ than it used to be."
"What I mean is..."
"Let me give you an example..."

Question 6

What do you think was better in the past? What's better now?

💡 Think about: entertainment, relationships, life in general

💡 Useful Phrases to Keep Talking

Use these to extend your answer and fill your30 seconds!

"For example, I used to..."
"Another thing is that... is more ___ than..."
"I remember when I used to..."
"Compared to before, now it's ___er than..."
"Also, I think... is more ___ than it used to be."
"What I mean is..."
"Let me give you an example..."