WOULD, USED TO, BE + ALWAYS + -ING

It is best to avoid using ‘used to’ in negative forms or questions although some native speakers do this in informal situations. It is better to use the Past Simple in those situations.

	Adverb of Frequency	Example Sentence
	always	I always go to bed before 11 p.m.
	usually	I usually have cereal for breakfast.
	normally / generally	I normally go to the gym.
	often* / frequently	I often surf the internet.
	sometimes	I sometimes forget my wife's birthday.
	occasionally	I occasionally eat junk food.
	seldom	I seldom read the newspaper.
	hardly ever / rarely	I hardly ever drink alcohol.
	never	I never swim in the sea.

http://www.grammar.cl/Basic/Adverbs_Frequency.htm

Used to + verb describes a past situation that is no longer true

1 A past habit

'Used to' describes something was an old habit that stopped in the past. It shows that there was repetition in the past but it probably doesn’t occur now.

·         My dad used to do Aikido.

·         We used to go skiing every winter.
I used to love sushi but I seem to have gone off it now.

2 Facts and generalisations in the past

'Used to' can also describe past facts or generalisations that are no longer true.

·         Danny used to live in England.
Most people in the south of the country used to be farmers.
Fred used to have a stressful job.
Tess used to be fat. Now she has a great figure.

Used to – Past Simple

'Used to' and the Past Simple can both describe past habits, facts and generalisations but 'used to' is better when an emphasis is required especially if the repetition is the emphasis of the sentence. However with questions and negative sentences Past Simple is preferred.

Did you do ballet when you were young?
You did not do ballet when you were young.

Would (always/never)

Like 'used to' and the Past Simple, 'would' with 'always' suggests an old habit that stopped in the past. Unlike 'used to' or the Past Simple 'would always' suggests a willingness to do the action or amusement and/or annoyance. It can also suggest an extreme habit. The opposite is expressed with 'would never'.

My grandmother would always get me a book for Christmas.
Sarah would always come late to work on Mondays.
Danny would not always come out with us.

'Would' can also be used with; constantly, often or simply alone i.e. 'would' but attention must be given so as not to confuse this function with conditional structures.

Past habit – used to/would/past simple

When we talk about things that happened in the past but don’t happen anymore we can do it in different ways.

Used to

·         We used to live in New York when I was a kid.

·         There didn’t use to be a petrol station there. When was it built?

We can use ‘used to’ to talk about past states ….

·         I used to go swimming every Thursday when I was at school.

·         I used to smoke but I gave up a few years ago.

Remember that ‘used to’ is only for past states/actions that don’t happen now – we can’t use it for things that still happen now. Also, ‘used to + infinitive’ should not be confused with ‘be/get used to + ‘ing’ form’ – this is covered in a separate section.

Would

·                   Every Saturday I would go on a long bike ride.

My teachers would always say “Sit down and shut up!”

We can use ‘would’ to talk about repeated past actions.

Often either ‘would’ or ‘used to’ is possible. Both of these sentences are possible.

·         Every Saturday, I would go on a long bike ride.

·         Every Saturday I used to go on a long bike ride.

However, only ‘used to’ is possible when we talk about past states.

http://menuaingles.blogspot.com/2007/04/would-always.html