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Jeans used to be work clothes: didn't use to and Did … use to…?

An A2 ESL lesson plan on used to in negatives and questions, about jeans, which began as work pants.

Grammar
Didn't use to and Did you use to…?, spelled use after did (Students didn't use to wear jeans.), short answers with did, and plural pants: a pair of jeans.
Topic
The history of jeans in the US, from work pants with copper rivets, patented in 1873, to dude ranches and school rules, with words such as denim, rivet and tailor.
Activities
A workshop notice to read, a jeans maker's talk and a viewer's question to hear, self-checking drills, a chat of Did you use to…? questions and open boxes for pairs.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Blue jeans, big questions!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: jeans and work pantsVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: rivets and a patent

    • Look at the photo: a tailor's workshop long agoPictureUnlock
    • Read the notice in Dean's workshopReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: in the jeans workshop

    • Listen to Nora and DeanListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Viewer's QuestionListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: Did you use to…?

    • Study the scheme: didn't use to, Did … use to?Grammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: used to or use to + the verbFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: didn't use to, Did … use to?Fill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: did you use to…?

    • Choose the right replies: Maya's questionsChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: did you use to…?Open the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the words from the lessonFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: questions and short answersFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Nora's postChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Ivy's commentDrag and dropUnlock
    • Sort the words into the correct columnsSort into columnsUnlock

30 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • denim
  • rivet
  • pocket
  • tailor
  • patent
  • dude ranch
  • thrift store

Grammar: used to in negatives and questions

Used to questions and negatives are built with did, and the spelling changes: Did people use to wear jeans only for work? With the history of work pants, learners drop the d of used after did and didn't, give short answers, ask wh- questions, and treat pants and jeans as plural nouns.

Did you use to wear jeans? No, I didn't.

After did and didn't, write use to (no d) + the verb.

Positive, negative, question

Without did, it's used to: Workers used to wear jeans. The negative is didn't use to + verb, and the question starts with Did: Did people use to wear jeans? A short answer keeps only did or didn't: Yes, I did. No, I didn't.

FormMake it like thisExample
positiveused to + verbWorkers used to wear jeans.
negativedidn't use to + verbStudents didn't use to wear jeans.
questionDid + who + use to + verb?Did people use to wear jeans?
wh- questionWhat / Where + did + who + use to + verb?What did you use to wear?
short answersYes, … did. / No, … didn't.Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.

Every person, one pattern

Did and didn't stay the same for every person, from I didn't use to sew to Did they use to wear jeans? For he, she and it, the verb after use to takes no -s: He didn't use to rip his jeans. Did it use to rip?

WhoNegativeQuestionShort answers
II didn't use to sew.Did I use to sew?Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.
youYou didn't use to sew.Did you use to sew?Yes, you did. / No, you didn't.
heHe didn't use to rip his jeans.Did he use to rip his jeans?Yes, he did. / No, he didn't.
sheShe didn't use to wear pants.Did she use to wear pants?Yes, she did. / No, she didn't.
it (the pocket)It didn't use to rip.Did it use to rip?Yes, it did. / No, it didn't.
weWe didn't use to shop here.Did we use to shop here?Yes, we did. / No, we didn't.
theyThey didn't use to wear jeans.Did they use to wear jeans?Yes, they did. / No, they didn't.

Used or use? Look for did

The d of used depends on did. With no did: Pockets used to rip. After did or didn't, did carries the past, so it's use to: Did pockets use to rip? I didn't use to sew.

used or use? Look for did!

no did: used to

  • I used to sew.
  • Pockets used to rip.
  • Biscuit used to chew socks.

did / didn't: use to

  • I didn't use to sew.
  • Did pockets use to rip?
  • Biscuit didn't use to eat pockets.

In Dean's workshop

  • Before rivets, pockets used to rip all the time.
  • Rich people didn't use to wear jeans.
  • Did students use to wear jeans to school? – Not in the 1950s!
  • Did Marco use to sew? – No, he didn't.
  • Biscuit didn't use to eat pockets!
  • Marco found a pair of old jeans. They're blue.

Pants and jeans: always plural

In American English, pants is the word for all long clothes for your legs, and jeans are pants too. Both nouns always take a plural verb: My jeans are new. These pants are too long. For one, say a pair of jeans, never a jeans.

pants and jeans: always plural

In American English, we say pants for all long clothes for your legs. Jeans are pants too. Pants and jeans are always plural: My jeans are new. These pants are too long. For one, say a pair of jeans or a pair of pants (not: a jeans). For two, say two pairs of jeans.

Common mistakes

  • I didn't used to sew.

    I didn't use to sew.

    after didn't: use to, no d

  • Did you used to wear jeans?

    Did you use to wear jeans?

    after did: use to, no d

  • Used you to wear jeans?

    Did you use to wear jeans?

    questions start with Did

  • Yes, I used.

    Yes, I did.

    short answers: did / didn't

More lessons on this grammar: Used to lessons and exercises

Try the didn't use to exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 17 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say what wasn't true in the past with didn't use to: Rich people didn't use to wear jeans.
  • ask about the past with Did … use to…? and question words: Did you use to sew? Where did you use to buy your clothes?
  • give short answers with did and didn't: Yes, I did. No, they didn't.
  • use pants and jeans as plurals: My jeans are new. These pants are too long. I need a pair of jeans.

Lesson 18 is the second lesson of Style through time, unit 5 of English A2.2 · Curious Minds. It builds on lesson 17, which taught used to for past habits and states, and on A2.1 lessons 3 and 6, where didn't made the past simple negative and Did…? asked questions with short answers. The history of jeans gives these questions real answers: Did students use to wear jeans to school? Not in the 1950s.

Students spin a wheel of questions about jeans, pockets and sewing, then learn ten words, from sew and rip to patent and thrift store, with pictures and audio. They read a notice on the wall of a San Francisco jeans workshop about the 1873 patent, then hear Nora talk with Dean, a jeans maker, and a viewer's voice message asking whether people used to wear jeans only for work, both AI-voiced. The grammar chapter has the scheme and four self-checking exercises, among them a table of negatives, questions and short answers. In the speaking chapter, students answer Maya's questions for her notebook, then open boxes to ask a partner Did you use to…?

Homework has nine tasks that check themselves: a word match, an anagram and gaps for the vocabulary, a choice of forms, word order, questions and short answers to complete, a post and a viewer's comment with gaps, and a column sort of parts of jeans, people, places and actions.

Grammar:
didn't use to · Did … use to…? · short answers with did · pants · a pair of jeans
Topic:
jeans · work pants · Jacob Davis · Levi Strauss · San Francisco · dude ranches · Curious Minds

Teaching tips

  • Survey the class before the notice: who is wearing jeans today? Then ask Did your parents use to wear jeans to school? and collect the answers, Yes, they did or No, they didn't.
  • Pass around a pair of jeans before the reading and let students find the pockets and the rivets, so rivet and pocket become things they can touch.
  • Spot the did: put gapped sentences on the board, such as Pockets ___ rip and Did pockets ___ rip?, and students say whether each gap needs used to or use to.
  • Turn Maya's notebook into a class interview: pairs take turns asking three Did you use to…? questions from the open boxes, then report one answer: Ana didn't use to shop at thrift stores.

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The whole course: English A2.2 · Curious Minds

32 lessons that pick up where English A2.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present perfect to used to, have to and relative clauses. Eight units cover nature, tech at home, heroes, healthy habits, fashion, school, animals and traditions. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Wonders of nature

    the present perfect with ever and never, been to, superlatives with I've ever, articles with place names

    1. Lesson 1Have you ever seen the sky dance?The present perfect for experiences
    2. Lesson 2Have you been to the Grand Canyon?Present perfect vs past simple
    3. Lesson 3The longest cave in the worldSuperlatives with the present perfect
    4. Lesson 4The first national parkArticles with place names

  2. Unit 2 Clever tech at home

    the present perfect with just, already and yet, phrasal verbs, subject and object questions

    1. Lesson 5The chocolate bar that meltedThe present perfect with just
    2. Lesson 6Has my lunch arrived yet?Already and yet with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 7Turn it on, turn it offPhrasal verbs with it and them
    4. Lesson 8The girl who tests waterSubject and object questions

  3. Unit 3 Everyday heroes

    the past continuous, when and while, adjective order, story linkers

    1. Lesson 9When the pager beepsThe past continuous with was and were
    2. Lesson 10The man who planted apple treesPast continuous and past simple with when and while
    3. Lesson 11What's in the lost and found?The order of adjectives
    4. Lesson 12The dogs who saved NomeStory linkers

  4. Unit 4 Healthy and happy habits

    will for predictions, the zero and first conditionals, so do I and neither do I

    1. Lesson 13Why does school start later in California?Will and won't for predictions, decisions and offers
    2. Lesson 14Brain freeze!The zero conditional for facts
    3. Lesson 15Doctor's orders: go to the park!The first conditional with if and will
    4. Lesson 16Walking in the mall at 7 a.m.Agreeing with So do I and Neither do I

  5. Unit 5 Style through time

    used to, didn't use to, made of and made from, still and not anymore

    1. Lesson 17Why did everyone use to wear a hat?Used to for past habits and states
    2. Lesson 18 · you're hereJeans used to be work clothesUsed to in negatives and questions
    3. Lesson 19Quilts made from old clothesMade of, made from and made by
    4. Lesson 20Cowboy boots, still made by handStill, not anymore and no longer

  6. Unit 6 School in America

    have to, must and mustn't, be allowed to, had to

    1. Lesson 21Do you have to wear a uniform?Have to and don't have to for rules
    2. Lesson 22Stop for the yellow bus!Must, mustn't and don't have to
    3. Lesson 23A class trip to the SmithsonianBe allowed to and can for permission
    4. Lesson 24One room, one teacher, every gradeHad to and didn't have to for past duties

  7. Unit 7 Amazing animals

    relative clauses with which, that, who and where, look and sound + adjective, adjectives with prepositions

    1. Lesson 25The bird that copies car alarmsRelative clauses with which and that
    2. Lesson 26Alligators and crocodiles togetherWho, which, that and where in relative clauses
    3. Lesson 27Sailors thought it was a mermaidLook, sound and feel as linking verbs
    4. Lesson 28Beagles at the airportAdjectives with prepositions

  8. Unit 8 Traditions we love

    invitations, will vs going to, so and such, one and ones

    1. Lesson 29Come to our cookout!Making, accepting and refusing invitations
    2. Lesson 30Is spring going to come early?Will vs going to for the future
    3. Lesson 31From turnips to pumpkinsSo and such for emphasis
    4. Lesson 32Giant balloons over ManhattanOne and ones in place of a noun

Questions about this lesson

Is it "use to" or "used to"?
Both are correct, and did decides which one you write. With no did, it's used to: Pockets used to rip all the time. After did or didn't, it's use to, because did already carries the past: Did you use to sew? I didn't use to sew. The two sound the same in speech, so the difference only shows in writing.
How do you ask questions with used to?
Start with Did, then the subject, use to and the verb: Did you use to wear jeans when you were little? Did your pants use to rip at the knees? For wh- questions, put the question word first: Where did you use to buy your clothes? The chat in the A2 lesson Jeans used to be work clothes on edio.ai is built from such questions.
How do you make used to negative?
The negative is didn't use to + the base verb: Rich people didn't use to wear jeans. Before his idea, work pants didn't use to have rivets. It says something wasn't true or didn't happen in the past, and it often contrasts with now: We didn't use to shop at thrift stores. Now we love them! The long form is did not use to.
Is it "didn't use to" or "didn't used to"?
The standard form is didn't use to, without the d: I didn't use to sew. Students didn't use to wear jeans to school. Didn't already shows the past, just as in didn't go, not didn't went. You'll see didn't used to in casual writing, but most grammar books treat it as a mistake. A mistakes box in Jeans used to be work clothes, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, sets the wrong and right forms side by side.
How do you answer "Did you use to…?"
Answer with a short answer: Yes, I did or No, I didn't, and add a detail if you like: Yes, I did. I used to wear them every day. Don't end on used: Yes, I used is wrong, though Yes, I used to is fine. The pronoun follows the question, so Did your jeans use to rip? gets No, they didn't, not No, it didn't, because jeans is plural.
Is it "a jeans" or "a pair of jeans"?
Say a pair of jeans, because jeans is always plural: She found a pair of old jeans. The verb is plural too: My jeans are new. These pants are too long, not This pants is. For more than one, say two pairs of jeans. Pants, shorts and glasses work the same way. The quiz in the edio.ai lesson Jeans used to be work clothes offers an old jean as a wrong option.
What's the difference between pants and trousers?
In American English, pants is the everyday word for all long clothes for your legs, jeans included; trousers is the usual British word. The two can confuse travelers, because in British English pants often means underwear. So in the US, say These pants are too long or I need a pair of work pants. Both words are plural: my pants are, my trousers are.
What are the parts of jeans called?
Four parts worth knowing are the pockets, the rivets, the button and the zipper. Rivets are tiny metal pieces, often copper, on the corners of the pockets; they make the pockets stronger, so they don't rip so easily. Jeans are made of denim, a strong blue cotton cloth, and a tailor can sew a ripped pair.
How do I teach used to questions and negatives to A2 students?
Start from the positive form students already know, Workers used to wear jeans, then add didn't and Did and cross out the d of used on the board. Practice short answers aloud, then let pairs interview each other about their childhood: Did you use to have a bike? The edio.ai lesson Jeans used to be work clothes follows the same steps, from a workshop notice to a table of negatives, questions and short answers.
What's a good game for practicing Did you use to…?
Find someone who is a good one: each student gets prompts such as used to wear jeans to school or used to sew, walks around asking Did you use to…?, and needs a Yes, I did for each. Open-the-box prompts work too, like Did you use to buy clothes at a thrift store? Why or why not?, which this lesson's speaking chapter uses.
What's good homework for practicing used to questions?
Good homework is a few short drills that correct themselves: building questions from prompts such as (you / ride) a bike to school, adding short answers, and putting words in order: Where / did your parents / use to / live? In Jeans used to be work clothes on edio.ai, all nine homework tasks check themselves, from a word match to a column sort.
Are there interactive exercises for didn't use to?
Yes: self-checking gap-fills and chat replies show at once whether use or used is right. Without an account, this page plays four parts of Jeans used to be work clothes, an A2 lesson on edio.ai: the notice in a jeans workshop about the 1873 patent, Nora's talk with Dean, a jeans maker, a gap-fill of used to or use to + the verb, and Maya's questions in a chat. The other exercises are locked.
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