grammar · neutral
used to be + past participle
Passive with 'used to' to describe a past state or repeated situation that no longer exists (e.g., used to be owned, used to be called).
Examples
“The factory used to be owned by a British company.”
“This place used to be known as the old market.”
“The road used to be closed every winter.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although the stadium used to be regarded as state-of-the-art, it now requires major renovation.”
Collocations
- used to be known as / used to be owned by / used to be closed
Common mistakes
It is used to be called the town.→It used to be called the town.
The shop used to be sell books.→The shop used to sell books. / The shop used to be used for selling books is awkward.
Say it for a higher band
5was/were + past participle (simple past passive)→6used to + V (active)→7+used to be + past participle
Synonyms
was/were + past participle (in the past)
Easily confused
be + past participle
“The building was owned by the university in 1990.”
Related words
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In The passive
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