Dick, I think it's interesting that we can negate "ought to" without adding a finite (he ought'nt to go), to my ear at least, but can't quite do that with "used to". The only present time reference I could think of is a different meaning sense: "That's the hose I use to water the garden." Maybe 'quasi modal' means something like 'part way through the grammaticalization process.' I think I would write "didn't used to", but I can't remember a conscious attention to it. Of course, we also have "That's the hose I didn't use to water the garden." That usage would be clear. Craig> Two quotations from recently encountered novels: > > "There's bad blood now. *Didn't use to* be like that..." (dialog in Alan > Furst's *Spies of the Balkans*, p. 102, Kindle edition). > "She *didn't used to* smoke around the kids..." (Kate Atkinson, *When Will > There Be Good News?*, p. 126, Kindle edition). > > So which is it, *didn't use to* or *didn't used to*? > > A few usage guides I consulted prescribe "didn't use to," but others say > both are standard. In my own writing, I probably would have used "didn't > used to." > > On the one hand, "used to/didn't use to" would parallel other verbs > (laughed/didn't laugh), but, on the other, we're talking about a > quasimodal, > and with modals we can expect significant variations from other verbs. > Pronunciation is no help--both "use to" and "used to" are spoken > identically > as "useta." > > Thoughts? > > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface > at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html > and select "Join or leave the list" > > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/