Which is correct:
I use to own a house
I used to own a house
2007-09-13 05:20:21 · 27 answers · asked by jezabella 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
First, languages were spoken long before they were ever written. The true expression of any human language is in speaking, not writing.
Linguists describe language, grammarians prescribe language. Because of the prevalence of literacy in written languages across the globe, many people have forgotten that all languages were first spoken before ever written.
So from a grammatical point of view:
Grammar is spelled g-r-a-m-m-a-r.
The proper written form of your statement is:
"I used to own a house."
the source of your confusion has to do with the physiological elements of spoken language--specifically, because "used" ends with a "stop" (the d sound is called a "voiced dental stop") and "to" *starts* with a stop (the t sound is an "unvoiced dental stop"), it is difficult to pronounce the distinct differences between the end of one word and the start of the next. They kind of meld together. This is a normal feature of all human language.
because the characters we use to represent language are abstract, it can be confusing transposing what we *hear* spoken to the grammatical form being uttered.
Google "unvoiced dental stop."
It is very easy for the voiced stop to get "gobbled up" by the adjacent unvoiced stop, if for no other reason that it takes less effort to pronounce an unvoiced stop. In this construction, anyway.
So.
When you speak it may *sound* like you're saying "I use to own a house," but the sentiment you are conveying is technically "I used to own a house."
Maybe consider exploring the science of linguistics!
It'll help you understand how to better differentiate between written language and spoken language. It might even help you improve your spelling once you realize the differences.
Have fun!
2007-09-13 05:44:45 · answer #1 · answered by Richard 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Used
2007-09-13 05:24:14 · answer #2 · answered by RadioChild 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I used to own a house
2007-09-17 01:27:57 · answer #3 · answered by nike_cher 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to own a house
2007-09-13 05:27:38 · answer #4 · answered by Conqi 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to own a house
2007-09-13 05:24:41 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I used to own a house
2007-09-13 05:24:21 · answer #6 · answered by Pepsi 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I used to own a house.
2007-09-13 05:26:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to own a house.
2007-09-13 05:23:50 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I used to own a house.
2007-09-13 05:23:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
i used to own a house
2007-09-13 05:24:58 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋