How the world has changed

How the World Has Changed

This activity will help you practice using different grammatical structures to talk about how the world has changed since you were young. We will focus on the present perfect tense, "used to," "would," and expressions that contrast the past with the present.

Present Perfect Tense

We use the present perfect to talk about experiences or changes that happened at an unspecified time in the past but are still relevant now. Often, we use adverbs like "since" or "over the years."

• "The way we communicate has changed dramatically since I was a child. We didn't have smartphones back then."

• "Technology has advanced so much. I remember when computers were huge and very expensive."

Used to

We use "used to" to talk about habits or states that were true in the past but are no longer true.

• "I used to play outside with my friends every day after school. Now, children often prefer to play video games indoors."

• "My family used to go on holiday to the same seaside town every year. Now, we prefer to explore different destinations."

Would

We use "would" to talk about past habits or routines, especially when describing typical activities in the past. It's often used in stories or when reminiscing.

• "My grandfather would tell us stories about his childhood every evening before bed."

• "In the summer, we would spend hours swimming in the local river."

"In the past, sending letters was the main way to communicate over long distances, whereas now we can instantly connect through video calls."

In the past, ... whereas now ...

"Back then, we relied on paper maps to find our way, but now we have GPS on our phones."

Back then, ... but now ...

Expressions to Contrast Past and Present

"It's amazing how much things have changed. I remember when televisions were black and white."

It's amazing how much things have changed. I remember when ...

"Things were different in those days. For example, music was mostly listened to on the radio or cassette tapes."

Things were different in those days. For example, ...

Expressions to Contrast Past and Present