| 词组 | used to could |
| 释义 | used to could Admonitions against the use of this phrase have appeared in a few books on usage. The OED Supplement describes it as "a common phrase in certain dialects of England and in the United States " In American English, its use is a characteristic of Southern speech. The linguist Raven I. McDavid, Jr., observed in 1963 (in his abridgement of Mencken's The American Language) that in his experience used to could (or use to could, as he wrote it) was not limited to those of little education but was common in the casual speech of educated Southerners. It does not occur in writing except when used for deliberate effect: • ... we'll no longer be able to read good prose like we used to could —James Thurber, letter, 15 Aug. 1959 Similar but less common is the dialectal phrase used to was: • ... got to talking about... how much better off they used to was —Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, 1884 (A Mark Twain Lexicon, 1938) Used to by itself has also had some dialectal use as an abverb synonymous with formerly or once: • Used to Pa wouldn't a done a thing like this —Jesse Stuart, Men of the Mountains, 1941 (American Dialect Dictionary) |
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