This question has been puzzling me for the last two days
He used to work as a doctor when I met him
Is this correct?
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1Perhaps "He was working as a doctor when I met him." Although that makes it seem as if the "doctor" is an imposter. "He was working at Hope Hospital when I met him." – Weather Vane Oct 11 '19 at 17:47
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1Or just "He was a doctor when I met him." – AIQ Oct 11 '19 at 19:13
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More details please... What do you think is the problem here? – James K Oct 11 '19 at 21:46
Yes, this sentence is fine.
However, it seems that are thinking that "used to" is some sort of combined phrase. It is not. The sentence breaks down into phrases like
He | used | to work as a doctor | when I met him
(subject) | (verb) | (prepositional clause) | (adverbial clause)
Yes, it is common to combine used with a prepositional phrase starting with "to", but it is not a requirement.
Used to can be used to talk about past habits which are no longer there.
He used to work as a doctor when I met him
The sentence may be correct but it means that he is no longer a doctor now.
The sentence may connotate like this:
He used to work as a doctor when I met him but now I have come to know that he stopped practising as a doctor.
answered Oct 12 '19 at 6:00
