In the English Grammar Profile, C2 point 236 in the category of MODALITY is defined:
‘as’ + pronoun + ‘used to’ to add background to a narrative, often to highlight something unusual
*Note this is not the “as + adjective + as” structure.
Student example in a speaking test:
I don’t think that they pay enough attention towards the national customs as they used to do those days.
TLC female Sri Lanka B2
Expert example:
When soldiers came across roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan,
instead of putting on a bomb suit and going out and poking with a stick, as they used to do up until about 2002,
A search in iWeb for:
as_C _P used_V _TO _VV
1 AS THEY USED TO SAY 269
“As they used to say” is a phrase that is often used to introduce a common or well-known saying or proverb. It indicates that the following statement reflects a piece of traditional wisdom or a widely recognized belief. The phrase “as they used to say” suggests that the saying or proverb was commonly repeated or shared in the past, and it adds a nostalgic or historical tone to the conversation or narrative.
For example:
“As they used to say, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away.'” This phrase introduces the well-known saying about the health benefits of eating an apple daily. The use of “as they used to say” implies that this saying was commonly known or shared in the past.
2 AS WE USED TO SAY 249
3 AS WE USED TO CALL 200
4 AS I USED TO THINK 80
5 AS I USED TO WORK 65
6 AS I USED TO GET 65
7 AS WE USED TO KNOW 51
8 AS HE USED TO SAY 51
9 AS I USED TO CALL 48
10 AS I USED TO LIVE 48
11 AS THEY USED TO CALL 47
12 AS I USED TO LOVE 42
13 AS I USED TO SAY 42
14 AS I USED TO USE 40
15 AS I USED TO GO 34
16 AS WE USED TO THINK 33
17 AS I USED TO PLAY 32
18 AS HE USED TO PLAY 30
19 AS HE USED TO CALL 23
20 AS I USED TO MAKE 22
21 AS I USED TO TELL 21
22 AS I USED TO OWN 18
23 AS THEY USED TO THINK 17
24 AS I USED TO RUN 16
25 AS I USED TO SEE 15
26 AS I USED TO FEEL 15
27 AS I USED TO LIKE 14
28 AS I USED TO TAKE 14
29 AS I USED TO SUFFER 14
30 AS WE USED TO SEE 13
A2:
call, own
B1:
used to
B2:
suffer