there and used to

[aysaa]

Hi,

There used to be a cinema over there. (It is OK)

Is it possible to constuct a sentence as the following sentence?

-Did there use to be a cinema over there?
-Yes, there did.

Thanks...

 

[5jj]

I would say it is.

 

[aysaa]

'Yes, it is' means 'yes, it is right', is that right?

 

[5jj]

'Yes, it is' means 'yes, it is right', is that right?

You asked, "Is it possible to construct a sentence as the following sentence?"
I responded, "I would say it is", i.e., I would say it is possible.

 

[Raymott]

I think a sentence of the form "Didn't there use to be a cinema over there?" would be more common.
And more common still would be, "Wasn't there a cinema over there?"
I say that the negative sentence is more common because it would be said by someone remembering something from the past. This would be a more common situation than someone postulating that perhaps there used to be a cinema over there.

A sentence such as "Didn't you use to dance every Saturday night?" can't be changed to "Wasn't ..." Maybe "Weren't you once a regular dancer?"

 

[aysaa]

-Didn't there use to be a cinema over there?
-No, there wasn't.

Can we give an answer like that instead of 'no, there didn't'?

 

[Barb_D]

That's fine.
So is "No, it used to be a car-wash. The cinema you're thinking of was on Chestnut."

 

[Raymott]

-Didn't there use to be a cinema over there?
-No, there wasn't.

Can we give an answer like that instead of 'no, there didn't'?

Yes. And "Did there use to be be ...?"; "Yes, there was" is also possible.