Used to / Be used to / Get used to – English Grammar Exercises for B2
A phone call home from an international student adjusting to a harsh winter abroad. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence in the conversation.
1 “Mom, do you remember how I ______ hate cold weather when I lived at home? Now I have to face it every single day.”
(A) use to
(B) was used to
(C) used to
(D) get used to
2 “It’s absolutely freezing here! I ______ wearing three layers of clothes just to go outside, but it’s still so difficult.”
(A) am getting used to
(B) used to
(C) get used to
(D) am getting use to
3 “The local students walk in the snow like it’s nothing. They ______ the freezing temperatures.”
(A) uses to
(B) are used to
(C) used to
(D) are used for
4 “I ______ wear heavy boots back in Vietnam, so shopping for winter shoes was a completely new experience for me.”
(A) didn’t used to
(B) wasn’t used to
(C) haven’t used to
(D) didn’t use to
5 “My roommate is originally from Canada, so he ______ walking on icy pavements.”
(A) used to
(B) is used to be
(C) is used to
(D) uses to
6 “The winter wind here is extremely harsh, but I ______ the cold when I walk to campus every morning.”
(A) slowly get used to
(B) used to slowly get
(C) am slowly getting used to
(D) am slowly getting use to
7 “Dad, ______ driving on snowy roads when you studied abroad in Russia years ago?”
(A) did you have to get used to
(B) did you used to
(C) were you used to get
(D) are you getting used to
8 “The food in the cafeteria is so different from home. I ______ eating such bland meals yet.”
(A) didn’t use to
(B) haven’t got used to
(C) wasn’t used to
(D) haven’t got use to
9 “Don’t worry too much about me, Mom. I know it’s tough right now, but I ______ the cold eventually.”
(A) will be used to
(B) will get use to
(C) am used to
(D) will get used to
10 “The local accent is so difficult to understand. I ______ people speaking so fast.”
(A) didn’t used to
(B) am not used to
(C) don’t use to
(D) am not getting used
11 “Back in our hometown, we ______ have dinner at 7 PM, but here, host families eat much earlier.”
(A) were used to
(B) used to
(C) got used to
(D) are used to
12 “The heating system in my dorm is currently broken. I really hope it gets fixed soon because I ______ this freezing temperature indoors!”
(A) didn’t use to
(B) am not used to
(C) not used to
(D) don’t get use to
13 “Living in a foreign country all by myself is challenging, but I ______ managing my own budget and cooking.”
(A) finally used to
(B) am finally getting used to
(C) am finally getting use to
(D) used to finally get
14 “Before coming here, I ______ my mom do all my laundry, but now I have to do it all by myself.”
(A) got used to let
(B) used to let
(C) am used to letting
(D) was used to let
15 “It has been exactly one month since I arrived. I must admit, I am still not completely ______ away from you all.”
(A) getting use to being
(B) used to be
(C) used to have been
(D) used to being
16 “I ______ so much homework back in high school. It’s taking a massive toll on my sleep schedule here at the university.”
(A) never used to have
(B) was never used to have
(C) never got used to have
(D) haven’t ever used to having
17 “In my home country, thick blankets ______ keep us warm during the mild winter, but here they aren’t enough at all.”
(A) got used to
(B) were used to
(C) used to
(D) were used for
18 “What I find the absolute hardest to ______ is the fact that the sun sets at 4 PM in winter.”
(A) be used to
(B) get use to
(C) get used to
(D) getting used to
19 “The silence in this small suburban town is deafening. I don’t think I will ever ______.”
(A) get used to
(B) get used to it
(C) use to it
(D) be used for it
20 “I ______ the bitter cold for weeks, and honestly, my body has finally stopped shivering every time I step outside.”
(A) had used to
(B) have been getting used to
(C) am getting used to
(D) was getting use to
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) used to
- Why it is correct: “Used to + base verb” describes a past habit or state that is no longer true.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (B) Structural Error: “was used to” must be followed by a V-ing form. (D) Meaning Trap: Incorrect context because this refers to a past habit, not the process of adapting.
2 (A) am getting used to
- Why it is correct: “Be getting used to + V-ing” in the Present Continuous tense describes an ongoing process of adaptation, fitting perfectly with the context of slowly adjusting to wearing layers.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: Wrong tense (implies a past habit). (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “to be” verb (am) to form the continuous tense for an ongoing process. (D) Structural Error: Spelling mistake; missing the “d” in “used”.
3 (B) are used to
- Why it is correct: “Be used to + Noun” describes the state of being accustomed to something.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Completely incorrect structure. (C) Structural Error: “used to” + Noun is grammatically incorrect; it requires the “to be” verb. (D) Meaning Trap: “are used for” means “are utilized for a purpose”, which makes no sense here.
4 (D) didn’t use to
- Why it is correct: The negative form of a past habit is “didn’t use to + base verb”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Using “didn’t” but keeping the “d” in “used”. (B) Meaning Trap: “wasn’t used to” (not accustomed to) requires a V-ing form, whereas the sentence has the base verb “wear”. (C) Structural Error: Incorrect grammatical structure.
5 (C) is used to
- Why it is correct: “Be used to + V-ing” indicates a state of familiarity (since the roommate is from Canada, he is already accustomed to the snow).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “used to” (past habit) must be followed by a base verb. (B) Structural Error: The word “be” is redundant and incorrect here. (D) Common Mistake: This verb form does not exist in this context.
6 (C) am slowly getting used to
- Why it is correct: “Am getting used to” perfectly illustrates the ongoing process of adapting to the cold.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Using the Present Simple does not adequately convey the “ongoing process” aspect. (B) Meaning Trap: Wrong tense (past). (D) Structural Error: Missing the “d”.
7 (A) did you have to get used to
- Why it is correct: A combination of the auxiliary “did” + “have to” + “get used to + V-ing” (driving), asking if the father had to go through the adaptation process in the past.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Common Mistake: Using “did” with “used” (retaining the “d”). (C) Structural Error: “used to” must be followed by a V-ing form, not the base verb “get”. (D) Meaning Trap: Wrong tense (the context clearly says “years ago”).
8 (B) haven’t got used to
- Why it is correct: The Present Perfect (“Haven’t got used to”) describes an adaptation process that started in the past and is still incomplete up to the present (indicated by “yet”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: Wrong meaning (not a past habit). (C) Meaning Trap: Past Simple does not collocate well with “yet”. (D) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”.
9 (D) will get used to
- Why it is correct: “Will get used to” describes an adaptation process that will be completed in the future.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “be used to” emphasizes the static state, while “eventually” highlights the completion of the process (“get”). (B) Structural Error: Missing the “d”. (C) Meaning Trap: Wrong tense (present instead of future).
10 (B) am not used to
- Why it is correct: “Be not used to + Noun phrase/V-ing” indicates a current state of unreadiness or unfamiliarity.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Double error (keeping the “d” after “didn’t”) and wrong tense. (C) Structural Error: Incorrect negative structure. (D) Structural Error: Missing the preposition “to”.
11 (B) used to
- Why it is correct: Contrasting a past habit (“back in our hometown”) with the present. It precedes the base verb “have”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “were used to” must be followed by a V-ing form (“having”). (C) Meaning Trap: “got used to” implies the beginning of an adaptation process, which doesn’t fit the context of an old habit. (D) Meaning Trap: Wrong tense (present).
12 (B) am not used to
- Why it is correct: Describes the present state of being unable to tolerate the cold.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: Wrong tense (past). (C) Structural Error: Missing the “to be” verb (“am”). (D) Common Mistake: Spelling error; missing the “d”.
13 (B) am finally getting used to
- Why it is correct: An ongoing process in the present (“am getting”) combined with the preposition “to” + V-ing (“managing”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Missing the “to be” verb and “getting”. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d” in “used”. (D) Meaning Trap: Completely wrong meaning.
14 (B) used to let
- Why it is correct: A past habit before studying abroad: “used to” + base verb “let”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “got used to” must be followed by V-ing (“letting”). (C) Meaning Trap: Wrong tense (present state instead of past habit). (D) Structural Error: “was used to” must be followed by V-ing (“letting”).
15 (D) used to being
- Why it is correct: “Be used to + V-ing”. In this sentence, the “to be” verb is “am”, so the following verb must be the V-ing form of “to be”, which is “being”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Missing the “d”. (B) Common Mistake: Many learners forget to change the verb to its -ing form after the preposition “to”. (C) Meaning Trap: Overly complex and grammatically incorrect structure.
16 (A) never used to have
- Why it is correct: Negative structure using “never” instead of “didn’t”: “never used to + base verb”.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: Requires a V-ing form. (C) Structural Error: Requires a V-ing form. (D) Meaning Trap: Clunky, unnatural structure and wrong tense.
17 (B) were used to
- Why it is correct: This is a STRONG DISTRACTOR. In this specific sentence, “used to” is NOT the habit structure. It is the PASSIVE VOICE of the verb “use” (meaning “were utilized to”: be used + to-infinitive).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Does not fit the context. (C) Meaning Trap: Blankets cannot have a “past habit” of keeping people warm. (D) Structural Error: “used for” must be followed by a V-ing form (“keeping”).
18 (C) get used to
- Why it is correct: After the adjective phrase “hardest to”, the verb must be in its base form -> “get used to”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “be” implies a static state, whereas “get” better captures the difficult process of adapting. (B) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Structural Error: V-ing cannot immediately follow the “to” in “hardest to”.
19 (B) get used to it
- Why it is correct: An object pronoun (“it”, replacing “the silence”) is required after the preposition “to”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Missing an object. “Used to” cannot stand alone at the end of this clause without an object. (C) Common Mistake: Missing “get/be” and the “d”. (D) Meaning Trap: Wrong meaning (“be utilized for it”).
20 (B) have been getting used to
- Why it is correct: The time indicator “for weeks” combined with an ongoing process requires the Present Perfect Continuous tense.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “used to” (past habit) is not used in the Past Perfect form this way. (C) Meaning Trap: The Present Continuous cannot properly express the duration “for weeks”. (D) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Used to + Base Verb (Infinitive):
- Meaning: Describes a past habit or state that is NO LONGER true in the present.
- Common Trap: In negative sentences or questions using the auxiliary verb “did”, the word “use” DOES NOT have a “d” (e.g., didn’t use to / did you use to).
- Be used to + Noun / V-ing:
- Meaning: To be accustomed to something (a static state where something feels normal and is no longer strange).
- Common Trap: Using the base verb instead of V-ing. Always remember that the word “to” in this structure is a preposition, not a to-infinitive marker.
- Get used to + Noun / V-ing:
- Meaning: To become accustomed to something (emphasizes the process of adaptation and change).
- The Golden Rule (for this test context): In scenarios like culture shock, the speaker is actively undergoing a transition. Therefore, the Present Continuous tense (am getting used to) is often the perfect choice to express an adaptation process that is ongoing, incomplete, but making progress!