Used to / Be used to / Get used to – English Grammar Exercises for B2
An economic report updating on the hybrid working trend and the new standards of the post-pandemic corporate world.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence from the article.
1 “Before the pandemic, the global workforce ______ commute to a physical office five days a week.”
(A) use to
(B) got used to
(C) were used to
(D) used to
2 “Today, the corporate world ______ the hybrid working model as the new baseline for employment.”
(A) is used to
(B) used to
(C) is use to
(D) uses to
3 “Initially, it took traditional managers several months to ______ evaluating their staff without seeing them in person.”
(A) get used to
(B) be used to
(C) get use to
(D) used to
4 “Five years ago, major financial institutions ______ offer such flexible remote working policies.”
(A) didn’t used to
(B) didn’t use to
(C) weren’t used to
(D) haven’t used to
5 “As the ‘New Normal’ stabilizes, employees ______ blending their professional duties with domestic responsibilities.”
(A) used to
(B) are use to
(C) are used to
(D) are used for
6 “______ demand strict physical attendance before the concept of asynchronous work emerged?”
(A) Did employers used to
(B) Were employers used to
(C) Did employers use to
(D) Did employers get used to
7 “Some conservative executives are currently struggling simply because they ______ trusting a decentralized workforce.”
(A) aren’t used to
(B) didn’t use to
(C) aren’t use to
(D) don’t get used to
8 “During the initial lockdowns, the global economy rapidly ______ digital supply chains to survive.”
(A) was used to
(B) got used to
(C) got use to
(D) used to
9 “A robust cloud infrastructure ______ synchronize sensitive corporate data across multiple time zones.”
(A) used to
(B) is use to
(C) gets used to
(D) is used to
10 “Experts predict that by the end of this decade, the entire labor market ______ fully borderless hiring practices.”
(A) will have used to
(B) will have gotten used to
(C) will be used for
(D) will get use to
11 “It is highly unlikely that professionals will return to the old 9-to-5 model, as they ______ avoiding the daily commute.”
(A) completely used to
(B) are completely used to
(C) are completely use to
(D) completely get used to
12 “What many analysts find remarkable is how quickly the commercial real estate sector ______ the drop in office demand.”
(A) has used to
(B) was used to
(C) has gotten use to
(D) has gotten used to
13 “The shift was difficult for older CEOs who ______ govern their companies through constant in-person meetings.”
(A) were used to
(B) used to
(C) use to
(D) got used to
14 “One of the primary hurdles of the post-pandemic era is ______ establishing boundaries when your office is your living room.”
(A) getting used to
(B) get used to
(C) getting use to
(D) used to
15 “Remote monitoring software ______ track keystrokes, a practice that has sparked massive privacy debates.”
(A) used to
(B) is use to
(C) is used to
(D) gets used to
16 “The economic report states that if a corporation ______ operating digitally, it will undoubtedly lose its competitive edge.”
(A) didn’t use to
(B) isn’t used to
(C) doesn’t use to
(D) isn’t use to
17 “We ______ believe that corporate culture required a physical water cooler, but virtual communities have proven otherwise.”
(A) got used to
(B) use to
(C) used to
(D) were used to
18 “Even in 2024, some traditional banking firms ______ the concept of letting employees work from anywhere.”
(A) are still used to
(B) are still getting used to
(C) still used to
(D) still use to
19 “Having a crying toddler in the background of a board meeting was unacceptable a decade ago because executives simply ______ it.”
(A) weren’t used to
(B) didn’t use to
(C) wasn’t used to
(D) haven’t used to
20 “While we ______ value strict office presence, we now ______ measuring success purely by output.”
(A) used to / used to
(B) were used to / get used to
(C) use to / are used to
(D) used to / are used to
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (D) used to
- Why it is correct: Sets the historical context (“Before the pandemic”). It describes a long-standing past habit that is no longer the norm. Followed by the base verb “commute”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (B) Meaning Trap: “got used to” implies a process of adapting, which doesn’t fit the context of a long-term past reality. (C) Structural Error: “were used to” must be followed by a V-ing form.
2 (A) is used to
- Why it is correct: Uses an objective, journalistic tone to report that society (“the corporate world” – singular collective noun) currently accepts the hybrid model as the standard, familiar state.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: “used to” would mean the corporate world no longer accepts it, contradicting “Today”. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Structural Error: Incorrect verb usage.
3 (A) get used to
- Why it is correct: The phrase “took several months to” indicates an active, difficult process of adaptation. “Get used to” captures this dynamic transition perfectly.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: “be used to” describes a static, finished state, which clashes with the active transition implied by “took months to”. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Structural Error: Requires a base verb.
4 (B) didn’t use to
- Why it is correct: The negative form of a past reality. Because the auxiliary verb “didn’t” is present, the verb “use” must drop the “d”. Followed by the base verb “offer”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Keeping the “d” after “didn’t”. (C) Structural Error: “weren’t used to” requires a V-ing form (“offering”). (D) Structural Error: “haven’t” is not the correct auxiliary.
5 (C) are used to
- Why it is correct: Describes the employees’ current, established state of familiarity as the situation stabilizes. Followed by V-ing (“blending”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “used to” implies they stopped doing it, contradicting the present context. (B) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Meaning Trap: “are utilized for” (employees are not tools).
6 (C) Did employers use to
- Why it is correct: The interrogative form of a past reality. The auxiliary “Did” requires the base verb “use” (without ‘d’). Followed by the base verb “demand”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Keeping the “d” in a question with “Did”. (B) Structural Error: Requires V-ing. (D) Meaning Trap: Wrong meaning (asks about the process of adapting rather than the past habit).
7 (A) aren’t used to
- Why it is correct: Explains the executives’ current struggle by pointing out their lack of familiarity with a concept (followed by V-ing “trusting”).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: Wrong tense; their struggle is “currently” happening. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Structural Error: “don’t get used to” is not used to describe a current state of being.
8 (B) got used to
- Why it is correct: The adverb “rapidly” highlights the speed of an adaptation process that was completed in the past. Therefore, the past tense of “get used to” is correct.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “was used to” implies they were already familiar with it, contradicting the fact that the lockdowns were a sudden shock. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Structural Error: “used to” requires a base verb.
9 (D) is used to
- Why it is correct: STRONG DISTRACTOR (The Passive Voice Trap). A cloud infrastructure is an inanimate object. It DOES NOT have habits. It IS UTILIZED TO synchronize data (Subject + be used + to-infinitive).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: Infrastructure cannot possess past habits. (B) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (C) Meaning Trap: Inanimate objects cannot undergo an adaptation process.
10 (B) will have gotten used to
- Why it is correct: The phrase “by the end of this decade” requires the Future Perfect tense. The process of adapting to borderless hiring will be fully completed by that deadline.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: “will have used to” literally means “will have had a past habit,” which is logically and grammatically invalid. (C) Meaning Trap: “will be utilized for”. (D) Structural Error: Missing the “d” and wrong tense.
11 (B) are completely used to
- Why it is correct: Emphasizes a deeply ingrained current state of familiarity. Followed by V-ing (“avoiding”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “used to” indicates a past habit, which contradicts the current reality. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Meaning Trap: Focuses on the process, but the sentence implies they are already completely comfortable with it.
12 (D) has gotten used to
- Why it is correct: The Present Perfect form of “get used to” describes an adaptation process that started in the past and has recently been achieved, matching the journalistic tone of reporting a recent development.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Incorrect grammatical formation. (B) Meaning Trap: Does not convey the dynamic change; it only states a static past fact. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”.
13 (B) used to
- Why it is correct: A past habit of older CEOs (governing in person) that made the modern transition difficult. Followed by the base verb “govern”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “were used to” must be followed by a V-ing form. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Meaning Trap: Refers to an adaptation process, which doesn’t fit here.
14 (A) getting used to
- Why it is correct: A Gerund phrase is required to act as the subject complement following the verb “is”. Thus, the base verb “get” becomes “getting”.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: A base verb cannot follow the “to be” verb (“is”) in this structure. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Meaning Trap: Describes a past habit, not a current hurdle.
15 (C) is used to
- Why it is correct: Passive Voice Trap. Software is a tool; it IS UTILIZED TO track keystrokes (Subject + be used + to-infinitive).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: Software cannot have past habits. (B) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Meaning Trap: Software cannot biologically or mentally adapt.
16 (B) isn’t used to
- Why it is correct: A conditional warning (“If a corporation…”) describing a current state of unfamiliarity (followed by V-ing “operating”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: A past habit doesn’t dictate this present conditional outcome. (C) Structural Error: “doesn’t use to” is grammatically invalid for present states. (D) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”.
17 (C) used to
- Why it is correct: Contrasts an outdated belief (“We used to believe”) with modern evidence. Followed by the base verb “believe”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “got used to” implies an adaptation process, not a long-held corporate belief. (B) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Structural Error: Requires V-ing.
18 (B) are still getting used to
- Why it is correct: The Present Continuous tense emphasizes an ongoing, active struggle to adapt to the new normal, which fits the context of “Even in 2024..”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “are used to” means fully accustomed, which completely contradicts the premise that they are traditional firms lagging behind. (C) Structural Error: “used to” requires a base verb. (D) Common Mistake.
19 (A) weren’t used to
- Why it is correct: Describes a past state of complete unfamiliarity (executives were not accustomed to ‘it’).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: “didn’t use to” must be followed by a base verb, not a pronoun (“it”). (C) Structural Error: Subject-verb agreement (“executives” is plural, so “wasn’t” is wrong). (D) Structural Error.
20 (D) used to / are used to
- Why it is correct: The first blank describes a past corporate habit (“used to value”). The second blank describes the newly established, current state of the workforce (“are used to measuring”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: The second blank describes a current state (“now”), not a past habit. (B) Structural Error/Meaning Trap. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d” in the first blank.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When reporting on societal shifts, economic trends, or the “New Normal”:
- Setting the Historical Baseline: Use Used to + Base Verb.
- Function: Journalists use this to establish what the world looked like before a major event (like a pandemic).
- Example: “Before 2020, people used to work strictly in the office.”
- Announcing the “New Standard”: Use Be used to + Noun / V-ing.
- Function: This structure provides an objective tone. It signals to the reader that a practice is no longer experimental; it is now fully integrated into society.
- Example: “The global market is used to hybrid working.” (It is now the standard).
- Reporting on the Struggle/Transition: Use Get used to + Noun / V-ing.
- Function: Highlights the process of change. It acknowledges that businesses or employees are actively navigating a learning curve.
- Example: “Companies are slowly getting used to decentralized management.”
- The Corporate Passive Voice Trap: When reading reports about IT infrastructure, software, or real estate, remember that these are objects. “Zoom is used to host meetings” means “Zoom is utilized to…” (Passive Voice). Do not confuse this with human adaptation!