Used to / Be used to / Get used to – English Grammar Exercises for B2
A young parent talking to friends about the upheaval of their daily routine after welcoming a new baby.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence in the conversation.
1 “Before having the baby, I ______ sleep until 10 AM on weekends. Now, my weekend starts at 5 AM.”
(A) use to
(B) used to
(C) was used to
(D) get used to
2 “Now, I ______ waking up at 5 AM every single day to feed her.”
(A) used to
(B) am use to
(C) am used to
(D) use to
3 “We ______ drink this much coffee, but now we need at least three cups a day just to survive.”
(A) didn’t used to
(B) weren’t used to
(C) haven’t used to
(D) didn’t use to
4 “It’s incredibly noisy, but I ______ the baby’s midnight crying.”
(A) am slowly getting used to
(B) am slowly getting use to
(C) used to slowly get
(D) slowly use to
5 “______ go out for spontaneous dinners before the twins arrived?”
(A) Did we used to
(B) Did we use to
(C) Were we used to
(D) Do we get used to
6 “My husband is totally exhausted because he ______ functioning on just three hours of sleep.”
(A) isn’t used to
(B) didn’t use to
(C) doesn’t use to
(D) isn’t used for
7 “Our house ______ be so quiet and peaceful before we had kids.”
(A) got used to
(B) use to
(C) was used to
(D) used to
8 “It’s been six months, and I still ______ changing diapers in the middle of the night.”
(A) haven’t got use to
(B) didn’t use to
(C) haven’t got used to
(D) am not used
9 “Don’t worry about my dinner; I ______ eating my meals cold nowadays.”
(A) used to
(B) am used to
(C) use to
(D) am used to be
10 “When she was a newborn, I ______ sleeping in 20-minute intervals.”
(A) got use to
(B) used to
(C) had to used to
(D) had to get used to
11 “The constant mess in the living room is overwhelming. I don’t think I will ever ______.”
(A) get used to
(B) use to it
(C) get used to it
(D) be used for it
12 “I ______ have so much free time to read, but now every single minute is scheduled.”
(A) used to
(B) was used to
(C) use to
(D) got used to
13 “By the time he turns one year old, we ______ the chaotic daily routine.”
(A) will totally use to
(B) will have gotten used to
(C) will have used to
(D) are used to
14 “These soft blankets ______ swaddle the baby when she was tiny, but now they are too small.”
(A) were used to
(B) used to
(C) got used to
(D) were use to
15 “I ______ worry about household germs, but now I find myself sanitizing everything twice.”
(A) wasn’t used to
(B) never use to
(C) haven’t used to
(D) never used to
16 “What I find most difficult about motherhood is ______ having absolutely no personal space.”
(A) get used to
(B) getting used to
(C) used to
(D) getting use to
17 “Before fatherhood, Mark ______ stay out late, but now he ______ being in bed by 9 PM.”
(A) used to / is used to
(B) was used to / gets used to
(C) use to / is used to
(D) used to / used to
18 “I ______ think that parenting was quite easy until I actually had a child of my own.”
(A) use to
(B) was used to
(C) used to
(D) got used to
19 “I ______ to travel light with just a backpack, but now I have to carry a massive diaper bag everywhere.”
(A) use to be able
(B) was used
(C) used to be able
(D) am used to
20 “I ______ the fact that my life revolves around a tiny human, but it’s still a struggle on some days.”
(A) am used to
(B) have been getting used to
(C) have used to
(D) had used to
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) used to
- Why it is correct: Emphasizes a past habit (sleeping in before having a baby) that is no longer true. It is followed by the base verb “sleep”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common mistake: Missing the “d”. (C) Meaning Trap: “was used to” means “was accustomed to” but requires a V-ing form, not the base verb “sleep”. (D) Structural/Meaning Error: Wrong tense and incorrect meaning.
2 (C) am used to
- Why it is correct: Describes the current state of being accustomed to waking up at 5 AM. It is followed by the V-ing form “waking”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “used to” would imply a past habit, which contradicts the word “Now”. (B) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Structural Error.
3 (D) didn’t use to
- Why it is correct: The negative form of a past habit (we didn’t have the habit of drinking this much coffee).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Using the auxiliary “didn’t” but incorrectly keeping the “d” in “used”. (B) Meaning Trap: “weren’t used to” requires a V-ing form. (C) Structural Error: “haven’t” is not used for this grammatical structure.
4 (A) am slowly getting used to
- Why it is correct: The Present Continuous tense describes an ongoing process of gradually adapting to the midnight crying.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (C) Meaning Trap: Completely wrong meaning. (D) Structural Error.
5 (B) Did we use to
- Why it is correct: The interrogative (question) form for a past habit. Using the auxiliary verb “Did” requires the base verb “use” (without ‘d’).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Keeping the “d”. (C) Meaning Trap: “Were we used to” requires a V-ing form. (D) Structural Error.
6 (A) isn’t used to
- Why it is correct: Describes that the husband is currently NOT accustomed to (isn’t used to) functioning (V-ing) on just 3 hours of sleep.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: Wrong tense; the sentence is in the present (“is exhausted”). (C) Common Mistake: Incorrect negative structure for a present state. (D) Structural Error: “used for” is grammatically incorrect in this context.
7 (D) used to
- Why it is correct: Describes a past state that is no longer true (the house used to be quiet).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: An inanimate object (a house) cannot “get used to” something. (B) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (C) Structural Error.
8 (C) haven’t got used to
- Why it is correct: The Present Perfect tense describes an adaptation process that is still incomplete up to the present moment (still not used to it).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (B) Meaning Trap: “didn’t use to” indicates a past habit, which does not fit “It’s been six months” or collocate with the V-ing “changing”. (D) Structural Error: Missing the preposition “to”.
9 (B) am used to
- Why it is correct: Indicates the current state of being accustomed to eating cold meals. Followed by the V-ing form “eating”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “used to” implies a past habit, which clashes with the word “nowadays”. (C) Common Mistake. (D) Structural Error: The extra “be” at the end is incorrect.
10 (D) had to get used to
- Why it is correct: Expresses that in the past, the speaker was REQUIRED (had to) to adapt (get used to) sleeping in intervals.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (B) Meaning Trap: “used to” requires a base verb, but the sentence has “sleeping” (V-ing), so the “get used to” structure is necessary. (C) Structural Error.
11 (C) get used to it
- Why it is correct: The preposition “to” requires an object pronoun (“it”, replacing “the mess”) to follow it in this sentence structure.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Cannot end with a dangling preposition “to” without an object here. (B) Common Mistake: Missing “get/be” and the “d”. (D) Meaning Trap: Wrong meaning (“be utilized for”).
12 (A) used to
- Why it is correct: A past habit of having abundant free time (“have” is the base verb).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: Requires a V-ing form. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Structural Error: Wrong tense and structure.
13 (B) will have gotten used to
- Why it is correct: The phrase “By the time” indicates a deadline, requiring the Future Perfect tense. The process of adapting will have been completed by then.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error. (C) Common Mistake: “will have used to” literally translates to “will have had a past habit,” which is nonsensical. (D) Meaning Trap: Wrong tense.
14 (A) were used to
- Why it is correct: STRONG DISTRACTOR. This is NOT the habit structure. It is the Passive Voice of the verb “use” (The blankets WERE UTILIZED TO swaddle: Subject + be used + to-infinitive).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: Blankets are inanimate objects and cannot possess “past habits.” (C) Structural Error. (D) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”.
15 (D) never used to
- Why it is correct: A negative form emphasizing a past habit by using “never” instead of “didn’t”. Since the auxiliary “didn’t” is absent, “used” retains its “d”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: Requires a V-ing form, but the verb is “worry” (base verb). (B) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (C) Structural Error.
16 (B) getting used to
- Why it is correct: A Gerund is needed here to act as the subject complement for the phrase “What I find most difficult… is…”. Therefore, “get” becomes “getting”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: A base verb cannot directly follow “is” in this grammatical structure. (C) Meaning Trap. (D) Common Mistake.
17 (A) used to / is used to
- Why it is correct: The first half describes a past habit (used to + stay). The second half describes a current accustomed state (is used to + being).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d” in the first half. (D) Meaning Trap: The second half using “used to” is incorrect because the verb is “being” (V-ing) and the timeframe is present (“now”).
18 (C) used to
- Why it is correct: A past state of thinking (thought) that parenting was easy, which changed after actually having a child.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (B) Meaning Trap: Requires a V-ing form, but the verb is “think”. (D) Structural Error.
19 (C) used to be able
- Why it is correct: Combines “used to” (past state) + “be able to” (capability). The speaker formerly had the ability to travel light.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (B) Structural Error. (D) Meaning Trap: Incorrect because “travel” is a base verb, not V-ing.
20 (B) have been getting used to
- Why it is correct: The Present Perfect Continuous tense describes an ongoing struggle to adapt that started in the past (when the baby arrived) and is still continuing (“still a struggle”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “am used to” implies being fully accustomed, which contradicts the phrase “still a struggle”. (C) Structural Error. (D) Common Mistake.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When talking about a major lifestyle change (like having a child):
- Used to + Base Verb (Infinitive): Use this to reminisce about the “good old days” (or your past freedom) that are completely gone.
- Example: I used to sleep 8 hours.
- Trap: When using the auxiliary “did/didn’t”, the word “use” DOES NOT take a “d” (e.g., didn’t use to).
- Be used to + V-ing / Noun: Use this to express that you have “accepted your fate” and find the new situation completely normal.
- Example: I am used to functioning on no sleep.
- Get used to + V-ing / Noun: Use this to emphasize the struggle or the ongoing process of adapting to the new reality.
- Example: I am getting used to the crying. (The process is still happening).
- The Passive Voice Trap: Be very careful when the subject is an inanimate object (e.g., These blankets). In this case, be used to means “to be utilized for a purpose,” and it must be followed by a Base Verb (to-infinitive), not a V-ing form!