Used to / Be used to / Get used to – English Grammar Exercises for B2
A couple is mapping out a strict new financial plan as one of them transitions from a stable salaried job to becoming a full-time freelancer.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence in their conversation.
1 “When I was working at the agency, we ______ have a guaranteed paycheck at the end of every month.”
(A) use to
(B) used to
(C) were used to
(D) get used to
2 “Now that my income fluctuates wildly, we absolutely have to ______ tracking every single dollar we spend.”
(A) get use to
(B) get used to
(C) used to
(D) be used to
3 “I admit, I ______ buy expensive coffee on my way to the office without even checking the price.”
(A) was used to
(B) got used to
(C) use to
(D) used to
4 “Honestly, I ______ not knowing exactly how much I will earn next month. It causes me a bit of anxiety.”
(A) am not used to
(B) don’t use to
(C) am not use to
(D) didn’t use to
5 “Looking at our old bank statements… Did we really ______ spend so much money on eating out every weekend?”
(A) used to
(B) use to
(C) get used to
(D) are used to
6 “We ______ rely on my annual corporate bonus for our vacations, but now we must ______ saving up for them month by month.”
(A) used to / used to
(B) use to / get use to
(C) used to / get used to
(D) were used to / get used to
7 “It feels incredibly restrictive right now, but I know we ______ living on a much tighter budget soon.”
(A) will get use to
(B) will used to
(C) will be used for
(D) will get used to
8 “You ______ having corporate health insurance, so buying a private healthcare plan might seem incredibly expensive to you at first.”
(A) used to
(B) are use to
(C) are used to
(D) get used to
9 “Before I started freelancing, I ______ worry about setting aside thirty percent of my income just for taxes.”
(A) didn’t used to
(B) wasn’t used to
(C) didn’t use to
(D) haven’t used to
10 “As a freelancer, you don’t get paid sick leave. We have to ______ putting money into an emergency fund immediately.”
(A) get used to
(B) used to
(C) be used to
(D) get use to
11 “I ______ the idea of paying for my own software subscriptions, but it still hurts my wallet.”
(A) am slowly getting use to
(B) am slowly getting used to
(C) slowly used to
(D) slowly get used for
12 “The financial instability is terrifying because I simply ______ this high level of risk.”
(A) don’t use to
(B) am not use to
(C) didn’t use to
(D) am not used to
13 “How long do you think it will take us to ______ living entirely on my unpredictable freelance earnings?”
(A) get used to
(B) be used to
(C) used to
(D) get use to
14 “My company ______ cover all my travel expenses, so paying for business trips out of pocket is something I must ______.”
(A) used to / get used to
(B) was used to / get used to
(C) use to / get use to
(D) used to / used to
15 “These automated financial apps ______ track our daily expenses, which saves us a lot of manual calculation time.”
(A) are used to
(B) used to
(C) are used for
(D) get used to
16 “One of the biggest challenges of self-employment is ______ not having a predictable cash flow.”
(A) get used to
(B) getting used to
(C) used to
(D) getting use to
17 “I ______ think twice about buying a new laptop, but now I have to calculate the return on investment for every equipment purchase.”
(A) never use to
(B) was never used to
(C) never used to
(D) haven’t used to
18 “The complete lack of paid holidays is frustrating. I don’t know if I will ever ______.”
(A) get used to
(B) get used to it
(C) be used to
(D) use to it
19 “When John quit his job last year, he ______ cutting his lifestyle costs by half to survive the first six months.”
(A) had to get use to
(B) had used to
(C) had to get used to
(D) got used to be
20 “To successfully freelance, you must be prepared for months where you earn nothing. If you ______ financial security, this career path will break you.”
(A) only used to
(B) are only used to
(C) only get used to
(D) are only use to
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) used to
- Why it is correct: Establishes a past reality (having a guaranteed paycheck) that is no longer true. Followed by the base verb “have”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (C) Structural Error: “were used to” must be followed by a V-ing form, not the base verb “have”. (D) Meaning Trap: Refers to an adaptation process, which doesn’t fit the context of a past stable state.
2 (B) get used to
- Why it is correct: The phrase “have to” expresses an obligation to undergo an active process of adapting to the new reality. “Get used to” captures this dynamic transition perfectly, followed by V-ing (“tracking”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (C) Structural Error: “used to” requires a base verb (“track”). (D) Meaning Trap: “be used to” describes a static, finished state of familiarity. “Have to” implies they need to actively achieve that state (get).
3 (D) used to
- Why it is correct: Describes a past habit (buying expensive coffee thoughtlessly) that the speaker no longer does. Followed by the base verb “buy”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “was used to” requires V-ing (“buying”). (B) Meaning Trap: “got used to” means adapting to buying coffee, which completely misses the point about breaking an old habit. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”.
4 (A) am not used to
- Why it is correct: “Be not used to + V-ing” expresses a current state of unfamiliarity or discomfort (not knowing the income).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: “don’t use to” is grammatically incorrect for present states. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Meaning Trap: Refers to a past habit, but the sentence describes a present anxiety.
5 (B) use to
- Why it is correct: The interrogative (question) form of a past habit. Because the auxiliary “Did” is present, the verb “use” must be in its base form without the “d”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Keeping the “d” after “Did”. (C) Meaning Trap: Asks about adapting, rather than questioning a past habit. (D) Structural Error: “are used to” requires V-ing.
6 (C) used to / get used to
- Why it is correct: The first blank is a past habit (“used to rely”). The second blank describes a mandatory new process of adaptation following “must” (“get used to saving”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: The second blank refers to a future/present requirement, not a past habit. (B) Common Mistake: Missing the “d” in both parts. (D) Structural Error: “were used to” requires V-ing.
7 (D) will get used to
- Why it is correct: A reassuring promise about the future. It guarantees that the process of adapting to the budget will be successful. Followed by V-ing (“living”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (B) Structural Error: Cannot use a past tense verb (“used”) after the modal “will”. (C) Meaning Trap: “utilized for”.
8 (C) are used to
- Why it is correct: Describes the partner’s current, established state of being accustomed to corporate benefits. Followed by V-ing (“having”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “used to” requires the base verb (“have”). (B) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (D) Meaning Trap: “get used to” implies they are currently trying to adapt to corporate insurance, which is incorrect; they already have it.
9 (C) didn’t use to
- Why it is correct: A negative past habit (did not worry about taxes). The auxiliary “didn’t” removes the “d” from “use”. Followed by the base verb “worry”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Keeping the “d” after “didn’t”. (B) Structural Error: “wasn’t used to” requires V-ing. (D) Structural Error: “haven’t” is not the correct auxiliary for past habits.
10 (A) get used to
- Why it is correct: “Have to” requires a base verb (“get”). It describes the obligatory process of adapting to putting money away.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: “used to” requires a base verb (“put”). (C) Meaning Trap: “be used to” describes a static state. “Have to” implies they are forced to actively adapt (get). (D) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”.
11 (B) am slowly getting used to
- Why it is correct: The Present Continuous tense emphasizes an ongoing, gradual process of adaptation (“slowly getting”). Followed by a noun phrase (“the idea”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (C) Structural Error: “slowly used to” is grammatically incorrect. (D) Meaning Trap: Wrong meaning entirely (“utilized for”).
12 (D) am not used to
- Why it is correct: Describes a current state of unfamiliarity with a noun phrase (“this high level of risk”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Invalid structure for present states. (B) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (C) Meaning Trap: Refers to a past habit, but the context is present terror (“is terrifying”).
13 (A) get used to
- Why it is correct: The phrase “take us to” implies a timeline for an active transition. “Get used to” fits this dynamic process perfectly.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: “be used to” focuses on the finished state, not the dynamic timeline of adapting implied by “take us to”. (C) Structural Error: Requires a base verb. (D) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”.
14 (A) used to / get used to
- Why it is correct: The first blank contrasts a past reality (“used to cover”) with the present. The second blank shows a required new adaptation process after “must” (“get used to”).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: “was used to” requires V-ing. (C) Common Mistake: Missing the “d” in both. (D) Meaning Trap: The second blank is a present requirement, not a past habit.
15 (A) are used to
- Why it is correct: STRONG DISTRACTOR (The Passive Voice Trap). Financial apps do not have habits. They ARE UTILIZED TO track expenses (Subject + be used + to-infinitive).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: Apps cannot possess past habits. (C) Structural Error: “are used for” requires V-ing (“tracking”). (D) Meaning Trap: Apps cannot biologically or mentally adapt to something.
16 (B) getting used to
- Why it is correct: A Gerund phrase is required here to act as the subject complement following the verb “is”. Thus, the base verb “get” becomes “getting”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: A base verb cannot directly follow the “to be” verb (“is”) in this sentence structure. (C) Structural Error/Meaning Trap. (D) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”.
17 (C) never used to
- Why it is correct: A negative past habit emphasizing thoughtless spending. Because the auxiliary verb “didn’t” is absent, “used” retains its “d” (never used to). Followed by the base verb “think”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Many learners incorrectly drop the “d” after “never”. (B) Structural Error: “was never used to” requires V-ing. (D) Structural Error: Incorrect auxiliary.
18 (B) get used to it
- Why it is correct: In this grammatical structure, the preposition “to” requires an object pronoun. “It” replaces the concept of “the lack of paid holidays”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Ends the sentence with a dangling preposition “to”, missing its required object. (C) Structural Error: Missing the object pronoun. (D) Common Mistake: Missing the “d” and “get/be”.
19 (C) had to get used to
- Why it is correct: Expresses a strong past obligation (“had to”) to undergo an active process of adaptation (“get used to”) in order to survive. Followed by V-ing (“cutting”).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”. (B) Structural Error: Requires a base verb (“cut”). (D) Structural Error/Meaning Trap: Misses the obligatory “had to” nuance and adds an incorrect “be” at the end.
20 (B) are only used to
- Why it is correct: A conditional warning (“If you…”). The sentence warns that if your current state is strictly accustomed to security (Noun phrase), freelancing will be too hard.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “used to” requires a base verb. (C) Meaning Trap: “get used to” means adapting, but the sentence warns against already being too comfortable with security. (D) Common Mistake: Missing the “d”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When discussing a major shift in lifestyle, such as quitting a secure job:
- Acknowledging the Past: Use Used to + Base Verb.
- Function: Highlights the perks, stable income, or carefree spending habits you had in the past but no longer have.
- Example: “I used to receive a steady paycheck.” (Now I don’t).
- The Struggle of Transition: Use Have to / Must + Get used to + V-ing / Noun.
- Function: Emphasizes that adapting to a strict budget is not just an option, but a mandatory process for survival.
- Example: “We have to get used to tracking our expenses.”
- Warning About Comfort Zones: Use Be used to + V-ing / Noun.
- Function: Describes a deeply ingrained state of comfort that might be dangerous if circumstances change.
- Example: “If you are used to corporate luxury, freelancing will shock you.”
- Passive Voice in Technology: Don’t forget that apps, spreadsheets, and software are tools. They are used to (utilized to) automate your life. This is the passive voice, followed by a Base Verb!