English speaking

Conversational structures with used to

Used to + infinitive

The structure used to + infinitive is used to say that something happened continuously or frequently during a period in the past.

• I used to smoke.
• I used to read a lot.
• I used to write stories.
• He used to play football when he was a boy.

Be used to + noun/-ing forms

Be used to can be followed by nouns or –ing forms. If you are used to something, it is familiar to you; you have experienced it so much that it is no longer strange or new.

• I am not used to living in the city.
• She is used to working with old people.
• He is used to working hard.

Get/become/grow used to … ing etc.

Get, grow and become can also be used before used to + …ing.

• She took quite some time to get used to living in the country.
• It took them a long time to become used to getting up in the middle of the night.

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