flowexam.com teacher explaining in English be used to doing versus used to do with examples on blackboard for TOEIC® preparation

Guide to 'be used to doing' and 'used to do' – TOEIC® Preparation

Flow Exam team

The structures "be used to doing" and "used to do" regularly cause confusion among learners because their spelling similarity masks radically different meanings. However, mastering them is essential to easily gain points on the TOEIC®.

Understanding this grammatical distinction will allow you to feel perfectly comfortable in your professional communications in English. These two expressions appear very regularly in parts 5 and 6 of the TOEIC®, where they test your ability to identify the appropriate context and structure.

1. The structure "be used to doing"

The expression "be used to doing" expresses the state of being accustomed to a situation or having developed a habit for something. Here, "to" functions as a preposition, which strictly requires a noun or a gerund (verb ending in "-ing") after it.

Grammatical Construction

  • Subject + verb "to be" (conjugated) + "used to" + gerund (verb in "-ing")

Practical Illustrations

  • "He is used to working under pressure." - He is accustomed to working under pressure.
  • "They are used to preparing for the TOEIC® with FlowExam." - They have the habit of preparing for the TOEIC® with FlowExam.

Point of Attention

The structure "be used to" is conjugated in all tenses:

  • Present: "She is used to ..." - She is accustomed to ...
  • Past: "We were used to ..." - We were accustomed to ...
  • Future: "You will be used to ..." - You will be accustomed to ...

2. The structure "used to do"

The expression "used to do" describes a past habit or a past state that no longer exists in the present. This construction exclusively refers to previous situations and always requires a verb in the infinitive form (without "to").

Grammatical Construction

  • Subject + "used to" + base verb (infinitive without "to")
    • "She used to practice English daily." - She used to practice English daily (but not anymore).

Practical Illustrations

  • "I used to study in the library every weekend." - I used to study in the library every weekend before.
  • "They used to work together in the same company." - They used to work together in the same company in the past.

Point of Attention

The structure "used to do" remains invariable regardless of the time context, but accepts a negative form with "didn't use to":

  • Negation: "He didn't use to enjoy grammar exercises." - He didn't use to enjoy grammar exercises before.

Comparative Summary and Practice

  • Be used to doing: to express current acclimation
    • "I am used to taking mock tests every week." - I am accustomed to taking mock tests every week.
  • Used to do: to describe a finished past habit
    • "She used to avoid English conversations." - She used to avoid English conversations in the past.

To deepen your understanding of the situations where a gerund or an infinitive is used in the context of TOEIC® preparation, consult our dedicated guide: Infinitive or Gerund?

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