Hi,
I want to know if there is a difference between “used to+ infinitive " and” used to + gerund.
Hi Manal,
‘Used to’+ infinitive refers to a past and repeated activity as in:
When I was young, I used to run 5 miles every day but now I just walk.
’ Be used to’+ gerund really means that you are /were accustomed to doing something because you have done/did it before many times as in: Now that I live in London, I am used to driving in slow moving traffic because there are so many cars on the road. This is quite different from driving in the country, which I used to do every day.
Alan
As Alan said, and only to add that “used to + inf”, as well as referring to an activity that no longer occurs at the moment of speaking, can also refer to an activity which ceased for a time, but the continues at the moment of speaking.
e.g.
I used to smoke. I gave up years ago.
I used to smoke when I was 16, and now at 45 I’ve taken it up again.
One note, “used to + gerund” is normally known as “be used to” in the world of English teaching.
Hi,
I did actually mention that!
Alan
?? You mentioned that “be used to” is normally known as that in the ESL world, did you? I must’ve missed it.