Past Habits and Becoming Familiar with New Routines

• In this section, we look at how to talk about past routines using 'used to' and 'would', and how to express the process of becoming familiar with something new using 'get used to' compared to 'be used to'.
• Structure
• Meaning
• Example
• used to + infinitive
• Past habits or states that are no longer true
• Dr. Miller used to smoke before working at Boston General Hospital.
• would + infinitive
• Past repeated actions, but not past states
• When she lived in Chicago, she would check patients every morning.
• be used to + -ing / noun
• To be familiar with something
• Nurse Adams is used to working night shifts at Mayo Clinic.
• get used to + -ing / noun
• The process of becoming familiar with something
• Mark is trying to get used to taking daily insulin injections.
• Remember
• Use 'used to' for both past actions and past states (e.g., 'She used to live in London', NOT 'She would live in London').
• Use 'would' only for repeated past actions, never for past states.
• Always follow 'be used to' and 'get used to' with a noun, pronoun, or a verb ending in -ing.
• Remember that 'get used to' focuses on the changing process, while 'be used to' describes the final state of familiarity.
• Examples
• Dr. Green didn't use to like the electronic health record system at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
• Are you getting used to the new glucose meter in your clinic?
• My father would walk five miles to his practice in Seattle every day.
• The residents are finally used to the busy emergency room at St. Thomas' Hospital in London.
• Common mistakes
• I am use to checking blood sugar levels.
• I am used to checking blood sugar levels.
• She would be a family doctor in Manchester.
• She used to be a family doctor in Manchester.

Complete the sentences

• When Dr. Evans worked in Chicago, she (would) ____ review patient charts every single evening.
• Are you (get used to) ____ checking your blood glucose with this meter?
• At Ohio General Hospital, I (use to) ____ work long night shifts before moving to London.
• Dr. Baker is finally (be used to) ____ managing patients with type 2 diabetes.
• My patient didn't (use to) ____ take any regular medication when he lived in Boston.
• It takes time to (get used to) ____ following a strict low-carbohydrate meal plan.

Sources: photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels