VERB PATTERNS

1. Gerunds and Infinitives Put the verb into the correct form:

1. I don’t fancy ______________ (go) out tonight. 12. He asked ______________ (come) with us.
2. She avoided ______________ (tell) him about her plans. 13. I promise ______________ (help) you tomorrow.
3. I would like ______________ (come) to the party with 14. We discussed ______________ (go) to the cinema, but in
you. the end we stayed at home.
4. He enjoys ______________ (have) a bath in the evening. 15. She agreed ______________ (bring) the pudding.
5. She kept ______________ (talk) during the film. 16. I don’t recommend ______________ (take) the bus, it
6. I am learning ______________ (speak) English. takes forever!
7. Do you mind ______________ (give) me a hand? 17. We hope ______________ (visit) Amsterdam next month.
8. She helped me ______________ (carry) my suitcases. 18. She suggested ______________ (go) to the museum.
9. I’ve finished ______________ (cook). Come and eat! 19. They plan ______________ (start) college in the autumn.
10. He decided ______________ (study) Biology. 20. I don’t want ______________ (leave) yet.
11. I dislike ______________ (wait).

2. Put the verb into the gerund or the infinitive with ‘to’:
1. She delayed ______________ (get) out of bed. 12. It seems ______________ (be) raining.
2. He demanded ______________ (speak) to the manager. 13. I considered ______________ (move) to Spain.
3. I offered ______________ (help). 14. They practised ______________ (speak).
4. I miss ______________ (go) to the beach. 15. Finally I managed ______________ (finish) the work.
5. We postponed ______________ (do) our homework. 16. I really can’t stand ______________ (wait) for the bus.
6. I’d hate ______________ (arrive) too late. 17. Unfortunately, we can’t afford ______________ (buy) a
7. She admitted ______________ (steal) the money. new car this year.
8. I chose ______________ (work) here. 18. She risked ______________ (be) late.
9. She waited ______________ (buy) a drink. 19. I’d love ______________ (come) with you.
10. I really appreciate ______________ (be) on holiday. 20. I prepared ______________ (go) on holiday.
11. I couldn’t help ______________ (laugh).

3. Put the verb into the gerund or the infinitive with ‘to’:

1. It appears _________________ (be) raining.

2. We intend _________________ (go) to the countryside this weekend.
3. I pretended _________________ (be) sick so I didn’t have to go to work.
4. Can you imagine_________________ (live) without TV?
5. They tolerate_________________ (smoke) but they prefer people not to.
6. I anticipate _________________ (arrive) on Tuesday.
7. A wedding involves _________________ (negotiate) with everyone in the family.
8. He denies _________________ (steal) the money.
9. He claims _________________ (be) a millionaire but I don’t believe him.
10. I expect _________________ (be) there about seven.
11. Julia reported _________________ (see) the boys to the police.
12. It tends _________________ (rain) a lot in Scotland.
13. Do you recall _________________ (meet) her at the party last week?
14. She mentioned _________________ (go) to the cinema, but I don’t know what she decided to do in the end.
15. The teenager refused _________________ (go) on holiday with his parents.
16. I understand _________________ (be) late once or twice, but every day is too much!
17. I would prefer you _________________ (come) early if you can.
18. That criminal deserves _________________ (get) a long sentence.
19. She completed _________________ (paint) her flat.
20. We arranged _________________ (meet) at four but at four thirty she still hadn’t arrived.

4. Choose ‘let’ or ‘make’ and put it into the correct form:

1. John’s mother used to __________ him clean up his room.
2. The teacher doesn’t __________ her students use their mobile phones in class.
3. Julie’s father doesn’t __________ her use his car.
4. The professor often __________ the students do a lot of homework.
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 VERB PATTERNS

5. The policeman __________ the teenagers pick up the litter they had dropped.
6. My mother never __________ me stay out late when I was young.
7. The guard __________ her get off the train because she didn’t have a ticket.
8. Lucy might __________ you borrow her laptop if you ask her nicely.
9. The comedian really __________ us laugh last night.
10. When people are late it __________ me really annoyed!
11. Doing a lot of exercise __________ me eat as many cakes as I like!
12. The boss often __________ us work late.
13. Joan’s new job has __________ her very happy.
14. This card __________ you travel on any bus in the city.
15. My current job __________ me work wherever I want.
16. Your photos __________ me want to visit Columbia – it looks very beautiful.
17. Speaking English __________ you communicate with lots of different people.
18. Robert doesn’t __________ his children watch TV.
19. That film __________ me cry – it was so sad.
20. The professor __________ us hand in our essays a day late last term.

5. Put in the correct form of ‘make’ or ‘do’:

1. John worked hard and ____________ his best at his job, but he still wasn’t promoted.
2. The teenagers were ____________ such a noise that the neighbour called the police.
3. She ____________ a payment on her debt every month. Soon she’ll have finished paying it off.
4. So many chores to ____________! I need to clean the bathroom and the kitchen, hoover and change all the beds.
5. Sorry, I ____________ a mistake. The restaurant isn’t here, but on another street.
6. It’s late, and we should go home. Let’s ____________ a move.
7. Unfortunately his business ____________ a huge loss last year and had to close down.
8. If you don’t speak English, you’ll find it hard to ____________ business in the UK.
9. He ____________ a promise to his grandmother that he’d never fight anyone ever again.
10. I called the hotel and ____________ a reservation for two people for Saturday the 16th.
11. The washing machine flooded and the water ____________ a lot of damage. All the carpets had to be replaced.
12. She ____________ a lot of lists of things to do, but she never does any of the things!
13. Unfortunately, all the students ____________ very badly on the test.
14. Children ____________ such a mess! I spend my whole life tidying up! © 2012 www.perfect-english-grammar.com May be freely
copied for personal or classroom use.
15. The car was ____________ 90 miles per hour on the motorway when it was stopped by the police.
16. John went outside to ____________ a phone call.
17. Lucy has decided to ____________ a course this autumn. She’s going to study Spanish.
18. My grandmother loves ____________ crosswords.
19. Anne ____________ a good point. She said that it’s often cheaper to fly in the UK than take the train.
20. If I were to ____________ a prediction, I’d say that it’ll rain this afternoon.

6. Put in the correct form of ‘make’ or ‘do’:

1. I haven’t eaten chocolate for three weeks, but it hasn’t ____________ any difference to my weight!
2. If you’ll ____________ the dishes, I’ll sweep the floor.
3. Thanks for ____________ such lovely comments about my paintings! I’m really glad you like them.
4. Could you call the manager please? I’d like to ____________ a complaint.
5. I feel terrible! I really must ____________ some more exercise! Will you come for a run with me tomorrow?
6. He’s volunteering at a homeless shelter because he wants to ____________ good.
7. She needs to ____________ a choice. Either move to Madrid or stay in London. She can’t keep changing every week!
8. Let’s ____________ a date to meet and talk about your business idea. How about next Friday?
9. John ____________ a decision to take the bus, but it was so delayed that he wished he’d taken the train.
10. Robert spent the weekend ____________ the gardening. He mowed the lawn and planted a lot of new plants.
11. The child ____________ a face behind the teacher’s back.
12. It’s freezing! Let’s turn on the heating and ____________ a fire in the fireplace.
13. I’m not going to go ice skating! I’d only fall over and ____________ a fool of myself!
14. Could you possibly ____________ me a favour and bring dessert to my dinner party tomorrow.May be freely copied for personal
or classroom use.
15. When she was 40 she sold her business and ____________ a fortune. She now spends most of her time at the beach.
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16. Lucy helped the children to ____________ drawings of the flowers.

17. Jill has to ____________ three exams this week, so I don’t think we’ll see her until next week.
18. I’m fine mum! There’s no need to call the doctor! Don’t ____________ a fuss.
19. John ____________ a joke at the start of the meeting, but nobody laughed.
20. I really need to ____________ some shopping this afternoon. We have no food in the house at all.
7. Put in the correct form of ‘make’ or ‘do’:
1. You should eat more fruit and vegetables. It would ____________ you good.
2. Traditionally, three people ____________ speeches at weddings in the UK. The groom, the father of the bride, and the best man.
3. Lucy ____________ all the ironing, washed the floor and made dinner.
4. John decided that he needed to ____________ more research before he could write his essay.
5. Could I ____________ a suggestion? Maybe we should give up work for today and go and have a drink.
6. I’m too busy to see you now. Please call my secretary and ____________ an appointment.
7. I spent a long time ____________ my hair, but when I went outside, the wind ruined it in one minute!
8. He ____________ an attempt to tidy up before she arrived, but the room was still very messy.
9. How do you like our new kitchen? I think the workmen ____________ a good job.
10. They have ____________ too many errors in this article. We can’t publish it.
11. I know the shop usually closes at six but could you ____________ an exception today? I have a busload of tourists who’d like to
visit.
12. She tried to ____________ her homework early in the evening, so she could relax afterwards.
13. I ____________ a great effort to study hard for that exam, but I still didn’t pass!
14. I travelled to Paris when I was a child and it ____________ a great impression on me. I’ve always loved France and French things
ever since.
15. One tiny piece of chocolate cake won’t ____________ you any harm! Eat up! May be freely copied for personal or classroom use.
16. He didn’t ____________ a sound when he got home late, so as not to wake up his wife.
17. Right, could you ____________ arrangements for next week? We need to book a restaurant for lunch at 1pm on Saturday, and we
need to think of something to do on Sunday too.
18. I spend far too much time ____________ housework! I wish I had a cleaner!
19. She ____________ certain that she had turned the iron off before she left the house.
20. I enjoy going to new places and ____________ new friends.

8. Put in the correct form of ‘make’ or ‘do’:

1. How much money does a waitress ____________?

2. Could you ____________ the laundry today? We have no clean clothes.
3. She spent the evening watching black and white films and ____________ her nails.
4. Did their new business ____________ a profit last year?
5. The teacher ____________ some very positive remarks about Susie’s work.
6. There’s so much paperwork to ____________! I’ll be here all night
7. The CEO of the company ____________ some interesting observations during his visit to our department.
8. I’d like to ____________ Julie an offer of a job. It would be full time in our office.
9. There was a man sitting on the pier earlier. He was ____________ a painting of the boats.
10. This lecture is so boring! Let’s ____________ an escape during the break and go to the café!
11. William ____________ an excuse to the teacher about why he was late, but she didn’t believe him.
12. Stop talking and ____________ some work!
13. Alison can’t come tonight. She’d already ____________ plans.
14. I’m going to work all weekend. I really want to ____________ some progress on this project.
15. Could you please ____________ sure that the money has gone into the correct bank account?
16. It takes Lizzie an hour a day to ____________ the washing up. She would love to have a dishwasher.
17. I offered the job to Ian, and I said he had until Monday to ____________ his mind up. May be freely copied for personal or
classroom use.
18. In the morning she gets up, has a shower and gets dressed, then ____________ the bed. After that she goes downstairs and has
breakfast.
19. John and Lucy ____________ their way through the crowded streets to their hotel.
20. Graham ____________ really well in the tennis competition. He came second out of over a hundred people.
9. Put in ‘said’ or ‘told’:

1. Julie ______________ that she would join us after work.

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 VERB PATTERNS

2. She ______________ me that she was going running this 11. Jack ______________ my mother he would be in Spain
evening. this week.
3. John ______________ us that he couldn’t come to the 12. I ______________ that I hated mushrooms.
party. 13. She ______________ she loved chocolate.
4. John ______________ that he had been to the cinema at 14. They ______________ they were meeting Luke today.
the weekend. 15. They ______________ us they were going to the museum
5. She ______________ them she wanted to quit. this afternoon.
6. David ______________ he was going to arrive at eight. 16. He ______________ he wouldn’t start without us.
7. They ______________ that they didn’t want to meet us on 17. I ______________ them I’d bring pudding.
Tuesday. 18. Jonathan ______________ it would rain today.
8. I ______________ him I wasn’t impressed. 19. They ______________ us that it was fine to come late.
9. Lucy ______________ Julie that she was leaving on 20. The boss ______________ me that I should do some more
Wednesday. work on this report.
10. We ______________ that we were going on holiday the
following week.

10. Make an affirmative sentence, negative sentence or question using ‘used to + infinitive’:

1. I / live in a flat when I was a child.

_______________________________________________________________
2. We / go to the beach every summer?
_______________________________________________________________
3. She / love eating chocolate, but now she hates it.
_______________________________________________________________
4. He / not / smoke.
_______________________________________________________________
5. I / play tennis when I was at school.
_______________________________________________________________
6. She / be able to speak French, but she has forgotten it all.
_______________________________________________________________
7. He / play golf every weekend?
_______________________________________________________________
8. They both / have short hair.
_______________________________________________________________
9. Julie / study Portuguese.
_______________________________________________________________
10. I / not / hate school.
_______________________________________________________________

11. If it’s possible, make a sentence with ‘would + infinitive’. If it’s not possible, use ‘used to + infinitive’:

1. I / have short hair when I was a teenager.

_______________________________________________________________
2. We / go to the same little café for lunch every day when I was a student.
_______________________________________________________________
3. She / love playing badminton before she hurt her shoulder.
_______________________________________________________________
4. He / walk along the beach every evening before bed.
_______________________________________________________________
5. I / always lose when I played chess with my father.
_______________________________________________________________
6. She / be able to dance very well.
_______________________________________________________________
7. My grandfather / drink a cup of coffee after dinner every night.
_______________________________________________________________
8. Luke / not have a car.
_______________________________________________________________
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 VERB PATTERNS

9. We / live in Brazil.
_______________________________________________________________
10. My family / often go to the countryside for the weekend when I was young.
_______________________________________________________________

Make sentences using ‘be used to + verb-ing’ or ‘be used to + noun / pronoun’. You need to choose the correct tense:
1. I (live) in London, so the crowds don’t bother me.
_______________________________________________________________
2. She (the Tokyo subway) so she doesn’t get lost.
_______________________________________________________________
3. He (not / deal) with animals, so he’s a bit scared of the dogs.
_______________________________________________________________
4. John (drive) in heavy traffic.
_______________________________________________________________
5. I (wake) up in the night with my baby. I drink lots of coffee!
_______________________________________________________________
6. It was very hard to get up at five when I first started this job, because I (not / it).
_______________________________________________________________
7. She (drink) a lot of coffee, so she doesn’t have a problem with going to sleep afterwards.
_______________________________________________________________
8. I’ve lived here in Hokkaido for three years but I (not / the snow).
_______________________________________________________________
9. He (do) a lot of exercise, so a ten-mile walk is easy for him.
_______________________________________________________________
10. Julie’s flat is in the centre of London. When she visits a friend in the countryside, it’s difficult for her to sleep because she (not /
the quiet).
_______________________________________________________________

Key Verb pat.

Exc.1
1. going 8. to carry 15. to bring
2. telling 9. cooking 16. taking
3. to come 10. to study 17. to visit
4. having 11. waiting 18. going
5. talking 12. to come 19. to start
6. to speak 13. to help 20. to leave
7. giving 14. going
Exc 2
1. getting 8. to work 15. to finish
2. to speak 9. to buy 16. waiting
3. to help 10. being 17. to buy
4. going 11. laughing 18. being
5. doing 12. to be 19. to come
6. to arrive 13. moving 20. to go
7. stealing 14. speaking
Exc 3
1. to be 7. negotiating 13. meeting
2. to go 8. stealing 14. going
3. to be 9. to be 15. to go
4. living 10. to be 16. being
5. smoking 11. seeing 17. to come
6. arriving 12. to rain 18. to get
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 VERB PATTERNS

19. painting 20. to meet

Exc. 4
1. John’s mother used to make him clean up his room.
2. The teacher doesn’t let her students use their mobile phones in class.
3. Julie’s father doesn’t let her use his car.
4. The professor often makes the students do a lot of homework.
5. The policeman made the teenagers pick up the litter they had dropped.
6. My mother never let me stay out late when I was young.
7. The guard made her get off the train because she didn’t have a ticket.
8. Lucy might let you borrow her laptop if you ask her nicely.
9. The comedian really made us laugh last night.
10. When people are late it makes me really annoyed!
11. Doing a lot of exercise lets me eat as many cakes as I like!
12. The boss often makes us work late.
13. Joan’s new job has made her very happy.
14. This card lets you travel on any bus in the city.
15. My current job lets me work wherever I want.
16. Your photos make me want to visit Columbia – it looks very beautiful.
17. Speaking English lets you communicate with lots of different people.
18. Robert doesn’t let his children watch TV.
19. That film made me cry – it was so sad.
20. The professor let us hand in our essays a day late last term.
Exc 5
1. John worked hard and did his best at his job, but he still wasn’t promoted.
2. The teenagers were making such a noise that the neighbour called the police.
3. She makes a payment on her debt every month. Soon she’ll have finished paying it off.
4. So many chores to do! I need to clean the bathroom and the kitchen, hoover and change all the beds.
5. Sorry, I made a mistake. The restaurant isn’t here, but on another street.
6. It’s late, and we should go home. Let’s make a move.
7. Unfortunately his business made a huge loss last year and had to close down.
8. If you don’t speak English, you’ll find it hard to do business in the UK.
9. He made a promise to his grandmother that he’d never fight anyone ever again.
10. I called the hotel and made a reservation for two people for Saturday the 16th
11. The washing machine flooded and the water did a lot of damage. All the carpets had to be replaced.
12. She makes a lot of lists of things to do, but she never does any of the things!
13. Unfortunately, all the students did very badly on the test.
14. Children make such a mess! I spend my whole life tidying up!
15. The car was doing 90 miles per hour on the motorway when it was stopped by the police.
16. John went outside to make a phone call.
17. Lucy has decided to do a course this autumn. She’s going to study Spanish.
18. My grandmother loves doing crosswords.
19. Anne made a good point. She said that it’s often cheaper to fly in the UK than take the train.
20. If I were to make a prediction, I’d say that it’ll rain this afternoon.
Exc 6
1. I haven’t eaten chocolate for three weeks, but it hasn’t made any difference to my weight!
2. If you’ll do the dishes, I’ll sweep the floor.
3. Thanks for making such lovely comments about my paintings! I’m really glad you like them.
4. Could you call the manager please? I’d like to make a complaint.
5. I feel terrible! I really must do some more exercise! Will you come for a run with me tomorrow?
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 VERB PATTERNS

6. He’s volunteering at a homeless shelter because he wants to do good.

7. She needs to make a choice. Either move to Madrid or stay in London. She can’t keep changing every week!
8. Let’s make a date to meet and talk about your business idea. How about next Friday?
9. John made a decision to take the bus, but it was so delayed that he wished he’d taken the train.
10. Robert spent the weekend doing the gardening. He mowed the lawn and planted a lot of newplants.
11. The child made a face behind the teacher’s back.
12. It’s freezing! Let’s turn on the heating and make a fire in the fireplace.
13. I’m not going to go ice skating! I’d only fall over and make a fool of myself!
14. Could you possibly do me a favour and bring dessert to my dinner party tomorrow?
15. When she was 40 she sold her business and made a fortune. She now spends most of her time at the beach.
16. Lucy helped the children to do drawings of the flowers.
17. Jill has to do three exams this week, so I don’t think we’ll see her until next week.
18. I’m fine mum! There’s no need to call the doctor! Don’t make a fuss.
19. John made a joke at the start of the meeting, but nobody laughed.
20. I really need to do some shopping this afternoon. We have no food in the house at all.
Exc 7
1. You should eat more fruit and vegetables. It would do you good.
2. Traditionally, three people make speeches at weddings in the UK. The groom, the father of the bride, and the best
man.
3. Lucy did all the ironing, washed the floor and made dinner.
4. John decided that he needed to do more research before he could write his essay.
5. Could I make a suggestion? Maybe we should give up work for today and go and have a drink.
6. I’m too busy to see you now. Please call my secretary and make an appointment.
7. I spent a long time doing my hair, but when I went outside, the wind ruined it in one minute!
8. He made an attempt to tidy up before she arrived, but the room was still very messy.
9. How do you like our new kitchen? I think the workmen did a good job.
10. They have made too many errors in this article. We can’t publish it.
11. I know the shop usually closes at six but could you make an exception today? I have a busload of tourists who’d like
to visit.
12. She tried to do her homework early in the evening, so she could relax afterwards.
13. I made a great effort to study hard for that exam, but I still didn’t pass!
14. I travelled to Paris when I was a child and it made a great impression on me. I’ve always loved France and French
things ever since.
15. One tiny piece of chocolate cake won’t do you any harm! Eat up!
16. He didn’t make a sound when he got home late, so as not to wake up his wife.
17. Right, could you make arrangements for next week? We need to book a restaurant for lunch at 1pm on Saturday,
and we need to think of something to do on Sunday too.
18. I spend far too much time doing housework! I wish I had a cleaner!
19. She made certain that she had turned the iron off before she left the house.
20. I enjoy going to new places and making new friends.
Exc 8
1. How much money does a waitress make?
2. Could you do the laundry today? We have no clean clothes.
3. She spent the evening watching black and white films and doing her nails.
4. Did their new business make a profit last year?
5. The teacher made some very positive remarks about Susie’s work.
6. There’s so much paperwork to do! I’ll be here all night
7. The CEO of the company made some interesting observations during his visit to our department.
8. I’d like to make Julie an offer of a job. It would be full-time in our office.
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 VERB PATTERNS

9. There was a man sitting on the pier earlier. He was doing a painting of the boats. !
10. This lecture is so boring! Let’s make an escape during the break and go to the café!
11. William made an excuse to the teacher about why he was late, but she didn’t believe him.
12. Stop talking and do some work!
13. Alison can’t come tonight. She’d already made plans.
14. I’m going to work all weekend. I really want to make some progress on this project.
15. Could you please make sure that the money has gone into the correct bank account?
16. It takes Lizzie an hour a day to do the washing up. She would love to have a dishwasher.
17. I offered the job to Ian, and said he had until Monday to make his mind up.
18. In the morning she gets up, has a shower and gets dressed, then makes the bed. After that she goes downstairs and
has breakfast.
19. John and Lucy made their way through the crowded streets to their hotel.
20. Graham did really well in the tennis competition. He came second out of over a hundred people.
Exc 9
1. Julie said that she would join us after work.
2. She told me that she was going running this evening.
3. John told us that he couldn’t come to the party.
4. John said that he had been to the cinema at the weekend.
5. She told them she wanted to quit.
6. David said he was going to arrive at eight.
7. They said that they didn’t want to meet us on Tuesday.
8. I told him I wasn’t impressed.
9. Lucy told Julie that she was leaving on Wednesday.
10. We said that we were going on holiday the following week.
11. Jack told my mother he would be in Spain this week.
12. I said that I hated mushrooms.
13. She said she loved chocolate.
14. They said they were meeting Luke today.
15. They told us they were going to the museum this afternoon.
16. He said he wouldn’t start without us.
17. I told them I’d bring pudding.
18. Jonathan said it would rain today.
19. They told us that it was fine to come late.
20. The boss told me that I should do some more work on this report.
Exc 10
1. I used to live in a flat when I was a child.
2. Did we use to go to the beach every summer?
3. She used to love eating chocolate, but now she hates it.
4. He didn’t use to smoke.
5. I used to play tennis when I was at school.
6. She used to be able to speak French, but she has forgotten it all.
7. Did he use to play golf every weekend?
8. They both used to have short hair.
9. Julie used to study Portuguese.
10. I didn’t use to hate school.
Exc 11
1. I used to have short hair when I was a teenager.
2. We would go to the same little café for lunch every day when I was a student.
3. She used to love playing badminton before she hurt her shoulder.
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 VERB PATTERNS

4. He would walk along the beach every evening before bed.

5. I would always lose when I played chess with my father.
6. She used to be able to dance very well.
7. My grandfather would drink a cup of coffee after dinner every night.
8. Luke didn’t use to have a car.
9. We used to live in Brazil.
10. My family would often go to the countryside for the weekend when I was young.
Exc 12
1. I’m used to living in London, so the crowds don’t bother me.
2. She’s used to the Tokyo subway so she doesn’t get lost.
3. He’s not used to dealing with animals, so he’s a bit scared of the dogs.
4. John’s used to driving in heavy traffic.
5. I’m used to waking up in the night with my baby. I drink lots of coffee!
6. It was very hard to get up at five when I first started this job, because I wasn’t used to it.
7. She’s used to drinking a lot of coffee, so she doesn’t have a problem with going to sleep afterwards.
8. I’ve lived here in Hokkaido for three years but I’m still not used to the snow.
9. He’s used to doing a lot of exercise, so a ten-mile walk is easy for him.
10. Julie’s flat is in the centre of London. When she visits a friend in the countryside, it’s difficult for her to sleep because
she’s not used to the quiet.