Used to vs Be/Get Used to

Some people might be confused about the different of "used to" and "be/get used to"

"used to" + infinitive and

"be/get used to" + ‘ing’ form because they look similar.

They are, however, completely different.

Used to + infinitive indicates something that happened in the past but which have finished.
 

e.g.
I 'used to play' tennis when I was younger, but now I am too old.

She 'used to go' to school in Sydney, now she goes to school in Balikpapan.

They 'used to have lunch' together, now they are like oil and water.

Be/get used to + -ing form show getting familiar or accustomed to something.
e.g.
Now that I live in Indonesia I 'am used to riding' a motor bike. I ride one every day to work.

We 'are used to' seeing him around the office. He is here every day.

Rules for adding '-ed' and '-ing'

Do you know the rules for adding '-ed' or '-ing' to a verb?

1. If the verb is 3 letters and ends in a vowel + consonant, we always double the last consonant.

Example: hop > hopping, hopped

The exception to this is if the last consonant is w, x, y or z when we just add '-ed' or '-ing'.

Example: mow > mowing, mowed

2. If the verb ends in 'e' we drop the 'e' and add the '-ed' or '-ing'.

Example: hope > hoped, hoping

3. If the verb ends in consonant + y we change the '-y' to '-i' when we add '-ed'

4. If the verb ends in consonant + y we can just add '-ing'

Example: reply > replied, replying

5. If the verb ends in a double vowel and consonant we just add '-ed' or '-ing'.

Example: look > looked, looking

6. If the verb ends in a double consonant we just add '-ed' or '-ing'.

Example : park > parked, parking

7. If the verb is a two syllable and the stress is on the first syllable we just add '-ed' or '-ing'.

Example: visit > visited, visiting

8. If the verb is a two syllable and the stress is on the second syllable we double the last consonant and we add '-ed' or '-ing'.

Example: admit > admitted, admitting

I hope we can use these rules when we need. 

Negatives with no positives

Florence asked:

Why is there the word Insouciant but not the word Souciant in the English language?

I don't know, but it's a good addition to a long list of negatives with no positives:

People are often disgruntled, but no matter what you do, you can never gruntle them.

No hairdresser or tailor, finding you dishevelled, can hevel you. And if you're unkempt, you will never be kempt again.

If you face your opponents and find yourself dismayed, even if allies come to rescue you won't be mayed. 

If you face a challenge badly, you may be disconcerted. Face it well, though, and no one will ever say: "You were very concerted!" 

You're nonchalant when you don't show emotion. Even so, no one will say "You were really chalant," if you get upset.

If you feel bad about something, you have misgivings. But however optimistic you are, you never say: "I have givings about this."

When you take something apart, you dismantle it. But you'll never mantle it by putting it together again.

Did something startle you? You were disturbed. But when were you ever turbed?

Give the teacher the wrong answer, and she'll say: "No, I think you're mistaken." Give her right answer, and she'll never say: "Excellent! You're taken!"

Your room will never be immaculate, at least in your mother's eyes, but she never told you: "Your room is maculate! Clean it up right now!"

Can you think of any other negatives with no positives?

French words and phrases used by English speakers

aide-de-camp

"camp assistant"; in the army, a military assistant to a senior military officer (heads of State are considered military officers because of their status as head of the army). In Canada, it may also refer to the honorary position a person holds as a personal assistant to a high civil servant. It is written "aide de camp" (without any hyphens) in French.

après-garde

Avant-garde's antonym. French (and most English) speakers use arrière-garde (either in a military or artistic context).

chef

in English, a person who cooks professionally for other people. In French, a professional cook is a restaurateur. A chef (lit. head), means a master cook or chief cook. Also, sous-chef, the second-in-command, directly under the head chef.

cinquefoil

five-petal, five-leaf flower of the genus Potentilla, family Rosaceae; also a circular 5-lobed ornamental design. Spelt quintefeuille in French.

cri de cœur

"cry from the heart": an impassioned outcry, as of entreaty or protest. In French, the exact expression is "cri du cœur".

demimonde

a class of women of ill repute; a fringe group or subculture. Fell out of use in the French language in the 19th century. Frenchmen still use "une demi-mondaine" to qualify a woman that lives (exclusively or partially) of the commerce of her charms but in a high-life style.

Double entendre

a figure of speech wherein a word or phrases can be taken to have two distinct coherent meanings, most often in a fashion that is suggestive and/or ironic. The phrase has its etymological origins in French - 'double' having the same meaning in both languages and 'entendre' meaning "to hear"; however the English phrase is grammatically incorrect and is a corruption of the original French phrase "à double entente", meaning a double understanding or double interpretation (literally, "with a double hearing"). The modern French rendering is "double sens" and the English phrase is more or less meaningless.

homage

term used for films that are influenced by other films, in particular by the works of a notable director. French word is written "hommage," and is used for all shows of admiration, respect, or in a close sense for dedication of an artwork to another.

hors d'oeuvre

term used for the snacks served with drinks before a meal. Literally "outside of the work". The French use apéritif to refer to the time before a meal and both the food and drink consumed during that time, yet "hors d'œuvre" may still be used in a more formal context.

in lieu (of)

"in place (of)": a hybrid phrase, partially translated from the existing French phrase au lieu.

léger de main

"light of hand": sleight of hand, usually in the context of deception or the art of stage magic tricks. Means nothing in French and has no equivalent.

maître d'

translates as master o'. Francophones would say maître d'hôtel (head waiter) instead (French never uses "d'" alone).

negligee

A robe or a dressing gown, usually of sheer or soft fabric for women. French uses négligé (masculine form, with accents) or nuisette. Négligée qualifies a woman who neglects her appearance.

pièce de résistance (also piece de resistance)

the best; the main meal, literally "a piece that resists." Francophones use plat de résistance (main dish).

Rouge

literally "red" in Canadian football, awarded when the ball is kicked into the end zone by any legal means, other than a successful field goal, and the receiving team does not return, or kick, the ball out of its end zone.

succès de scandale

Success through scandal; Francophones might use «succès par médisance».

voir dire

a trial within a trial, or (in America) jury selection (Law French). Literally "to speak the truth." (Anglo-Norman voir [truth] is etymologically unrelated to the modern French voir [to see].) In modern American court procedure, the examination of prospective jurors for their qualification to serve, including inherent biases, views and predelictions; during this examination, each prospective juror must "speak the truth" so that counsel and the court may decide whether they should remain on the jury or be excused. In England and Wales, the expression is used to refer to a "trial within a trial," during which a judge hears evidence in the absence of the jury, typically to decide whether a certain piece of evidence should be allowed to be presented to the jury or not. For example, a judge might hold a "voir dire" to determine whether a confession has been extracted from a defendant by an unfair inducement in order to decide whether the jury should hear evidence of the confession or not.

is or are

I read a blog and I think the article is very interesting, so I share it with you. I hope it can help you to understand more about English.

A reader wrote this morning:
I have a doubt about a translation I’m doing regarding the use of is or are. The more I think about it, the more unsure I feel about the right word to use. Perhaps you can help me. The sentence is as follows:

If the iron, cord or plug is damaged...

And that's the correct usage. When we use "or," we're saying only one of those nouns is the real subject. But it raises a lot of related questions.
When we have a compound subject, two or more nouns linked with "and," we use a plural verb:

Tom and Jerry are going to the conference.

But when we use the conjunction "or" between the nouns, and the nouns are singular, we use a singular verb:

Tom or Jerry is going to conference.

That is, only one of them is going and therefore only one of them is the subject of the sentence.
If the nouns are plural, then the verb will be plural too:

The Thompsons or the Wongs are going to the conference.

But what if one noun is plural and the other is singular? Then the verb agrees with the noun that is closer to the verb:

Bob Thompson or the Wongs are going to the conference.
The Wongs or Bob Thompson is going to the conference.

I know—the second version may be correct, but it sounds odd. And it's likely to make readers stop and say: "Huh? Is that right?" When the way we write distracts readers from what we're actually saying, we need to rewrite. So if I had to tell my readers about who's going to Europe, I'd try something like this:

Either Bob Thompson or the Wongs will go to the conference.

So? What do you think? It's interesting, isn't it?

source: Ask the English Teacher