文法講座五十：used to …，「習慣 …」還是「被用來（當作） …」？

used to 的意思究竟是「被用來（當作）…」，還是「習慣 …」，需視上下文而定囉。讓我們看下去！

• 「被用來（當作） …」be used to V原 = be used as N = serve as N

例句：「愛」不應被用來當作藉口來控制你身邊的人。

Love shouldn’t be used as an excuse to control people around you.

= Love shouldn’t serve as an excuse for controlling people around you. 

解：介係詞 as 後方搭配「名詞」，意指「當作…」。be used 後方的「to V原」不定詞帶有表目的「為了…」的意思。介係詞 for 後方搭配「名詞」或「動名詞 Ving」，意指「為了…」。

 

• 「習慣 …」used to + V原。但是只要看見 be / get 兩字，無論是 be / get 的哪種型態，be (get) used to + N / Ving。那麼該如何判斷句中提到的是何時的習慣呢？何時習慣得視動詞第 1 字的時態而定。如：「used to V原」意指過去習慣，因為動詞第 1 字 used 為過去式。「were used to Ving」也是指過去習慣，因為動詞第 1 字 were 為過去式，且因為看到 be，所以 to 的後方要加 N / Ving。「have gotten used to V原」意指已經習慣了，因為動詞第 1 字 have 為現在完成式的助動詞，且因為看到 gotten，所以 to 的後方要加 N / Ving。
  
  used to V原，以及 be (get) used to N / Ving 的句型變化，和各時態的句型變化原則相同，請見下方例句。

例：Tom 以前抽菸抽很兇。

✓ Tom used to smoke heavily.
✓ （改成否定） Tom didn’t use to smoke heavily.
✓ （改成問句） Didn’t Tom use to smoke heavily?
✓ （肯定簡答） Yes, he did.
✓ （肯定簡答） No, he didn’t.
✓ （肯定詳答） Yes, he used to smoke heavily.
✓ （否定詳答） No, he didn’t use to smoke heavily.



解：動詞第 1 字 used 為過去式，所以用過去式助動詞 did 來造否定句、疑問句和簡答句。且助動詞 did 會幫助後方的 used 現原形，變成 use。

 

例：Tom 現在抽菸抽很兇。

✓ Tom is used to smoking heavily.　
✓ （改成否定）Tom isn’t used to smoking heavily.
✓ （改成問句）Isn’t Tom used to smoking heavily?
✓ （肯定簡答）Yes, he is.
✓ （肯定簡答）No, he isn’t.
✓ （肯定詳答）Yes, he is used to smoking heavily.
✓ （否定詳答）No, he isn’t used to smoking heavily.



解：看到 be 動詞 is，所以 to 的後方要加 Ving。第 1 字 is 為現在式，所以用現在式 be 動詞 is 來造否定句、疑問句和簡答句。

 

例：Tom 已經習慣抽菸抽很兇。

✓ Tom has got used to smoking heavily.
✓ （改成否定）Tom hasn’t got used to smoking heavily.
✓ （改成問句）Hasn’t Tom got used to smoking heavily?
✓ （肯定簡答）Yes, he has.
✓ （肯定簡答）No, he hasn’t.
✓ （肯定詳答）Yes, he has got used to smoking heavily.
✓ （否定詳答）No, he hasn’t got used to smoking heavily.



解：看到 got，所以 to 的後方要加 Ving。動詞第 1 字 has 為現在完成式的助動詞，所以用 has 來造否定句、疑問句和簡答句。

 



• 請選出唯一的錯誤選項

(A) The green notebook I had gotten so used to seeing her carry around was left on the table.
(B) The taller of the two boys, John used to call me “four eyes” because I wore glasses.
(C) There is used to have a theater near my place, but it went out of business years ago.
(D) My brother never got along well with Alice. Whenever he met her, what he used to say was: Get out of my sight!
(E) All the money made in the fair will be used to support dogs in the animal shelter.



解：C 選項有誤。從 out of business years ago 可知有戲院已成「過去式」，所以需搭配「過去習慣」。且 there 「有」只能搭配 be 動詞，沒有 there have / there has 這種寫法。C 選項應更正為：There used to be a theater near my place, but it went out of business years ago. 

 

解：五個選項中，只有 E 選項的「will be used to V原」意指「將被用來…」，其他選項中的 be / get used to Ving 和 used to V原 都是意指「習慣…」。