Word Choice – Live vs Living: How to Use Them Correctly

sequence-of-tensesword-choiceword-difference

In Oxfordonlineenglish.com, I found a question in grammar test online as follows,

______ spent time abroad when I was a student, I found it easier to get used to ______ in another country.

Options:

  1. to have, living

  2. having, live

  3. having, living

  4. have, live

And my answer was,

Having spent time abroad when I was a student, I found it easier to get used to live in another country.

But the correct answer given by the website was,

Having spent time abroad when I was a student, I found it easier to get used to living in another country.

I'm a little confused here, why "living" is correct and why not "live".

Best Answer

The phrase to get used to something (don't confuse it with the expression used to do something) requires a noun or anything noun-like in form such as a gerund. And such is the case with your example here. living is the gerund form of the verb to live. That's why living is the correct choice.

Example:

I just can't get used to this new mouse I bought the other day. I think I'm going to still continue using the old one.