Is used to / is used to be

Question

Dear Sirs,Would you please explain me how these sentences works? is used to/ is used to be? what does it mean? when I have to use these words?  I have tried to read a lot of posts and newspapers concerning but still undefined conception to me.I am kindly asking you clarify it as much simple as you can. As my English is pretty feeble Thanks in Advance

GPY · Accepted Answer

"is used to be" is not a common combination of words. My guess is that you are just thinking of two different uses of "used to":

In the first kind of usage, "used" has its normal meaning as the past tense or past participle of the verb "use", and "to" means "in order to". For example, "This is the pen (that) I used to write my essay" means that you wrote the essay using that pen. Often the verb is in the passive voice, as in "Quinine is used to treat malaria" (passive version of "We use quinine to treat malaria").

In the second kind of usage, "used to" is an idiom describing things that happened frequently or regularly in the past. For example, "When I was young I often used to go fishing". When used with the "be" verb, it means that a certain state regularly or continuously existed in the past. For example, "I used to be tired all the time."

In the first case the "s" in "used" is pronounced like a "z", and in the second case it is pronouced as a soft "s".

GPY · Answer

Oops, I forgot to mention another common use of "used to", to mean "accustomed to".

For example, "Hard work doesn't bother me – I'm used to it."

This one is also pronounced with a soft "s".

Is used to / is used to be

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