A Corpora-based Analysis of I was used to , I got used to , and I became used to

The goal of this paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of the frequency of I was used to, I got used to, and I became used to in the Corpus of Contemporary American English and the British National Corpus. The COCA clearly shows that I was used to may be the most preferable one for Americans, followed by I got used to, and I became used to, in that order. When it comes to the genre frequency of the COCA, it is interesting to note that in the fiction genre, I was used to may be the most commonly used one. The BNC clearly indicates, on the other hand, that I was used to may be the most preferred by British people, followed by I got used to, and I became used to. With respect to the genre frequency of the BNC, it is interesting to note that in the fiction genre, I was used to may be the most widely used. When it comes to the frequency of was used to and nouns, the expression was used to measure is the most preferable one for Americans, followed by was used to people, was used to rate, was used to power, was used to fuel, was used to group, and was used to film. With respect to the frequency of was used to and gerunds, the expression was used to being is the most preferable one for Americans, followed by was used to seeing, was used to having, was used to getting, was used to doing, was used to doing, was used to working, was used to hearing, and was used to going, in that order. Additionally, the COCA shows that got used to life and got used to things are the most preferred ones in America, followed by got used to people, and got used to weapons (got used to walking, got used to violence, got used to name calling), in that order. The COCA also indicates that got used to being is the most preferable one for Americans, followed by got used to seeing, got used to having, got used to hearing, got used to wearing, got used to living, and got used to using (got used to doing). The COCA further shows that became used to seeing is the most preferred by Americans and followed by became used to writing (became used to tying, became used to talking). www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/selt Studies in English Language Teaching Vol. 9, No. 4, 2021 22 Published by SCHOLINK INC.


The Genre Frequency of I was used to, I got used to, and I became used to in the COCA
The main goal of this section is to provide a genre analysis of I was used to, I got used to, and I became used to in the COCA (1990COCA ( -2010. Table 1 indicates the use and frequency of I was used to, I got used to, and I became used to in eight genres. An important question is "Which type was the most preferred by Americans?" That I was used to shows the highest frequency among three types indicates that it was the most preferred by Americans.
The overall frequency of the type I was used to is 528 tokens and it has the highest proportion. On the other hand, the type I got used to ranks second in the COCA and the type I became used to ranks third.
Thus, it seems reasonable to hypothesize that the type I was used to is the most preferable one for Americans, followed by I got used to, and I became used to, in that order.
In which genre is the type I was used to the most frequently used? Table 1 clearly shows that in the fiction genre of eight genres, I was used to may be the most widely used one. This may imply that American writers like using I was used to in their novels. It is important to note that the type I got used to and I became used to may be the most widely used ones in the fiction genre. From this, it is clear that I was used to, I got used to, and I became used to may be the most preferable ones for American writers.
It is worth noting that the type I was used to is the second most preferred one in the magazine genre.
More specifically, the frequency of the type I was used to is 67 tokens. The frequency of I was used to may be low as compared to the fiction genre, but its frequency is high as compared to the other genres.
Thus, it is reasonable to assume that American journalists like using I was used to in their magazines. It is interesting to note that the type I was used to is the third most preferred one in the blog genre. The blog is an online journal where bloggers write something about their hobbies and experiences. That I was used to ranks third in the blog genre may suggest that American bloggers are keen on using I was used to. It is worth pointing out that I got used to ranks second in the blog genre. This in turn suggests that as in the case of I was used to, bloggers also prefer using I got used to. It is interesting to note that the type I got used to is the third most preferred one in the TV/movie genre. This may imply that celebs are keen on using I got used to in everyday conversation.
It is important to note that in the blog, web, TV/movie, and magazine genres, the type I became used to ranks second. It must be noted, however, that the frequency of I became used to may be low (1 token). This in turn indicates that the type I became used to is rarely used in these genres. Thus, it can be inferred from this that Americans do not prefer this type in these genres. Additionally, it is significant to note that in the case of the spoken, newspaper, and academic genres, the type I became used to shows no frequency. This in turn implies that Americans avoid this type in these genres.
It is worthwhile noting that I was used to ranks fourth in the spoken genre. Note that the frequency of I was used to may be not high (51 tokens), as compared to the other genres. The frequency of I was used to is not high as compared to the fiction genre, but I was used to is the most frequently used one in the spoken genre, followed by I got used to, and I became used to, in that order. It is worth pointing out that I was used to ranks fifth in the web genre. Most importantly, I was used to is the most widely used one in the web genre, followed by I got used to, and I became used to, in that order.

The Genre frequency of I was used to, I got used to, and I became used to in the BNC
In what follows, we aim to examine the genre frequency of I was used to, I got used to, I became used to in the BNC (1980s-1993. We compare the results from the COCA and those from the BNC in order to observe national variation. Table 2 indicates the use and genre frequency of I was used to, I got used to, and I became used to in the BNC: An important question that naturally arises is "Which type is the most frequently used one in the UK?" When it comes to I became used to, it is worth pointing out that it may be the most undesired type among three types. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that Americans and British people avoid the type I became used to. An important question that naturally arises is "In which genre is the type I was used to the most commonly used one?" widely used one in the fiction genre since it obtains the highest frequency and the highest proportion.
This in turn indicates that the type I was used to may be the most preferred by British writers in the fiction genre. Just as in the case of the BNC, the COCA shows that the type I was used to may be the most preferred by American writers in the fiction genre. Americans and British people show the same pattern with respect to the use of the type I was used to. Simply put, American and British writers prefer using I was used to to using the types I got used to and I became used to.
An immediate question is "In which genre is the type I got used to the most commonly used one?" It is interesting to note that the type I got used to ranks fourth in the magazine genre. The frequency of I got used to is not high (2 tokens), but it may be preferred by British journalists. It must be emphasized that I got used to and I was used to show the same frequency (2 tokens). This indicates that British journalists prefer using both I was used to and I got used to at the same time. Finally, the type I became used to shows no frequency in all genres, which in turn indicates that British people do not like using the type I became used to. The same applies to Americans. Just as in the case of the BNC, the COCA clearly indicates that Americans do not like using the type I became used to.

The Frequency of Nouns and Gerunds in the COCA
In what follows, we aim to examine the frequency of the collocation of was used to in the COCA. Table   3 indicates the collocation of was used to in the COCA: Table 3. Frequency of was used to and Nouns in the COCA

Figure 1 Visualizing the Collocation of was used to in the COCA
An important question is "Which noun is the most frequently used one along with was used to?" Table   3 clearly indicates that the expression was used to measure is the most widely used one in America.
This in turn implies that the noun measure may be the most preferred by Americans along with was used to. As illustrated in Table 3, the expression was used to measure is the most preferable one for Americans, followed by was used to people, was used to rate, was used to power, was used to fuel, was used to group, and was used to film, in that order. It is worthwhile noting that the collocation was used to people is the second most preferred one in America. Interestingly, the collocation was used to power is the fourth most preferred one in America. This in turn implies that power might be not strange or new for Americans. As indicated in Figure 1, the shorter the line is, the higher the frequency of the collocation is. As alluded to in Figure 1, the line of the type I was used to and the noun measure is the shortest, which in turn indicates that the expression I was used to measure shows the highest frequency. Now attention is paid to the frequency of the collocation of was used to. Table 4 shows the collocation of was used to in the COCA: An important question is "Which gerund is the most commonly used one along with was used to in America?" Table 4 clearly indicates that the gerund being is the most widely used collocation along with was used to in America. This in turn suggests that the expression was used to being is the most preferred by Americans. As alluded to in Table 4, was used to being is the most preferable one for Americans, followed by was used to seeing, was used to having, was used to getting, was used to doing, was used to doing, was used to working, was used to hearing, and was used to going, in that order. It is interesting to note that was used to seeing is the second most preferred one in America. The everyday expressions was used to doing and was used to working rank fifth and sixth, respectively. Again, the everyday expression was used to playing ranks tenth in America. As alluded to in Figure 2, the line of the type I was used to and the gerund being is the shortest, which in turn implies that I was used to being shows the highest frequency. We thus conclude that the gerund being is the most frequently used one along with was used to in America.
In what follows, we aim to examine the collocation of got used to. Table 5 indicates the frequency of the collocation of got used to in the COCA:

Figure 3. Visualizing the Collocation of got used to in the COCA
An important question is "Which noun is the most frequently used one along with got used to in America?" Table 5 clearly shows that the nouns life and things are the most commonly used ones along with got used to in America. This in turn suggests that got used to life and got used to things are the most preferable ones for Americans. As illustrated in Table 5, got used to life and got used to things are the most preferred ones in America, followed by got used to people, and got used to weapons (got used to walking, got used to violence, got used to name calling), in that order. That got used to life and got used to things rank first suggests that Americans are very much interested in life and things.
Additionally, that the expression got used to people ranks third in turn indicates that that they are used to people is obviously a matter of great interest. It is interesting to note that got used to name-calling ranks fourth in the COCA. As illustrated in Figure 3,   An immediate question is "Which gerund is the most preferred by Americans along with got used to? Table 6 clearly shows that the gerund being is the most frequently used one in America. Thus, this in turn implies that got used to being is the most preferred by Americans. As indicated in Table 6, got used to being is the most preferable one for Americans, followed by got used to seeing, got used to having, got used to hearing, got used to wearing, got used to living, and got used to using (got used to doing), in that order. Noteworthy is that got used to seeing is the second most preferred one in America. The everyday expression got used to sleeping ranks eleventh and again the everyday idiom got used to working ranks fourteenth in the COCA. Just as in the case of the collocation of was used to, got used to shows almost the same pattern with respect to the use of gerunds. That is to say, got used to being and was used to being are the most widely used ones in America, got used to seeing and was used to seeing are the second most preferred ones, and got used to having and was used to having are the third most preferred ones. We thus conclude that got used to being and was used to being are the most preferred by Americans.
In what follows, we aim to examine the frequency of became used to and nouns in the COCA. Table 7 indicates the collocation of became used to in the COCA: As illustrated in Table 7, became used to and three nouns are inseparably connected, as it were. The collocations became used to republicans, became used to people, and became used to killing show the low frequency in the COCA. This in turn indicates that Americans do not like using the type became used to in daily conversation, thus resulting in the low frequency. Interestingly, was used to people and got used to people rank second and third in the COCA, respectively. We take this as indicating that Americans are very much interested in people and pursue relationships. Now attention is paid to the collocation of became used to in the COCA:  An important question that naturally arises is "Which gerund is the most preferred by Americans?" Table 8 clearly shows that became used to seeing is the most commonly used one in America. This in turn implies that became used to seeing may be the most preferable one for Americans. As alluded to in Table 8, became used to seeing is the most preferred by Americans and followed by became used to writing (became used to tying, became used to talking), in that order. It should be emphasized, however, that the frequency of the collocation of became used to may be not high, as compared to that of gerunds along with was used to and got used to. Again, this in turn implies that Americans do not like using became used to. We thus conclude that the gerund seeing is the most preferred one along with became used to.

Conclusion
To sum up, we have provided a detailed analysis of the frequency of I was used to, I got used to, and I became used to in the COCA and BNC. In section 2.1, we have argued that I was used to may be the most preferred by Americans, followed by I got used to, and I became used to, in that order. With respect to the genre frequency of the COCA, it is worth noting that in the fiction genre of eight genres, I was used to may be the most widely used one. This may imply that American writers like using I was used to in their novels. In section 2.2, we have further argued that I was used to may be the most preferred by British people, followed by I got used to, and I became used to, in that order. When it comes to the genre frequency of the BNC, it is noteworthy that the type I was used to may be the most widely used one in the fiction genre. This in turn suggests that I was used to may be the most preferred one in American and British novels. In section 3, we have contended that the expression was used to measure is the most preferable one for Americans, followed by was used to people, was used to rate, was used to power, was used to fuel, was used to group, and was used to film, in that order. We have also maintained that was used to being is the most preferable one for Americans, followed by was used to seeing, was used to having, was used to getting, was used to doing, was used to doing, was used to working, was used to hearing, and was used to going, in that order. Additionally, we have argued that got used to life and got used to things are the most preferred ones in America, followed by got used to people, and got used to weapons (got used to walking, got used to violence, got used to name calling), in that order. We have also argued that the expression got used to being is the most preferable one for Americans, followed by got used to seeing, got used to having, got used to hearing, got used to wearing, got used to living, and got used to using (got used to doing), in that order. We have further argued that the expression became used to seeing is the most preferred by Americans and followed by became used to writing (became used to tying, became used to talking), in that order.