English Teaching: Grammar

Monday, November 16, 2015

GET: Basic structures

GET: Basic structures

Get is one of the most common words in English, and is used in many different ways.
It is used in spoken and informal written English.

get + noun / pronoun	It usually means “receive”, “obtain”, “catch” or something similar. The exact meaning depends on the object. I got a letter from Lucy this morning. If I listen to loud music I get a headache. I didn’t get the joke. (=understand)
get + adjective	Before and adjective, get usually means “become”. As you get old, your memory gets work. My feet are getting cold.
get + preposition	Before a preposition, get nearly always refers to a movement of some kind. I often get up at five o’clock. Would you mind getting off my foot? In some idioms the meaning is different: get to a place (=arrive at) get over something (=recover from) get on with sb. (=have a good relationship with)
get + past participle	This structure often has a reflexive meaning, to talk about things that we “do to ourselves”. get washed, get dressed, get lost, get engaged, get married / divorced.
get + -ing /infinitive	*get + -ing* (=star …-ing) Very informal. Especially in the expressions: get moving, get going. We’d better get moving, it’s late. *get + infinitive* (=manage, have an opportunity, be allowed). We didn’t get to see her, she was too busy…
Causative: get something done	*get + object + past participle* It means “cause something to be done by somebody else”. The past participle has a passive meaning. I’m going to get my hair cut this afternoon.
got and gotten	In British English the past participle of get is got. In American English the past participle is gotten. You have gotten us in a lot of trouble.