The Many Uses of 'Get'
2023-11-11
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question about the use of the word "get."
2Hello,
3I would like to know more about the use of the word "get."
4Over time I have realized that it is an important word used in different ways, but I would like a clearer and broader explanation about its use.
5Could you explain more about this word, please? Thank you very much.
6Regards,
7Mireya
8Thank you for writing, Mireya.
9This is a good question.
10"Get" is the most common verb in any situation, and it is around the 40th most used word in the English language.
11In speech, "get" is used almost once per minute on average.
12So, your interest in it is well placed.
13VOA Learning English has explored "get" several times.
14In an earlier Ask a Teacher program we discussed the difference between "take" and "get."
15And in an earlier Everyday Grammar program we discussed that "get" can be used with the passive voice although it is rare.
16We also discussed many meanings of "get" in another Everyday Grammar program.
17We shared that "get" has more than 50 uses, and it appears as part of at least 12 phrasal verbs or other expressions.
18In earlier programs, we discussed meanings of "get" such as understand, know, obtain, receive, feel, become, buy, fetch, location, and its use to express impatience or frustration.
19As you can see, there is a lot to know about "get."
20Here is some additional information about the use of "get."
21"Get" is extremely common in spoken language, but it is rare in written language.
22Careful writers avoid "get" because it is usually informal.
23"Get" is often used with subjects that are not living things.
24This is important because most verbs in speech are used with animate, or live, subjects.
25"Get" is the second most common verb used with "do" to demonstrate special importance or difference.
26For example:
27She finally did get better.
28There is the structure "get" + adjective presented in the Everyday Grammar program.
29Adjectives used with "get" describe physical and mental changes.
30The most common adjective used with "get" is "worse."
31Other common adjectives include "older" and "better."
32In addition, "get" is often used with adjectives to describe an increasing amount.
33The most often used phrases for this use are
34get worse and worse and get bigger and bigger.
35We should explain one final use of "get."
36Some words are used in a fixed series in English.
37"Get" is used in many fixed series of words in spoken English. They are:
38I'm going to get
39You're going to get
40I'll have to get
41You can get a
42I haven't got a
43I haven't gotten any
44You've got to
45If you've got a
46If you/I can get
47get on with it
48get rid of it
49got a bit of
50I got one of them
51haven't got a clue
52Please let us know if this explanation has helped you, Mireya.
53Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
54And that's Ask a Teacher.
55I'm Gena Bennett.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question about the use of the word "get." 2Question 3Hello, 4I would like to know more about the use of the word "get." Over time I have realized that it is an important word used in different ways, but I would like a clearer and broader explanation about its use. Could you explain more about this word, please? Thank you very much. 5Regards, 6Mireya 7Answer 8Thank you for writing, Mireya. This is a good question. 9"Get" is the most common verb in any situation, and it is around the 40th most used word in the English language. In speech, "get" is used almost once per minute on average. 10So, your interest in it is well placed. 11VOA Learning English has explored "get" several times. 12In an earlier Ask a Teacher program we discussed the difference between "take" and "get." And in an earlier Everyday Grammar program we discussed that "get" can be used with the passive voice although it is rare. 13We also discussed many meanings of "get" in another Everyday Grammar program. We shared that "get" has more than 50 uses, and it appears as part of at least 12 phrasal verbs or other expressions. 14In earlier programs, we discussed meanings of "get" such as understand, know, obtain, receive, feel, become, buy, fetch, location, and its use to express impatience or frustration. 15As you can see, there is a lot to know about "get." 16Examples of "get" 17Here is some additional information about the use of "get." 18"Get" is extremely common in spoken language, but it is rare in written language. Careful writers avoid "get" because it is usually informal. 19"Get" is often used with subjects that are not living things. This is important because most verbs in speech are used with animate, or live, subjects. 20"Get" is the second most common verb used with "do" to demonstrate special importance or difference. For example: 21She finally did get better. 22There is the structure "get" + adjective presented in the Everyday Grammar program. Adjectives used with "get" describe physical and mental changes. 23The most common adjective used with "get" is "worse." Other common adjectives include "older" and "better." 24In addition, "get" is often used with adjectives to describe an increasing amount. The most often used phrases for this use are 25get worse and worse and get bigger and bigger. 26We should explain one final use of "get." Some words are used in a fixed series in English. "Get" is used in many fixed series of words in spoken English. They are: 27I'm going to get 28You're going to get 29I'll have to get 30You can get a 31I haven't got a 32I haven't gotten any 33You've got to 34If you've got a 35If you/I can get 36get on with it 37get rid of it 38got a bit of 39I got one of them 40haven't got a clue 41Please let us know if this explanation has helped you, Mireya. 42Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. 43And that's Ask a Teacher. 44I'm Gena Bennett. 45Gena Bennett wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 46________________________________________________ 47Words in This Story 48frustration--n. a poor feeling from lack of solving a problem