How do you use the word got in a sentence

Main Get Got Gotten Takeaways:

• Get, got and gotten are all correct but they are not interchangeable.
• Get is the present tense of this verb (infinitive: to get).
• Got is the past tense of this verb. It’s also the first of two correct options for the get past participle.
• Gotten is a word. In fact, its the second of the two past participles of get.
• In American English, the word gotten is no more or less formal than the word getor got. Instead, it really comes down to your personal style and desired tone.

Get, got, gotten — which is it? Have you gotten better at grammar, or have you got better at grammar — or are both got and gotten acceptable? Let’s look at the difference between these three words as well as example sentences for each.

Is it Correct to say Gotten?

Yes, it is correct to say gotten. In fact, gotten and got are both get past participles, but they mean slightly different things. For example, gotten means “I acquired,” whereas got means “I have.” Moreover, got is also the past tense of the verb to get. Another difference between these words is regional preference. North American English speakers tend to use gotten while British English speakers prefer the word got instead.

📝 The verb to get means “to receive” or “to come to have something.”

Which is Correct: Got or Gotten?

Both got and gotten are past participles of the word “get.” Meaning, they are both correct when used in that form. However, “gotten“ is more common in American English, while “got“ is popularly used in British and Australian English.

It’s a different story though if we’re talking about the simple past tense of the verb get. For this, regardless of the context, it will always be “got.

What is Another Word for Gotten?

Another word for gotten is acquired. What’s more, synonyms for any form of get (including the past participle gotten) include acquire, obtain, receive, purchase, buy, earn, come in to, gain, collect, and come by. In fact, you can use any of those similar words in place of get, got or gotten in a sentence.

Get, Got, and Gotten Example Sentences

Here are examples of how to use get in a sentence:

Here are examples of how to use got in a sentence:

Here are examples of how to use gotten in a sentence:

[Correct]The Joint Chiefs of Staff felt they had gotten clear orders from the President.[/correct]

Has Got or Gotten?

Has got and has gotten are interchangeable. But people in the United States use the word gotten more often than the word got. Both gotten and got are past-tense versions of get. “I got“ means “I have,” whereas “I have gotten“ means “I acquired.“British English speakers are more likely to use the phrase “has got“ to indicate “have in my/their possession.” Let’s see a few examples in action:

☝️ The word gotten is just as old as the word got. As a matter of fact, both gotten and got originate in Middle English.

“Could Have Gotten” Meaning?

The phrase “could have gotten” means that there was an opportunity to get something in the past, but it slipped away or wasn’t taken advantage of (e.g.,I could have gotten a perfect grade on the test if I had just studied a bit more). The phrases “could have,” “should have,” and “would have” are the three past tense modals. As such, they show what might have happened but did not actually occur. Therefore, “could get” and “could have gotten” function similarly to “get” and “have gotten.”

Is Gotten Formal?

In American English, the word gotten is no more or less formal than any other form of get. Originally a Middle English word, gotten is still used in both academic and informal writing in Canada and in the US. In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, writers use the word got rather than gotten in both formal and informal writing.

It’s important to note that got has a common colloquial use that isn’t grammatically correct. For instance, you may hear someone use the word got as a synonym for has. While you might say this in a casual conversation, you should avoid it (and never write it) in more formal or professional settings.

Is Gotten an Americanism?

Many assume that gotten is an Americanism because Americans use the word more than other English-speaking people. That isn’t true. In fact, both gotten and got date back to as early as 4th century Middle English. Therefore, gotten has been around just as long as got — and some people even consider it an antiquated form of got.

Get Got Gotten in Review

On one hand, get is present tense, whilegot and gotten are both past participles of get. Surprisingly, gotten isn’t an Americanism — it’s actually just as old as the word got.

Have you got (or gotten!) the get/got/gotten difference down?

Get, Got, Gotten? Do you Know Which one to use? Take the Quiz Below!

Read More: Alot Or A Lot Or Allot? Here’s The Easiest Way To Get It Right

Both “got” and “gotten” are common terms in North America, but other English dialects do not use “gotten” at all. So why is this? And what is the exact difference between “got” and “gotten”? Check out our guide below to find out how to avoid errors when using these terms.

Present and Simple Past Tenses of “Get”

The present tense verb “get” has several meanings, including:

• Come to have or receive something (e.g., I hope we get a good reception)
• Attain, achieve, or obtain something (e.g., I get a newspaper every day)
• Reach a condition or state (e.g., He will get fat if he eats the whole cake)

The simple past tense of this verb is always “got,” regardless of the context:

We got a great reception from the crowd.

I got the newspaper this morning.

He got fat when he ate all the cake.

This applies in all English dialects. So, if you are using the simple present or past tense in your writing, the only terms you will need are “get” and “got.”

Past Participles: “Got” and “Gotten” in American English

We use past participles to form the present and past perfect tenses, which both show that an action has been completed. This verb form will follow “have,” “has,” or “had” in a sentence. And American English uses both “got” and “gotten” as past participles:

• We use “got” when referring to a state of owning or possessing something.
• We use “gotten” when referring to a process of “getting” something.

For example, if we were describing the process of “getting better” at something, we would use the past participle “gotten” in the perfect tenses:

She had gotten better in the last year.

But if we were describing possessing enough time for something, we would use “got.” For example:

I have got enough time for a coffee before I go out.

The same usage applies in Canadian English. However, the term “gotten” is much rarer outside North America.

Past Participles in Other English Dialects

In other English dialects, the correct past participle form of “get” is always “got.” For instance, if we were to rewrite the examples above for a British audience, we would say:

She had got better in the last year.

I have got enough time for a cup of tea.

Notice that both sentences use “got” as a past participle. As such, if you’re writing for a non-American audience, you will not need the word “gotten.” In fact, the only time this term is used in dialects such as British and Australian English is in old-fashioned terms like “ill-gotten.”

Summary: Got or Gotten?

In American English, “got” and “gotten” can both be past participles of the verb “get.” The correct term depends on what you are describing:

• Use got when referring to a state of possessing something.
• Use gotten when referring to a process of “getting” something.

However, “gotten” is extremely rare outside North American (especially in formal writing). As such, you should always use “got” when you’re writing for a non-American audience. And if you want to be certain your writing is the best it can be, don’t forget to have it proofread.