Replacing the word get

Would it be safe to say that using the word get (or phrases containing it) to replace existing but longer words is now fashionable and acceptable? With already about 50 meanings, it is replacing words like board, mount, dismount, deplane, detrain, alight, embark, exit, escape, etc. I was told elsewhere by a teacher of English that he hadn’t used the words I listed for years. «Get on» a horse, bike, plane, bus, and «get off» the same way is his norm now. Is this entirely attributable to texting convenience?

My preference would be «Upon returning from work, I change my clothes, mount my bike and hasten to the market before darkness makes me vulnerable to an accident.» It appears instead more common to say, «When I get home from work, I get changed, get out my bike and get on it.» «I must get to the market before it gets dark.»

A dictionary does not direct people ‘not’ to overuse it and ‘not’ to replace all synonymous words with it. My question has to do with what is taught in schools and advised in forums, and includes the influence toward brevity that modern communication devices have had. Is ‘get’ to be the preferred synonym for the words I listed?

Every language has one of those words that you hear all the time, but it’s used in so many different ways that it can be really confusing. In most cases, the translation of this word doesn’t make any sense, or you wouldn’t use this word the same way in your native tongue. In this video article we’re going to learn about one of the English language’s most commonly misused and often misunderstood words, GET.

GETTING TO KNOW GET

The word “get” always leaves people in doubt, and it can be very frustrating for the average English learner. The problem is that their are so many expressions and phrasal verbs that use the word “get” that it can be very confusing. Let’s take a look at some literal meanings.

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6 Uses of the Word ‘Get’

The word “get” is so commonly used as a substitute for many words. A lot of the time when we use “get” it makes it less formal and it’s a lot more common in spoken English. Here are some examples of the 5 most common substitutions.

GET = BECOME (before adjectives)

When used before an adjective, the word get is a common substitution for the word become. This means that you are starting to become that adjective.

• If you don’t eat now you will get hungry later
• He got really angry when I told him I was leaving
• she is getting really skinny

GET = ARRIVE 

The word arrive sounds formal when used in conversation. Arrive would be commonly used at airports/ travel arrangements or in a serious business setting. In normal situations we tend to use “get”.

• What time did you get there?
• I’ll ring him when we get to the park

GET=RECEIVE 

This is a common mistake amongst Brazilians. Usually a Brazilian would use the word, “win” (Ganhar) in this case. In English “win” would only be used in regards to a prize or a competition/game.

• I got some cool presents for my birthday
• I got an email from my friend in Australia
• She always gets paid on Thursday

GET = OBTAIN/BUY 

The word “buy” is used when you’re specifying the fact that you purchased something. If that’s not so important we substitute it for our good friend “get.”

• I got a new suit to wear to the conference.
• They got their instruments from the U.S.A.

GET = UNDERSTAND 

This is simply an alternative way to say understand. You will here this more so in informal conversation but it doesn’t sound rude or inappropriate if it is used in a formal setting.

• Do you get what I’m saying?
• I don’t get it/ Got it!

GET = FETCH

In other words this meaning of “get” is when you leave where you are to collect (fetch) something and come back. A lot of people use the word take in this case which would be incorrect.

• Can you get me a glass of water?
•  I’m going to get her from work.
• I’m going out to get some milk.

Expressions with GET

These are some of the most common, out of many. For more a more extensive list of expressions with “get”, check out this link http://www.wordreference.com/enpt/get To get along with- to have a good relationship with someone or a group of people.

• I get along really well with my co-workers
• He doesn’t get along with his in-laws

To get over something-  to no longer feel bad, frustrated, or sad about something.

• I’m getting over the chicken pox
• He’s still getting over his bad break up with his girlfriend

To get rid of-  to be relieved of something in you life by giving it to someone or throwing it away

• I’m trying to get rid of my old car but no one wants to buy it
• The boss got rid of all the unnecessary office equipment

To get to know someone- to be in the phase of learning about a person and becoming friends with them; to be starting to know all about a person, city, or even a product or service.

• I would really like to get to know your sister
• I’m getting to know the city really well
• I should start getting to know how to use this program

To get by- to be able to survive with the limited supply or knowledge of something that you have.

• I make just enough money to get by
• My Spanish isn’t so good but I can get by

So now that you know the uses of the word get, go out and put it to test. Try identifying the different uses of get while watching a movie, T.V. show or listening to some music or podcasts. Hopefully you will start to get how we use get little better, take advantage of all the online English resources and get excited about learning. That’s enough “gets” for one day, If you have any questions or feedback feel free to comment. Until we meet again Real Life English readers.

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Hello students, and welcome to day 2 of our mini-course on words with multiple meanings!

Yesterday’s word was RUN, and today we’ll focus on GET. Again – a very common word, but one that is extremely versatile – this means it can be used in lots of different ways.

You already know the basic meaning of GET, but today you’re going to learn 20+ more ways to use it. Let’s get started:

get = receive

“Get” means receive. You can:

• get a gift
• get an email
• get a chance (meaning to receive an opportunity)
• get a grade on a test
• get an award
• get a scholarship

There are lots of collocations with GET meaning “receive.”

get = obtain

A second meaning of get is to obtain. This is a little different from receive – when you receive something, you made no effort – someone else gave it to you. If you get a gift for your birthday, you didn’t do anything to receive it.

But when you obtain something, you put in some effort. So you can get a job (you applied for the job, maybe you did an interview, and then they offered you the job).

You can get information, meaning you go and search for the information so that you have it. You can get some sleep, meaning you take the action of going to bed. You can get results at work, so you’re probably doing tasks in order to obtain results, get results.

get = buy

Get can also mean to buy. You can get tickets to a concert. If you see someone wearing a shirt you like, you can say “Where did you get that shirt?” meaning where did you buy it.

You can get something for a good price or get a bargain on something, both of which mean to pay a fair or small amount of money compared to the high value you receive.

For example, you can get a bargain on the Complete Program at Espresso English, because it’s available at a 50% discount – so you can buy it at a good price.

Another place we use “get” to mean “buy” is when we’re ordering at a restaurant or coffee shop – it’s very common to say “Can I get a large coffee?” or “Can I get some french fries?” – meaning you want to order, you want to buy that food/drink item.

get = bring

We also use get in the sense of bring. If I’m already in bed and I feel cold, I might ask my husband, “Can you get me an extra blanket?” meaning can you bring it to me.

We often say “go get” when someone needs to go somewhere in order to bring back an item. Let’s say there’s a meeting at work, and there aren’t enough chairs in the meeting room – then, my assistant could go get more chairs, meaning she will go and then bring the chairs.

Or if someone’s injured, you might say “I’ll go get the first aid kit!” meaning you’ll bring it.

get = arrive

Informally, we use “get” to mean arrive. For example: I usually get home from work around 6:00 – meaning arrive at home.

You can use “get” when talking about arriving from travel – If we take the next available flight, we’ll get to New York on Monday morning.

When asking for directions, you could say “How can I get to the train station?” – how can I go there, how can I arrive there.

get = become

Get also means become. You can get angry, get excited, get tired, get sick, get older, and get lost.

Something can get better or get worse, meaning it is becoming better or worse.

We also use it for changes in marital status: two people can get engaged (meaning they plan to marry each other), get married, and get divorced.

You can also get dressed, meaning to put on your clothes, and get ready, meaning to prepare yourself. When you get drunk it means you become intoxicated with too much alcohol, and when you get used to something it means you become accustomed to it.

All these expressions use “get” in the sense of becoming, changing status.

get = understand (informal)

Another informal use of “get” is to understand. If you say “I don’t get it,” it means “I don’t understand.”

You can also say “I don’t get…” followed by a question word and the topic you don’t understand, for example:

• I don’t get why they broke up; they seemed to have a perfect relationship.
• I don’t get how to use this computer program.
• Or if someone tells a joke, and you didn’t understand what’s funny about it, you could say you didn’t get the joke.

get to do something = have a special opportunity

If you get to do something, it means you have a good/special opportunity, for example:

• If my kids finish all their homework, they get to watch a movie before bed.
• He’s upset because he didn’t get to take a vacation last year.

have got to do something = have an obligation; should do it

On the other hand, if you have got to do something, it means you need to do it, you have an obligation to do it, or you should do it. This typically sounds like “gotta” in informal spoken English. Here are some examples of “gotta” referring to obligations:

• I’ve gotta pick up my kids from school.
• If you borrow books from the library, you’ve gotta return them.
• That movie is awesome – you’ve gotta see it! (you should, a strong recommendation)

get someone to do something = persuade/convince the person to do it

When you get someone to do something, it means you persuade/convince the person to do it.

• After a lot of discussion, I finally got him to agree with me.
• It’s hard to get my kids to help with housework.

get something done = cause it to happen

Finally, when you get something done, it means you make or cause it to happen. Sometimes this means doing it yourself, and other times it means you cause someone else to do it for you. For example:

• I like to get all my housework done by noon. (This means I finished it myself)
• My car has broken down – I need to get it fixed. (This means I will probably take it to a mechanic and they will fix it)

Phrasal verbs with GET

GET is also used in a ton of phrasal verbs… and even many of these phrasal verbs ALSO have multiple meanings! Here’s just a sample of a few common phrasal verbs with get.

To get along with someone means to have a good relationship with them, without conflict. Or we could say the opposite, not get along with someone, meaning two people don’t like each other or have conflict/tension in their relationship.

• I’m glad I get along with all my coworkers.
• I don’t get along with one of my cousins; I find her so annoying.

The phrasal verb get around is used for managing to go places, physically. If you have a broken leg, you would find it difficult to get around on crutches. Some cities, like London, have an extensive public transportation system, so it’s easy to get around, to manage to go from place to place.

Next, we have get back. This can mean to return to a place – for example, I’m going shopping at a bunch of stores, and I’m not sure what time I’ll get back.

There’s another meaning for this phrasal verb, and that is when we say get back at someone, it means to take revenge; to do something to hurt a person who hurt us in the past.

The expression get over means to recover emotionally from a difficult experience. If someone you love dies, it would take you a long time to get over it.

Another way to use this expression is as a command, telling someone “Get over it!” – we do this when the person is continuing to be sad/upset over something minor or silly, and we want them to stop obsessing about a minor problem.

When it comes to transportation, we get into / get out of cars, and get on / get onto / get off trains, buses, planes, bicycles, and motorcycles.

Idioms with GET

To finish up this lesson, let’s look at a couple idioms with get. The word get is used in hundreds of idioms… so this is just a small taste. If you’d like to focus more on idioms, you can join my 300+ Idioms Course for a lot more expressions.

Our first idiom is to get wind of something, which means to learn about or hear about some secret, usually indirectly. Let’s say a teenager is planning to have a party while his parents are out of the house – but then his parents get wind of it, they learn about this secret, when they see a comment he made on social media. They discovered the secret in an indirect way.

When a celebrity or famous person is involved in a divorce, they often try to keep the details private because when the media gets wind of it, then they will publish all the information about it.

Another idiom is to get your act together. This means to take action to become well-organized and better-prepared. For example, let’s say your friend Maria has started and stopped studying English many times in the past, never really taking it seriously. She could decide to get her act together by committing to an English course and establishing a regular schedule for studying. She has taken action to be better organized.

One very informal expression you might hear in TV shows or casual conversations is “Get a load of this!” – we say that when we want to call someone’s attention to something that seems especially notable or interesting. If you see a luxury car you know is worth $100,000, you could say to your friend, “Get a load of that car!” because you want your friend to notice it.

Sometimes people also say “Get a load of this” when they are about to share some scandalous information; for example – “Get a load of this – our college professor was fired because he was flirting with one of his students.”

Sometimes when you’re doing a task, you enter a state where you really have all your energy focused on it, you’re totally concentrating on it, and as a result you are working or learning very smoothly and efficiently. Entering this state of concentration is called getting in the groove.

Sometimes when I’m writing English lessons, I get in the groove and the ideas come very easily to my mind because I’m so focused and fully immersed in the task. Or maybe you like to do a big cleaning of your house once a month, you take the whole day to get in the groove and fully clean your house from top to bottom.

I hope my lessons can help you get in the groove when it comes to studying English – my goal with Espresso English is to help you learn in a way that’s easy, efficient, and fun. That’s all for today – make sure to tune in for tomorrow’s video on words with multiple meanings.

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The word ‘get’ is one of the most common and versatile verbs in English. It can be used in lots of different ways, and is usually seen in informal writing or speaking. You can use the word ‘get’ on its own, with a preposition to make a phrasal verb, or with a participle in the passive voice.

Now we’re going to look at some of these uses in more detail. So, let’s get started!

1. Get = to obtain, to receive, to buy

The word ‘get’ can be used as a verb to express the actions of obtaining, receiving or buying. To form a sentence, we use get + direct object or get + indirect object + object.

Let’s take a look at some examples. Don’t forget ‘get’ is an irregular verb, so when we use the past simple we change (or conjugate) to ‘got’

To obtain

 

To receive

 

To buy

 

2. Get = to reach, to arrive

We can use ‘get’ when talking about arriving or reaching a place, to express movement or travel. To form a sentence, we use get + place expression. After the word ‘get’, we also normally use the preposition ‘to’.

To reach

 

To arrive

 

3. Get = to become

‘Get’ is also used to express a change of state or situation. To form a sentence, we use get + adjective.

To become

 

4. Get as a phrasal verb

‘Get’ can be used in phrasal verbs, which have various meanings. To form a sentence, use get + preposition/adverb. Here are a handful of common examples:

 

5. Get in the passive

We can also use the word ‘get’ in the passive form. Here it is used in place of the verb ‘to be’ to sound more informal. So, instead of using the standard passive be + participle, we can also use get + participle. For example:

 

We use the passive form when we want to emphasize the nature of the event, or the people involved instead of who does the action. For example:

 

‘Get’ is also very commonly used to describe negative events. For example:

 

6. Get something done

Our final use of the word get is a more informal way of saying ‘to have something done’ for us or to us. This is normally when we pay for some kind of service – such as at the hairdresser, mechanic or dentist. To form a sentence, we use the structure get + object + past participle.

To get something done

 

Enjoy this post? Check out our blog post: 10 phrasal verbs to help you become an English expert.

Glossary for Language Learners

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

Versatile (adj): able to be used for lots of different purposes.

Get started (exp): to begin.

Hairdresser (n): the place where you go for a haircut.

Key

adj = adjective

exp = adverb

n = noun

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1. GET ACROSS

1. To communicate an idea successfully, to make someone able to understand something
   The local residents got their point across at the council meeting.
   The book really got across what it was like to be a soldier during WWII.

2. GET ALONG

Also: get along with

1. To have a good, friendly relationship with someone
   Harry and I get along really well, but I don’t get along with Lucy at all.
2. To deal with a situation
   I’ve been getting along really well in my new job.

3. GET AROUND

1. To travel to many places
   I’ve been to France, Australia and Mexico this year. I get around!
2. To become known or to circulate information
   Word got around that he was leaving the company.
3. To avoid something difficult
   Is there any way of getting around the rules so that we can bring our dog into the country?
4. To find the time to do something (used with ‘to’)
   I’ll get around to (doing) the washing up once I’ve finished my dinner.

4. GET AT

1. To criticise someone frequently, be unpleasant to someone
   She keeps getting at me for every little thing. I can’t do anything right!
2. To reach something successfully, gain access to
   The kids can’t get at the sweets because I’ve hidden them!
3. To suggest, mean or intend
   When you mentioned “local problems”, what exactly were you getting at?
4. To annoy or irritate someone
   The dogs’ barking outside really started to get at me.

Many of the ‘get’ phrasal verbs in this list also have separate meanings in English slang. These are commonly used by native speakers in daily conversations. For example, ‘get over it!’ means ‘move on or forget about something’ and ‘get out of my face!’ is a rude way of saying ‘leave me alone because you are annoying me’.

5. GET AWAY

1. To leave or escape from someone or something
   Get away from me!
2. To go somewhere to have a rest or holiday
   It’ll be nice to get away! Work has been so stressful this past month.
3. A holiday, often short (noun)
   We enjoyed a weekend getaway in a lovely hotel in the countryside.

6. GET AWAY WITH

1. To avoid getting caught for something you weren’t meant to do
   I got away with sitting in the reserved seats at the cinema!
2. To do something successfully even though it may not be the best choice or way
   I think we could get away with just gluing the wood together, rather than nailing it in place.
   

7. GET BY

1. To manage something with difficulty, to make ends meet
   Some poor families manage to get by on just £10 a day.
2. To succeed with the minimum effort
   He hasn’t revised for his exams at all, but he’s clever enough to get by.
3. To move past something or someone
   Excuse me, could you please move your bag so I can get by?

8. GET DOWN

1. To feel depressed or unhappy
   The political situation at the moment is really getting me down.
2. To party, sometimes dance
   You guys were really getting down last night! Did you have a good time?
3. To swallow food
   I know you don’t like eating vegetables, but you need to get them down.

 

9. GET DOWN TO

1. To start working on something, especially something you’ve been avoiding
   I must get down to (doing) these tax returns today, or I’ll never finish them!
2. To start work or focus attention on a task
   Ok, let’s get down to business!

10. GET OFF

1. To physically leave a mode of transport
   The traffic is terrible! Let’s get off at the next stop and walk.
2. To leave work, usually at the end of the day
   What time do you get off tonight?
3. To avoid something more serious
   He got off with an automatic fine, but we thought he’d have to go to court.
4. To experience pleasure or a high
   John got off on extreme sports like paragliding.
5. To kiss, make out or have sex with someone
   I heard that Harry and Emma got off at the party!
6. To secure the release of a defendant in court, to be acquitted
   The thief was clearly guilty, but his lawyer got him off.
7. To succeed in doing something
   The annual meeting got off to a good start.

Be careful when using ‘get on/off’ vs. ‘get into/out of’. These phrasal verbs are used differently depending on the type of transport. We say ‘get on/off’ for big vehicles like buses, trams, trains, planes and ships. However, we say ‘get into/out of’ for cars, vans, lorries, boats and other smaller modes of transport. Bicycle is an exception – there is no “inside” (it only has surfaces) so it takes ‘get on/off’.

11. GET ON

1. To physically put yourself on or in something
   We got on the bus at the usual stop.
2. To have a good relationship with someone
   They’re brother and sister but don’t get on very well.
3. To grow old
   I saw Uncle Max the other day. He’s getting on, isn’t he?!
4. To manage a situation or continue a task
   How are you getting on with renovating your new house?
5. Becoming late
   It’s getting on a bit and will be dark soon.
6. Almost or nearly
   She must be getting on for 30, I would think.

12. GET ON WITH

1. To push or hurry somebody
   You’re peeling those potatoes so slowly. Get on with it!
2. To start or continue doing something
   I’ll leave you to get on with the report.
   I’d better get on with these tax returns.

13. GET OUT

1. To leave a place
   They were in Thailand during the Tsunami and were lucky to get out alive.
2. To become known
   Word got out about the wedding, even though they wanted to keep it a secret.
3. To go and visit somewhere
   Why don’t we get out to the countryside this coming weekend?
4. When you don’t believe someone, expression of shock/surprise (Amer. Eng)
   ‘My dad’s going sky diving for my 70^th birthday!’
   ‘Get out (of here)!

The slang expression ‘get out (of here)’ is common in American English. However, in the UK native speakers are more likely to use one of the following expressions to show they are surprised or shocked: ‘(Are) you having a laugh?’, ‘You must be joking/kidding!’, ‘Seriously?’, ‘My word!’ (posh), ‘Bloody hell!’, ‘Really?!’.

14. GET OUT OF

1. To avoid something
   She got out of the washing-up by saying she had homework to finish.
2. To physically remove yourself from somewhere
   When I saw the cyclist coming I got out of the way.
3. To stop doing something
   I used to sing in a choir three times a week, but I got out of it last year.

15. GET OVER

1. To recover from something, usually an illness or unhappiness
   It was really hard when Dave and I split up, but I got over it eventually.
   I had the flu all last week and I’m still getting over it.
2. To accept something that you’re unhappy about
   I was a little disappointed I didn’t get the job, but I got over it.
3. To overcome something
   She managed to get over her shyness and give a speech at the wedding.

16. GET RID OF

1. To eliminate or throw something away
   I want to get rid of all these boxes. They’ve been lying around for ages!
   Let’s get rid of all this mess before mum comes home.

17. GET THROUGH TO

1. To succeed in talking to someone on the telephone
   I had to wait for over ten minutes, but in the end I managed to get through to someone in the Customer Service Department.
2. To communicate successfully with someone, be understood
   We finally managed to get through to him and he agreed to get some therapy.

18. GET UP

1. To stand up
   We all got up to let the elderly lady past.
2. An outfit or costume (noun)
   He was in a farmers get-up and looked very funny!
3. To climb or ascend
   We managed to get up the mountain in about 3 hours.
4. To arise from bed, to start the day
   I got up at 10am this morning as I didn’t have work.

19. GET UP TO

1. To do something (often something mischievous)
   What have you been getting up to?
   Lucy’s always getting up to no good!

Exercises: phrasal verbs with ‘get’

Alex Jude —
ESL Specialist & CEO at Online Teachers UK.

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