Natural English: the verb GET
Test your knowledge of the verb GET and how to use it
Test your knowledge of the verb GET and how to use it – Have you noticed how frequently English speakers use the the word GET in conversation…. yes, all the time !
Have you ever looked up the verb GET in a dictionary or on-line……yes, there are “hundreds” of definitions and uses !
Take a look at this extremely brief history of the word GET to help you understand it.
It is recorded that the verb GET originates from around the year 1200 and comes from the Old Norse word of geta meaning to obtain, to reach, to be able to, to learn, to be pleased with. So you can see that it already started life as a word with a wide variety of meanings!
In the following centuries the verb GET started to be used an auxiliary verb replacing to be and it was also linked with prepositions (these combinations being known as Phrasal Verbs) initially to indicate movement such as get up, get down, get across, but now many of these phrasal verbs have a completely different meaning not associated with movement or possession. For example the verb to get across can also mean to communicate a message clearly. Indeed words and phrases built on GET take up 29 columns in the Oxford English Dictionary !
Take a look at this timeline:
In the 1660s; To get drunk (building on the notion of “to be” and “to become”)
From 1776; To get better as in “recover your health” (again developing the notion of “to be” and “to become”).
From 1807; To get ahead as in to make progress (from the notion of movement).
By 1864; Get started to be used as a command (from army instructions, building on the idea of “Go and …)
From 1890; To get ready as in “prepare oneself”. (“to be ready”)
By 1869 in American English; To get going as in “to begin, to start doing something.
From 1904; To get busy as in “go into action, be active” .
By 1961 in American English; To get to someone as in to irritate someone and to be irritated.
By 1970; To get on (someone’s) nerves
So understandably this small word can seem very daunting for language learners but in this knowledge quiz we will look at the most frequent uses of the word GET and we hope to whet your appetite to GET you IN the mood for more learning.
Watch this space for information about an exciting new language learning site from the EFL Podblog team called My Learning Crush….coming soon.
Test your knowledge of the verb GET and how to use it.
The verb GET is a bit of a nightmare for English language learners because it has so many meanings and is used in many different ways.
BUT DON'T PANIC, here are 25 questions which will help you GET a handle on how to use it.
Let's GET started !
