The main uses of the verb TO GET: How and When to Use in English

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The main uses of the verb TO GET

To get is a very commonly-used verb in English and has many different uses and meanings:

Main meanings of TO GET:
• to obtain, to receive, to become, to find:
Did you get my email? Did you receive my email?
Where did you get this information? Where did you obtain or find this information?
I got a raise. I received or was given a pay rise.
• to go, to arrive (expresses movement and travel):
How can I get there? How can I travel or go to that place?
to get on (the bus) to enter (the bus)
to get in (the car) to enter (the car)
to get away to escape, to flee
• in the reflexive form, it expresses the idea of passing from one state to another, or evolving:
The kids are getting tired. The kids are becoming tired.
Kevin got drunk last night. Kevin drank a lot of alcohol last night.
Get ready! Prepare yourself!
It's getting late. It's becoming or starting to be late.
• In the passive voice, to get is frequently used instead of to be to emphasize the idea of some effort being made:
to get invited to be invited
to get hired to be hired
to get killed to be killed
• to have something done:
to get something done to have something done
Icarus got his hair cut. Icarus had his hair cut (by a barber).
• to give, to serve:
Can I get you a drink? Can I serve you a drink?
• to bring, to take:
I'll get you there on time. I'll take you there on time.
• to understand:
I didn't get what you just said. I didn't understand what you just said.
• to catch:
Get him! Catch him! Stop him!
• followed by an infinitive, to get expresses the idea of an action finally taking place:
Susie and Philip will eventually get to be friends. Susie and Philip will eventually have the chance to be friends.
• and many other meanings, especially when it is followed by a preposition:
to get up to arise, to stand
to get along to have a good relationship
to get back to return, to go back, to arrive home
to get together to unite, to link, to meet
to get down to to start working on
Exercise 1
Polly: Hey, Bob, I'm going to the store for some coffee and tea. Can I you anything?
Bob: Yeah. I would love a box of those chocolate covered espresso beans, if they any.
Polly: Hey, Bob, I'm going to the store for some coffee and tea. Can I get 1 you anything?
Bob: Yeah. I would love a box of those chocolate covered espresso beans, if they have 2 any.
1 get: 'Get' is the best choice here. It expresses Polly's offer to 'procure', 'buy' or 'obtain' something for Bob.
1 have: 'Can I have you anything?' is grammatically incorrect.
1 do: 'Can I do you anything?' does not make sense. However, we could say: 'Can I do anything for you?'.
2 have: Because Bob is asking if the store 'sells' chocolate covered espresso beans, we must use 'have' here.
2 get: 'Get' does not make sense here. Bob is asking about possession, and 'get' cannot express possession in this case.
2 do: 'Do' does not make sense here. Bob is asking about possession, and 'do' cannot express possession.
Exercise 2
Polly: Hey, Susie. you invited to Bruno's big birthday party?
Susie: Twice, in fact.
Polly: I don't it.
Susie: Well, I'll tell you the story. It like this...
Polly: Hey, Susie. Were 1 you invited to Bruno's big birthday party?
Susie: Twice, in fact.
Polly: I don't get 2 it.
Susie: Well, I'll tell you the story. It starts 3 like this...
1 Were: Because Polly is only asking an ordinary question, we use 'were' as the proper auxiliary. This is the best choice here.
1 Get: 'Get' cannot be used as an auxiliary in interrogative constructions such as this one. However, we could say: 'Did you get invited', though this is a very familiar construction.
1 Have: 'Have' is not the correct auxiliary in this case.
2 get: 'I don't get it' is a familiar but common idiom, meaning, 'I don't understand what you're talking about'. This is the best choice here.
2 have: 'I don't have it' is grammatically correct, but it does not make sense in this context.
2 hear: 'I don't hear it' is grammatically correct, but it does not make sense in this context.
3 starts: 'It starts like this' is an idiomatic way of beginning a story, similar to, 'This is how it happened'. This is the best choice here.
3 gets: 'It gets like this' does not make sense.
3 has: 'It has like this' does not make sense.
Exercise 3
Below are several sentences which use the verb to get in different ways.

Choose all of the sentences which use the verb 'to get' correctly .

Be careful! There may be more than one correct answer!
Below are several sentences which use the verb to get in different ways.

Choose all of the sentences which use the verb 'to get' correctly .

Be careful! There may be more than one correct answer!
This is not a correct use of the verb 'to get'. We could say, however: 'Do you know when he will finally get out of there?'. This sentence may refer to someone who is in prison, and 'get out of' is synonymous with 'be released' or simply 'to leave'.
This is a correct use of the verb 'to get'. 'Gets' here is synonymous with 'to understand'.
This is not a correct use of the verb 'to get'. We could say, however: 'I'd like to get my hair cut'. 'To get / have something done' is used like the passive construction 'something is/was done'. Example: I got my boss killed / Someone killed my boss.
This is a correct use of the verb 'to get'. 'Get' here is synonymous with 'obtain', 'buy' or 'procure'. This is one of the most common uses of 'to get'.
This is a correct use of the verb 'to get'. In this sentence, 'get there' is synonymous with 'to arrive'.
Exercise 4
Below are several sentences using the verb to get in different ways.

Choose all of the sentences which correctly use the verb 'to get'. Be careful! There may be more than one correct answer!
Below are several sentences using the verb to get in different ways.

Choose all of the sentences which correctly use the verb 'to get'. Be careful! There may be more than one correct answer!
This is a correct use of the verb 'to get'. 'Get out of my way' is an informal and slightly rude way of asking someone to 'move'. It can be used in imperative constructions such as this one.
This is a correct use of the verb 'to get'. 'To get' is being used in the sense of 'to obtain' in this construction, and is being used in the imperative sense.
This is not a correct use of the verb 'to get'. We could say, however: 'Get started'. Certain imperative constructions do begin with 'get to' such as 'get to work' or 'get to bed', but in this case the construction 'get to start' is grammatically incorrect.
This is a correct use of the verb 'to get'. 'Get up' here is synonymous with 'wake up' or 'get out of bed'.
Exercise 5
Polly: Hey, Bob, I'm going to the store for some coffee and tea. Can I you anything?
Bob: Yeah. I would love a box of those chocolate covered espresso beans, if they any.
Polly: Hey, Bob, I'm going to the store for some coffee and tea. Can I get 1 you anything?
Bob: Yeah. I would love a box of those chocolate covered espresso beans, if they have 2 any.
1 get: 'Get' is the best choice here. It expresses Polly's offer to 'procure', 'buy' or 'obtain' something for Bob.
1 have: 'Can I have you anything?' is grammatically incorrect.
1 do: 'Can I do you anything?' does not make sense. However, we could say: 'Can I do anything for you?'.
2 have: Because Bob is asking if the store 'sells' chocolate covered espresso beans, we must use 'have' here.
2 get: 'Get' does not make sense here. Bob is asking about possession, and 'get' cannot express possession in this case.
2 do: 'Do' does not make sense here. Bob is asking about possession, and 'do' cannot express possession.

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