Shadowing Practice: How to Use GET in English ⚡ 15 ESSENTIAL Ways! - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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get is one of the most important verbs in english
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but many learners get confused because native speakers use this verb all the time in
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so many different ways in this lesson you're going to learn
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15 common ways to use get at all levels from basic
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to advanced i've separated them into six groups based on their meanings.
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This will make it easier to remember how to use get naturally in many different contexts.
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I've also created a free pdf worksheet with all of the notes and information from today's lesson.
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You can find the link in the description below.
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Let's get started!
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Let's review all the verb forms of get and their pronunciations.
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get is the base form the third person singular form is
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gets this changes to got in the simple past form the
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present participle form is getting spelled with two t's now there
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are two possibilities for the past participle form generally got is used in the uk and gotten is used in the us
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but there are some exceptions.
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Notice my pronunciation.
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Gotten.
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Gotten.
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The T is pronounced with a glottal stop.
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This pause is the same thing that happens when a child knows that he's in trouble.
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Uh-oh.
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Most Americans, including myself, pronounce gotten this way.
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The first group of meanings is about ways to obtain results.
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We already know that the basic meaning of get is to receive.
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I got a present for my birthday.
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This means that someone gave me something or sent me something.
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Did you get my email yesterday?
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I got some really good advice from my teacher.
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Sometimes getting something requires more effort than just receiving something.
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In this case, get means to obtain something by asking for something, finding something, or maybe paying for something.
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Can I get a glass of water, please?
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This is a common way to ask for something at a restaurant.
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I need to write this down.
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One second.
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Let me get a pen.
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Here, get means to go to a different place, find something, and bring it back here.
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You can also get someone something or get something for someone, meaning to buy.
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I have to go to the store after work.
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Do you want me to get you anything?
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Yes, can you get some eggs and milk for me?
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We also use get to talk about services that we pay for.
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For example, you can get a haircut, get a manicure, get a taxi,
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etc. Next, get plus a noun can mean achieve, earn, gain, or win something.
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Did you get a good score on your exam?
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The actor got an award for his performance.
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I hope my favorite teen will get first place in the competition.
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Sometimes we use get for punishments.
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Look at the title of this news article.
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Florida teen gets a year in jail for impersonating a health worker.
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To impersonate someone means to pretend to be another person.
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Next, it's very common for the word get to indicate a change of state.
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We can use get plus a noun to talk about something that develops as the result of something we do or experience.
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I get a headache every time I drink coffee.
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Drinking coffee results in a headache for me.
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I got food poisoning from the food at that restaurant.
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I'm never going there again.
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I should get some sleep because it's getting late.
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This is a more informal way to say go to bed or go to sleep.
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Here, sleep is a non-count noun, so we don't say a sleep.
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It's getting late.
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What does that mean?
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Well, in my opinion, this is the most important sense of the word get, so pay close attention.
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In this context, get plus an adjective means to become.
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So you could say, it's becoming cold outside, or he becomes angry very easily.
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But it's much more common to hear native speakers say,
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it's getting cold outside, and he gets angry very easily.
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Get in everyday English
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and become in more formal situations both describe a change of
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state it focuses on the process of the change oh I think I'm getting sick
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so I'm not 100% healthy
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and I'm not 100% sick yet right now I'm just starting to have
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that feeling do you think famous singers still get nervous on stage I'm not ready yet what needs to happen
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if I want to be ready I have to get ready there's an important connection between be
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and get be describes a state
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and get describes an action you can also create a similar meaning of become with passive sentences
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that use get plus a past participle verb.
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Let's look at an example with the verb to marry.
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In 1987, my parents were not married.
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They were single.
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This was their status at the time.
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Then, my parents got married in 1988.
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And today, in 2024, my parents are still married.
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They have been married for 36 years.
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In everyday English, we don't say my parents married with no object.
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In this example, get married makes it clear that my parents received the action.
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Now, if you're an intermediate or advanced English learner, you might be thinking, I've already learned the passive voice with the verb be.
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What's the difference between the get passive and the be passive?
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Well, there are some important differences, but that is a really advanced topic.
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If you're interested in learning more about this, I created a free audio lesson about this on my blog.
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So you can read it and listen to it at the same time.
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Sometimes the get passive is just the most natural choice in spoken and written English.
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Here are some of the most common expressions that use the get passive.
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Get married.
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Get divorced.
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Get paid.
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Get dressed.
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Get caught.
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Get hurt.
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Oh yeah, and I said this one at the beginning of the video.
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Let's get started.
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This is not a complete list, so you will get more expressions and examples in the free PDF.
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The word get can also indicate movement.
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We can use get plus a preposition to mean move, come, or go in a specific direction.
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This is usually very casual.
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You can get up or get down, which means to raise or lower your body.
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Mr. Jones, such a pleasure to meet you.
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Please don't get up.
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Don't worry.
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I can't.
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Just joking.
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I can get up.
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But it's difficult.
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Get over here is a very casual way to say, come here.
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People often use this when they're angry.
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Anthony, get over here.
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Get over here.
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There was a very popular movie from a few years ago called Get Out.
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Get out means to leave or escape from a place.
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However, this is also a slang expression to show disbelief.
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If someone shares some amazing news, or maybe if someone says something really silly that you don't believe,
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you might say, get out or get out of here.
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Hey, I learned to swim.
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No way, get out of here!
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You can also get something somewhere.
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This means to make something move or go to a specific place.
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Can you help me get this couch upstairs?
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My truck is stuck in the mud.
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I can't get it out.
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Another important meaning of get is to arrive at, on, in a place.
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You can get to a place or you can use get plus an adverb of place like here,
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there, somewhere, etc. If you want to take the bus, you have to get to the bus station before nine o'clock.
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The movie starts at 8 p.m.
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We should try to get to the theater around 7 45 to get some snacks and to get good seats.
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I ordered something online.
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I hope it gets here soon.
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There was a lot of traffic this afternoon, so I got home an hour later than usual.
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Remember, it's incorrect to say get to home and go to home.
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I talk more about that in this lesson.
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Also, get to can mean to reach a point.
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I got to the final level of the video game and then I lost.
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I started reading a book last night.
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I only got to chapter two before I got tired and fell asleep.
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We often use get to talk about different tasks and responsibilities.
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In English, we use a lot of modal verbs to express things like necessity,
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possibility, permission, etc. We also have semi-modal verbs like have got to.
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Have got to is much more common in British English.
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I have got to finish my homework.
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Or more commonly with the contraction, I've got to finish my homework.
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Have to is more neutral and more standard across different English dialects.
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So I would usually say, I have to finish my homework.
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Sometimes in very casual American English, have got to is reduced to got to.
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And in fast speaking, got to is pronounced like gotta.
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I gotta finish my homework.
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You gotta relax, Linda.
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I gotta go.
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See you later.
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If you get to do something, that means you have the opportunity or the chance to do something.
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I love teaching English because I get to talk to so many people around the world.
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I've worked at a travel agency for five years, but I haven't gotten to take a trip, not even once.
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If you got to ask your favorite celebrity one question, what would you ask him or her?
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Sometimes if you get something, that means you deal with something or handle something.
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For example, if you're at home with your family and the phone rings, you can say, I'll get the phone,
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or just, I'll get it, you're saying that you will answer the phone.
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Similarly, if someone rings the doorbell and there are a few people available to open the door,
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You can volunteer by saying, I'll get it.
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Or maybe you're busy and you want another person to get it.
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Frank, can you get that?
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What?
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The door.
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If you notice that someone is struggling to carry something heavy, you might offer some help.
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Let me get that.
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Can I get that for you?
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Imagine there's a situation at work that requires attention.
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You could get it, but what if you don't want to get it?
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Maybe the task is really difficult, or you just don't feel like doing it today.
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Maybe you can get someone else to do it.
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Hmm.
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Another important sense of get is cause.
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In English, there are many causative verbs which show the cause of a particular action or event.
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Some of these verbs include let, have, make, get, etc. All of these verbs have a different feeling.
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They each show different levels of responsibility and intensity.
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To let someone do something means to allow or give someone permission.
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But to make someone do something, you force someone to do it.
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What if you just want to persuade or convince someone to do something?
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Then you get someone to do something.
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Notice the grammar.
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With get, we need an infinitive with to.
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So, how do you get someone to do something?
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Maybe you give someone really good reasons why they should, or you ask many, many times,
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or you offer some money or a favor.
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Imagine you're at work and you really don't want to call a specific customer because you know he'll be very angry.
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Maybe you should try to get your coworker to do it.
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We know that he committed the crime.
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Now we just need to get him to confess.
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To confess means to say that you have done something wrong.
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How can I get my children to eat more vegetables?
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Now we've just talked about get as a causative verb.
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earlier we talked about the get passive but what happens if we try to put these ideas together
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well you get an advanced grammar topic the passive causative let's compare two sentences
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i wash my car once per month uh wait that's too
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formal once a month i get my car washed once a a month.
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In both cases, you are responsible for causing the action to happen.
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But in the second sentence, you are not the person who performs the action.
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You don't wash the car yourself.
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This is what the passive causative is all about.
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You cause something to happen, but you don't actually do the action yourself.
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This is extremely common when we talk about services or work done for you by another person.
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The grammatical structure is get plus noun plus past participle verb.
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After the storm, we decided to get our roof replaced.
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I really need to get my nails done.
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Have you gotten your wisdom teeth removed?
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Wisdom teeth are the teeth that grow in the very back of your mouth when you're an adult.
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In most states, you have to get your car inspected every year.
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There are tons of informal expressions that use the verb get.
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Today, we only have time to look at a few of them.
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If you watch a lot of English movies and TV shows, you've probably heard people say something like,
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I get it, or I don't get it.
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In this context, get means to understand.
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Hey, I have a joke for you.
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Which room in your house do ghosts avoid?
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The living room.
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Wait, I don't get it.
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Well, ghosts are not living.
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They're dead.
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Get it?
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Oh, now I get it.
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You can also get what, how, who, etc. I don't get why he wants to quit his job.
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He always talks about how much he loves his company.
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So what's the difference between get it and got it?
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If someone asks got it, they're asking, is that clear?
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Do you understand me?
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But this can be very rude if you don't have a close relationship with someone, so I don't recommend asking someone this.
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However, if you want to show that you understood someone's instructions or you understood someone's clarification,
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you can say, got it.
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You might hear, I've got it in another context,
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like if you've suddenly thought of a good idea or a solution to a problem.
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Wait a minute, I've got it.
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I hope this lesson helped you understand more about this crazy little word.
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Maybe you'll get inspired to write some sentences using get in the comments.
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If you enjoyed this lesson and you want more, please like this video and subscribe to my channel.
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Remember to click the link in the description to download the free PDF worksheet.
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Thank you so much for watching.
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I'm Gina, this is Your World in English, and I'll see you in the next lesson.
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Bye!
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Mastering "Get": Boost Your Fluency with Versatile Verb Use
Speaking Goals for This Clip
This video targets the fluency milestone of using the verb "get" naturally in diverse contexts, from basic to advanced. By learning its 15 essential uses, you’ll avoid confusion and speak more like a native, a key step in English speaking practice. Whether you’re asking for a drink, talking about achievements, or describing services, "get" will become a go-to tool in your conversational toolkit.
Phrase Bank: Reusable Expressions with "Get"
- "I got a present for my birthday" (receive)
- "Can I get a glass of water, please?" (ask for)
- "Let me get a pen" (fetch)
- "Get you anything?" / "Get some eggs for me" (buy for someone)
- "Get a haircut" / "get a taxi" (pay for services)
- "Got a good score" / "got an award" (achieve/earn)
- "Gets a year in jail" (receive punishment)
Fix Your Weak Spots: Pronunciation & Usage
The video highlights critical pronunciation tips, like the glottal stop in "gotten" (common in American English). Practice saying "gotten" with a pause (like "uh-oh") to sound more natural. For usage, remember "got" (UK) vs. "gotten" (US) as past participles. To master these, use the shadowing technique: repeat the dialogue aloud, mimicking rhythm and stress. Shadow speak helps internalize "get"’s many meanings, making them second nature. Pair this with the free worksheet to reinforce what you learn—consistent practice will sharpen your English pronunciation and fluency.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.