Do You Get The Meaning ?

“Get” is such a central verb in English that, when you really understand (get the meaning of) its multiple senses, you probably have a good command of the language. In the meantime, we will try and help you get ahead with this popular verb.

 Three basic meanings of get

GET + NOUN. When followed by a noun, “get” normally means “obtain” or “receive”. Examples:

I got [obtained] 20€ for my old guitar.

He got [obtained] a degree in Physics from the University of Tokyo.

Yesterday I got [received] an e-mail from my brother in San Francisco.

Also, we often use GET + NOUN with the meaning of “buy”:

I’ll go to the supermarket and get [buy] some milk for tomorrow.

My father is getting [is buying] a new car next month.

GET + ADJECTIVE. When followed by an adjective, “get” means “become”. Examples:

In winter, it gets [becomes] dark by 5 o’clock in the evening.

He is very shy. His face always gets [becomes] red when he speaks to a nice girl.

He got [became] tired of waiting and left.

GET + ADVERB (PLACE). When followed by an adverb of place, “get” means “arrive”. “Get” also means “arrive” when it is followed by the preposition “to” and the name of a place. Examples:

He won’t get [arrive at] home until midnight.

We will get [arrive] there in an hour.

The train gets to [arrives in] Edinburgh at 4 p.m.

Practice

What is the meaning of get in these sentences? Use obtain / receive / buy / become / arrive in your answers.

a) He always gets to work late. _____________________

b) They are tired of the city. They want to get a new house in the suburbs. ______________________

c) He forgot his umbrella at home and got wet in the rain. _____________________

d) He got an A⁺ at the maths exam. ______________________

e) When her family got her letter, she was already married. _____________________

Answers: (a) arrives; (b) buy; (c) became; (d) obtained; (e) received