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English grammar

Get-passives and things that happen to you

C1 · Advanced Verbs and time Questions 10

The rule

Alongside be + past participle, spoken English often uses get + past participle, especially for things that happen suddenly, by accident, or to the speaker’s cost: He got fired, We got stuck in traffic, She got caught cheating. The get-passive stresses the event and often implies the subject was involved or unlucky; it is informal, so a report writes was dismissed, not got fired. A related pattern, have / get + object + past participle, can describe something done TO you rather than arranged by you: We had our car stolen, He got his nose broken. The same form with a service you arrange is the causative that B2 taught (I had my hair cut) — context tells them apart. get + adjective-like participles (get married, get dressed, get lost, get involved) are fixed and very common.

Pattern

get + past participle (informal passive: sudden, accidental, unlucky) · have / get + object + past participle (something done to you) · get married / dressed / lost / involved (fixed)

Examples

  1. He got caught speeding on his way to the interview.

  2. We got stuck in the lift for over an hour.

  3. They had their bikes stolen from outside the station.

  4. How did you get involved in the campaign?

Common mistakes

  • Wrong: She got promote last month.

    Right: She got promoted last month.

    The get-passive needs the past participle.

  • Wrong: The employee got fired for gross misconduct, the report states.

    Right: The employee was dismissed for gross misconduct, the report states.

    A formal report avoids the get-passive.

  • Wrong: I had stolen my wallet on the train.

    Right: I had my wallet stolen on the train.

    Something done to you: have + object + past participle.

Practice questions

Try each one yourself first, then open “Show answer” for the solution and the reason.

  1. 1Choose the correct sentence.

    1. Our flight got cancelling at the last minute.
    2. Our flight got cancel at the last minute.
    3. Our flight was got cancelled at the last minute.
    4. Our flight got cancelled at the last minute.
    Show answer

    Answer: D Our flight got cancelled at the last minute.

    get + past participle: an informal passive for an unwelcome event.

  2. 2Choose the correct sentence.

    What happened?

    I had my phone stolen at the festival.

    1. Someone stole the speaker’s phone.
    2. The speaker paid someone to steal a phone.
    3. The speaker stole a phone.
    4. The speaker lent a phone to someone.
    Show answer

    Answer: A Someone stole the speaker’s phone.

    have + object + past participle can describe something done to you.

  3. 3Change the sentence.

    Use the get-passive.

    Somebody hurt him while he was playing rugby.

    1. He got hurting playing rugby.
    2. He got to hurt playing rugby.
    3. He was got hurt playing rugby.
    4. He got hurt playing rugby.
    Show answer

    Answer: D He got hurt playing rugby.

    Accidental harm: get + past participle.

  4. 4Choose the correct sentence.

    Which is right for a formal letter?

    Reporting that an employee lost his job.

    1. Mr Hale got the sack on 1 May, basically.
    2. They fired Mr Hale, yeah, on 1 May.
    3. Mr Hale got fired, like, on 1 May.
    4. Mr Hale was dismissed with effect from 1 May.
    Show answer

    Answer: D Mr Hale was dismissed with effect from 1 May.

    Formal writing uses the be-passive and formal verbs.

  5. 5Fill in the gap.

    Be careful on that path or you’ll get _____.

    1. to lose
    2. lost
    3. losing
    4. lose
    Show answer

    Answer: B Be careful on that path or you’ll get lost.

    get lost: a fixed get + participle combination.

  6. 6This sentence is wrong. Choose the fix.

    She got arrest for shoplifting when she was sixteen.

    1. She got arrested for shoplifting when she was sixteen.
    2. She got to arrest for shoplifting when she was sixteen.
    3. She was got arrested for shoplifting when she was sixteen.
    4. She got arresting for shoplifting when she was sixteen.
    Show answer

    Answer: A She got arrested for shoplifting when she was sixteen.

    get + past participle: got arrested.

  7. 7Choose the correct sentence.

    Who did the action?

    We had our roof repaired after the storm.

    1. The speakers themselves
    2. A builder the speakers paid
    3. Nobody — it repaired itself
    4. The storm
    Show answer

    Answer: B A builder the speakers paid

    With a service, have + object + past participle is the causative: someone else did it for you.

  8. 8Choose the correct sentence.

    1. They got marrying in a tiny chapel in Wales.
    2. They got married in a tiny chapel in Wales.
    3. They were got married in a tiny chapel in Wales.
    4. They got marry in a tiny chapel in Wales.
    Show answer

    Answer: B They got married in a tiny chapel in Wales.

    get married is the everyday form.

  9. 9Put the words in the right order.

    He got his arm broken in a car accident

    Show answer

    Answer: He got his arm broken in a car accident.

    get + object + past participle: something that happened to him.

  10. 10Change the sentence.

    Say it happened to you.

    Someone broke into our house while we were away.

    1. We had our house broken into while we were away.
    2. We got break into our house while we were away.
    3. We had our house break into while we were away.
    4. We had broken into our house while we were away.
    Show answer

    Answer: A We had our house broken into while we were away.

    have + object + past participle (+ preposition): had our house broken into.

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