‘GET’ 1: Obtain | Buy | Receive | Catch | Fetch

‘GET’ in front of a noun can mean obtain, buy, receive, catch or fetch.
See how ‘GET’ is used with nouns, and meet George, Ellen and Tom, the three protagonists of the series ‘Get a Life!‘
You can download a PDF at the end of the post.

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What did you get?

a. obtain

My name is George. About two years ago I got a job in the city centre. Recently I got a promotion and I’m team leader now.

There’s a library near my office where I get a new book every week. I love reading. I get a lot of knowledge from biographies and historic novels. At home I have hundreds of books, some of which are difficult to get nowadays.

b. buy

I also get old books at second-hand book sales, and of course I get them on the internet as well. My best friend, Tom, got me a rare edition of David Copperfield for my birthday, which was a very special gift.

At lunchtime I often get a sandwich or a takeaway salad before I go to a nearby park to read.

c. receive

For my birthday I got heaps of birthday cards and calls, and lots of messages from my friends. From my neighbours I got a home-made cake, and from Ellen a box of exquisite chocolates.

And in the afternoon I got a big surprise: a beautiful bouquet of flowers! It was the first time I ever got flowers. Ellen winked and said I must have a secret admirer out there. The bouquet lasted a long time. I still wonder who I got it from.

d. catch

I get a bus to work every day.

One morning I suddenly heard someone scream: “My purse! My purse has been stolen. Help!” Next, a young woman tried to jump off the bus. But two passengers reacted quickly and managed to get her.

When you travel on a full bus every day it’s easy to get a cold or some other virus, especially in winter. I even got pneumonia last November. I didn’t get that on the bus though.

(For another function of GET meaning catch, see this post.)

e. fetch, bring

(On a plane)

Flight attendant: Good evening, Madam. Welcome on board. Can I get you a drink?
Passenger: Oh yes, a glass of water, please.
FA: Here you are. Can I get you anything else?
P: It’s a bit cold. Could you possibly get me a blanket, please?
FA: Certainly. Here’s your blanket.
P: You’re very kind, thank you, er… Tom.
FA: Not at all.
P: I’m Ellen, by the way.
FA: Nice to meet you, Ellen. Enjoy your flight. We’ll be landing in Hong Kong at 4 pm local time.

Interested in the flight attendant? Who’s that person who loves books so much? Read Episode 2.

Here is a PDF with a summary of the uses of GET + noun. Get_Nouns_PDF

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Get a Life! – The series

• Introduction: 7 facts about the verb ‘GET’.
• Episode 2: Getting better? The flight attendant and the book lover. Learn about GET + adjective = become, start to be.
• Episode 3: Getting up and around: George on the move. Phrasal verbs with GET + preposition/adverb = movement.
• Episode 4: Do you get it? Ellen is upset about George. A tense phone conversation. Learn about GET replacing ‘understand’ and other verbs.
• Episode 5: What’s she got? George has got to make an effort. See how you can use GET to speak about possession and obligation.
• Episode 6: Nobody likes to get hurt. George’s letter to Ellen. Learn about GET in the Passive.
• Episode 7: Lots of things to get done. Preparing a wedding. See how to use GET in the Causative.
• Episode 8: Not everyone gets to do it. Finally meet Sarah, and learn about the two uses of GET to do something.
• Episode 9: Can we get them to do it? It got me thinking. Learn about GET for persuading and motivating people to do something while each of our characters are thinking about the wedding in their own way.