Jun 21, 2016

Collocations 7: Everyday verb GET

58 cards
, 58 answers
    GET is a very common verb in English, but it is not always appropriate for talking about changes. Alternatives to get which can improve your style — GO, TURN, BECOME, FALL, GROW, MAKE and HAVE.

  • GO, not GET
    • Go
      Go is used for changes in people’s personality, appearance and physical abilities:


      People  . . . 
      go
      mad.

      • People  . . . 
        go
        bald.

        • People  . . . 
          go
          grey.

          • People  . . . 
            go
            deaf.

            • Go
              Go is often used for sudden, usually negative, changes:


              He was very embarrassed and his face  . . . 
              went
              red.

              • Suddenly the sky  . . . 
                went
                dark and it started to rain.

                • Go
                  Go can also be used for slower colour changes:


                  The pages of the book had  . . . 
                  gone
                  yellow over the years.

                • TURN, not GET
                  • Turn
                    Turn often collocates with colours:


                    The sky  . . . 
                    turned
                    gold as the sun set.

                    • When the tomatoes  . . . 
                      turn
                      red, the farmers pick them and sell them.

                      • The news gave his mother such a shock than her hair  . . . 
                        turned
                        white overnight.

                      • GET and BECOME
                        • Get and become
                          Get and become can often be used with the same collocations, but become is more formal and is therefore more appropriate in essays:


                          She gave up smoking when she  . . . 
                          became
                          pregnant.

                          • I would like to  . . . 
                            become
                            involved in raising money for charity.

                            • The same is true for collocations with adjectives such as angry, bored, excited, depressed, upset, impatient, violent:

                              He  . . . 
                              became
                              depressed after his wife’s death.

                              •  . . . 
                                became
                                angry

                                •  . . . 
                                  became
                                  bored

                                  •  . . . 
                                    became
                                    excited

                                    •  . . . 
                                      became
                                      depressed

                                      •  . . . 
                                        became
                                        upset

                                        •  . . . 
                                          became
                                          impatient

                                          •  . . . 
                                            became
                                            violent

                                            • Become, not get, is used with the following: extinct, (un)popular, homeless, famous.

                                              Our local baker’s has  . . . 
                                              become
                                              famous for its apple tarts.

                                              •  . . . 
                                                become
                                                extinct

                                                •  . . . 
                                                  become
                                                  popular

                                                  •  . . . 
                                                    becomes
                                                    homeless

                                                  • Alternatives to GET and BECOME — FALL, GROW
                                                    • She  . . . 
                                                      fell
                                                      ill and was taken to hospital.

                                                      • Everyone  . . . 
                                                        fell
                                                        silent when they heard the shocking news.

                                                        • As my father  . . . 
                                                          grew
                                                          older, he spent less time working.

                                                          • The noise  . . . 
                                                            grew
                                                            louder and soon we realized it was a plane approaching.

                                                          • Overusing and misusing GET
                                                            • Here are some sentences from student’s essays where get is wrongly used:

                                                              I was able to get new friends. — I was able to  . . . 
                                                              make
                                                              new friends.

                                                              • A year ago he got a heart attack. — A year ago he  . . . 
                                                                had / suffered
                                                                a heart attack.

                                                                • If I get a child of my own one day … — If I  . . . 
                                                                  have
                                                                  a child of my own one day …

                                                                  • I was getting crazy. — I was  . . . 
                                                                    going
                                                                    crazy.

                                                                    • In June, I got a baby, James. — In June, I  . . . 
                                                                      had
                                                                      a baby, James.

                                                                    • Answer these questions using collocations.
                                                                      • 1. What can happen to men as they get older? — They can grey. / They can bald.

                                                                        • 2. What can happen if you are embarrassed? — You can red.

                                                                          • 3. What can happen if you get bad news? — You can white.

                                                                            • 4. What can happen to the pages of a newspaper after a long time? — They can yellow.

                                                                              • 5. What happens to strawberries as they ripen? — They red.

                                                                                • 6. The poet John Milton lost his eyesight at the end of his life. What is another way of saying that? — John Milton blind.

                                                                                  • 7. The composer Beethoven lost his hearing at the end of his life. What is another way of saying that? — Beethoven deaf.

                                                                                    • 8. At the end of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet loses his mind. What is another way of saying that? — Hamlet mad.

                                                                                      • 9. If it is about to rain, what might happen to the sky? — It might grey. / It might dark.

                                                                                      • Correct these sentences.
                                                                                        • 1. Dinosaurs got extinct thousands of years ago.

                                                                                          • 2. When I get married, I’d like to get lots of children.

                                                                                            • 3. Janet fell depressed after failing her final exams.

                                                                                              • 4. Hamid has always dreamt of getting famous.

                                                                                                5. Would you be interested in growing involved in this project?

                                                                                                • 6. More people have got homeless this year than in any previous year.

                                                                                                  • 7. My sister got a baby last week.

                                                                                                    • 8. My grandfather got a heart attack last winter.

                                                                                                    • Replace each use of get with a verb from the list.
                                                                                                      • • become      • fall      • grow      • have      • make

                                                                                                        As you get older, you’ll begin to understand your parents better. Getting angry with them all the time doesn’t help. You may not want to go to summer camp when none of your friends will be there, but your parents know you will soon get new friends there. You would all have gone on a family holiday together if your grandmother hadn’t got ill, but surely you can understand why they don’t want to leave her. You’ll feel much more sympathetic to your parents’ feelings when you get a child of your own!

                                                                                                        As you older, you’ll begin to understand your parents better. angry with them all the time doesn’t help. You may not want to go to summer camp when none of your friends will be there, but your parents know you will soon new friends there. You would all have gone on a family holiday together if your grandmother hadn’t ill, but surely you can understand why they don’t want to leave her. You’ll feel much more sympathetic to your parents’ feelings when you a child of your own!

                                                                                                      • Complete the collocations in these sentences.
                                                                                                        • 1. I think I’d  . . . 
                                                                                                          go
                                                                                                          mad if I had to put up with such a terrible boss!
                                                                                                          • get
                                                                                                          • go

                                                                                                        • 2. It was a wonderful sunset. The sky  . . . 
                                                                                                          turned
                                                                                                          gold and we sat on the terrace enjoying it.
                                                                                                          • turned
                                                                                                          • got

                                                                                                        • 3. Once upon a time the walls were probably cream but they have  . . . 
                                                                                                          gone
                                                                                                          brown now and badly need repainting.
                                                                                                          • gone
                                                                                                          • got

                                                                                                        • 4. When I start  . . . 
                                                                                                          going / to go
                                                                                                          grey, I’m definitely going to dye my hair.
                                                                                                          • to go
                                                                                                          • getting
                                                                                                          • going

                                                                                                        • 5. As the headmaster walked into the hall, the children all  . . . 
                                                                                                          fell
                                                                                                          silent.
                                                                                                          • got
                                                                                                          • fell

                                                                                                        • 6. The noise on the street  . . . 
                                                                                                          grew
                                                                                                          louder and I looked out of the window to see what was happening.
                                                                                                          • got
                                                                                                          • grew

                                                                                                        • 7. My grandmother is a little afraid of  . . . 
                                                                                                          falling
                                                                                                          ill while she is abroad.
                                                                                                          • getting
                                                                                                          • falling

                                                                                                        • 8. I was so embarrassed that I  . . . 
                                                                                                          turned / went
                                                                                                          bright red.
                                                                                                          • got
                                                                                                          • turned
                                                                                                          • went

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