Grammatical error in the sample sentence for the phrasal verb "get by"
Phrasal Verb: Get by
Meaning: Not be noticed (problems, errors, etc)
Example: I had checked it, but there still were a few mistakes that didn't GET BY the editor.
Isn't this supposed to be:
I had checked it, but there were still a few mistakes that weren't GOTTEN BY the editor.
This error should be rectified before anyone would think this is grammatically correct.
Would anyone confirm this? Thanks again.
Re: Grammatical error in the sample sentence for the phrasal verb "get by"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
asdf1234 
Phrasal Verb: Get by
Meaning: Not be noticed (problems, errors, etc)
Example: I had checked it, but there still were a few mistakes that didn't GET BY the editor.
Isn't this supposed to be:
I had checked it, but there were still a few mistakes that weren't GOTTEN BY the editor.
This error should be rectified before anyone would think this is grammatically correct.
Would anyone confirm this? Thanks again.
It's not a grammatical error. In Br English, and many other Englishes, 'got' is the past participle of 'get'. And in Br Eng, the Am Eng 'weren't gotten' would be perfect grammatically represented as 'didn't get'.
The entry does, however need attention. First, it's not a phrasal verb; it's a prepositional one. Maybe 'get by' works in this context in Am. English. In Br English, we would be more likely to say 'got past' the editor (which demonstrates more clearly that this is a simple prepositional usage: 'Where did it get?' 'It got past the editor'.
There is, however, a usage of 'get by' that is phrasal. It means 'survive/subsist'. "I get a pension of less than £1,000 a month, but we get by.' I am surprised if this sort of 'get by' has not got into the definition - if it hasn't. ('Get into' isn't a phrasal verb either.) ;-)
b
