SWAN, PEU (1995) 223, p200
get + past participle: get washed, dressed, married etc
Get can be used with a past participle. This structure often has a reflexive meaning, to talk about things that we do to ourselves. Common expressions are get washed, get dressed, get lost, get drowned, get engaged, etc.
You have five minutes to get dressed.
She is getting married in June.
5. passive auxiliary: He got caught
Get + past participle is also used to make passive structures, in the same way as be + past participle.
He got caught by the police driving at 120mph.
This structure is mostly used in informal style, and is not often used to talk about longer, more deliberate, planned actions.
Our house got built in 1827. :cross:
Parliament got opened on Thursday. :cross:
get ...ing; get infinitive
Get ...ing is sometimes used informally to mean 'start ...ing', especially in the expressions get moving, get going.
We had better get moving - it is late.
With an infinitive, get can mean 'manage', 'have an opportunity' or 'be allowed'.
We did not get to see her -- did not manage; did not have the opportunity
When do I get to meet your new boyfriend? -- be allowed, have the opportunity
Get + infinitive can also suggest gradual development:
He is nice when you get to know him.
You will get to speak English more easily as time goes by.
HE is getting to be a lovely kid.
224 get (2): + OBJECT + VERB FORM
1. causative: Do not get him talking
Get + object + ...ing means 'make somebody/something start ...ing'.
Do not get him talking about you.
Once we got the heater going the car started to warm up.
2. causative: Get Penny to help us
Get + object + infinitive means 'make somebody/something do something' or persuade somebody to do something: there is often an idea of difficulty.
I can't get that child to go to bed.
See if you can get the car to start.
3. causative: get something done
Get + object + past participle can mean 'cause something to be done by somebody else'. The past participle has a passive meaning.
I must get my watch repaired. (= I want my watch to be repaired)
4. experience: We got our roof blown off
Get + object + past participle can sometimes be used in the sense of experience.
This idea is more often expressed with have.
5. Get the children dressed
We can also use get + object + past participle to talk about completing work on something.
It will take me another hour to get the washing done.
After you have got the children dressed, can you make the beds?
238 have (5): + object + verb form
Have can be followed by object + infinitive (without to), object + -ing, and object + past participle.
1. causative: have somebody do/doing something
have + object + infinitive can mean "cause somebody to do something'. This is mostly used in AmE, to talk about giving instructions or orders.
I am ready to see Mr Smith. HAve him come in, please.
The manager had everybody fill out a form.
The structure with an -ing form can mean 'cause somebody to be doing something'.
He had us laughing all through the meal.
2. causative: have something done
have + object + past participle can mean 'cause something to be done by somebody else'. The past participle has passive meaning
I must have/get my watch repaired (= I want my watch to be repaired)
I am going to have/get my hair cut.
If you do not get out of my house, I will have/get you arrested.
3. experience: have something happen/happening
In the structure have + object + infinitive/...-ing, have can mean experience.
I had a very strange thing happen to me.
We had a gipsy come to the door yesterday.
It is lovely to have children playing in the garden.
I looked up and found we had water dripping through the ceiling.
Note the difference between the infinitive in the first two examples (for things that happened), and the -ing form in the last two (for things that are/were happening). This is like the difference between simple and progressive tenses.
4. experience: We have/got our roof blown off
Get + object + past participle can sometimes be used in the sense of experience.
This idea is more often expressed with have.
5. I won't have...
I won't have + object + veb form can mean 'I won't allow...'
I won't have you telling me what to do.
I won't have my house turned into a hotel.
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to have a layer of skin come off.
=
4. experience: We have/got our roof blown off
Get + object + past participle can sometimes be used in the sense of experience.
This idea is more often expressed with have.
(come = past participle) come --came --
come
He had the gardener (to) plant some roses. Hmm... I really miss the "to" here!!
Do not miss the 'to'. With it the sentence is not grammatical. Remember:
1. causative: have somebody do/doing something
have + object + infinitive can mean "cause somebody to do something'. This is mostly used in AmE, to talk about giving instructions or orders.
I am ready to see Mr Smith. HAve him come in, please.
The manager had everybody fill out a form.
The structure with an -ing form can mean 'cause somebody to be doing something'.
He had us laughing all through the meal.
As in:
They got the pretty brunette-girl to dance with this mini-skirt.
Ellen got Obama to dance in her show!
John had his cousin to fix his stereo for free!
Remember:
2. causative: Get Penny to help us
Get + object + infinitive means 'make somebody/something do something' or persuade somebody to do something: there is often an idea of difficulty.
I can't get that child to go to bed.
See if you can get the car to start.
