get someone started/get someone to start

[ROFTOK]

What's the difference?

I should get him to start working.
I should get him started working.

 

[emsr2d2]

They're both grammatically possible (one more than the other). Please give us the context in which you want to use the sentence.

 

[ROFTOK]

If I knew what the second means I would give a context.

 

[teechar]

#1 is okay to me, but #2 is not. I would expect instead "I should get him started".

If I knew what the second means, I would give a context.

Then where did you find it? Or did you just make it up?

 

[emsr2d2]

If I knew what the second means I would give a context.

Don't make up sentences and then ask us what you mean! That's not how it works.

 

[ROFTOK]

Who says that sentences with this pattern don't exist?

Let's get it started.
You should get your mouth used to saying it.

These are not mine.

 

[emsr2d2]

Who says that sentences with this pattern don't exist?

Let's get it started.
You should get your mouth used to saying it.

These are not mine.

That's irrelevant (and no one said anything about specific constructions not existing). You started this thread by giving us two sentences that, as far as we know, you wrote yourself. You're asking us what one of them means. That makes no sense. What did you mean when you wrote those sentences?

 

[ROFTOK]

I beg to differ. No one is able to learn a language by studying all possible sentences in the language. It simply doesn't work that way. People study patterns and apply them. If I know what "get to do something" means, I can extrapolate it on all possible sentences.
I don't understand why one would ask what a sentences means if they knew what it means? The point in asking is valid when you don't know what it means.

 

[emsr2d2]

II beg to differ. No one is able to learn a language by studying all possible sentences in the language. It simply doesn't work that way. People study patterns and apply them. If I know what "get to do something" means, I can extrapolate it on all possible sentences.
I don't understand why one would ask what a sentences means if they knew what it means? The point in asking is valid when you don't know what it means.

It makes sense to ask for help if you come across a sentence that someone else wrote and you don't understand what it means. That's not what you did, though. You wrote a sentence and asked us what it meant.

Here's what I think you're trying to work out (and this is what I think you should have written in post 1):

I know that "I should get him to start working" is grammatically correct. Would it still be correct and would it mean the same if I reworded it to "I should get him started working"?

 

[Skrej]

There's also the forum requirement that everyone state the source of anything they're asking about. If the sentences are self-made, just say so. It's a legal copyright issue.

Back to the original question - they're both possible, but don't mean the same thing. Without some more insight into what you're trying to do or how you mean to use them, we can't clarify anything beyond stating they're grammatical, yet different.

 

[teechar]

Let's get it started.

I have no idea what that means!
-------------------------

You should get your mouth used to saying it.

What do you mean by that, and who is it directed at?

 

[Ostap]

I should get him started working.

I'm surprised this pattern is possible. It implies that "started" has two direct objects at once -- "him" and "working".