Get to doing smth Vs. Get doing smth

[Mirino]

Hi! Can you tell me which form is correct? Because macmillandictionary.com says "get TO doing something=to start doing something" while oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com says "get doing something=to start doing something".

 

[Matthew Wai]

The following definitions were quoted from the same dictionary http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/get
'31 get doing something ....to begin doing something'
'2 get to thinking/wondering something ....informal ....to start thinking something'

According to the above, I would use 'get to' as long as it is followed by thinking/wondering.

Not a teacher.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Mirino:

Here's what the Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary (online) says:

. "We got talking about old times."
2. "We got to talking about old times."

That dictionary says that both sentences mean "to start doing something." It analyzes "get to" as a phrasal verb.

*****

I then did some googling, and it seems that many people consider "get to" as "informal" or "conversational" or "dialectal" (spoken by a particular group of people in a particular part of the country).

If you want to be "safe," it might be a good idea to use the version WITHOUT "to." In most (all?) cases, most people would accept that version as "correct."



James