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Are there any special rules for using "get/got" with another verb? Sometimes i feel, i overuse the word "Get/Got". e.g do the following sentences mean the same thing?

(1) Internet "get disconnected" frequently.

(2) Internet disconnects frequently.

Thanks in advance

Riaz Ud Din
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1 Answers1

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Get is often used in colloquial English to form a kind of passive: get disconnected means the same as become disconnected.

In general, this passive does not mean the same as the corresponding active (eg get eaten means the same as be eaten, which is not the same as eat).

Some verbs have what is sometimes called a 'middle' sense, in which a formal active has almost the same meaning as a passive; so The rice got cooked means nearly the same as the rice was cooked and the rice cooked. But this depends on the particular verb (and sometimes on the particular meaning of the verb, so you can do it with cook meaning process by applying heat in some way, but not with cook meaning prepare a dish or a meal).

Disconnect is marginal: I wouldn't say The internet disconnects frequently, but I think some people might.

So the simple answer to your question is that get is freely used to create passives in colloquial English, but many people would not regard it as appropriate in formal writing.

Colin Fine
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    A verb used in this way is called an ergative verb. Some verbs allow this usage and others don't. There is no foolproof way to know if any given verb can be used ergatively. For example, while "the food is cooking" roughly means "the food is being cooked", it is gibberish to say "*the food is eating" for "the food is being eaten". Sometimes the ergative form is used when the speaker doesn't want to draw attention to the agency of the action, for example to avoid suggesting blame, for example saying "a hospital has closed" instead of "a hospital has been closed [by some unpopular agency]". – Karasinsky Jul 13 '15 at 23:52
  • @Colin Fine Thanks very much for your prompt detailed answer. Can you please provide some example regarding "but many people would not regard it as appropriate in formal writing." – Riaz Ud Din Jul 14 '15 at 01:09
  • @Karasinsky I agree to "there is no foolproof way to know if any given verb can be used ergatively." I would really appreciate, if you could give me some tips/examples where i can (roughly) use/ avoid it. – Riaz Ud Din Jul 14 '15 at 01:22
  • @RiazUdDin: I'm not sure what kind of example you want. I wouldn't expect to see "The project got finished" in a report, but people might well say it (with a implication that finishing it was in some way arduous). – Colin Fine Jul 14 '15 at 09:30
  • @RiazUdDin: there are some heuristics for identifying ergative verbs in English in the Wikipedia article (which is in many ways a terrible article), but there is no foolproof way. – Colin Fine Jul 14 '15 at 09:34
  • @ColinFine ahaaaa..perfect example, thanks. I overuse the "get/got", I will try to avoid it in formal reports. What is the correct grammar for "The project got finished" ? – Riaz Ud Din Jul 14 '15 at 12:53
  • Do you mean "What is a more formal way of saying 'The project got finished'"? The project was finished. The project has been finished. The project is complete. – Colin Fine Jul 14 '15 at 22:02