Barb_ Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Lately I'm more aware of the word "gets" creeping into writing as a helping verb. Scientific articles are the worst offenders, and my 17yo said she notices it at school in her Science classes. I just finished an article in Wired about Jack Horner who wants to attempt to reverse evolve a chicken and create a dinosaur-type creature. I couldn't concentrate on the article because of phrases such as, "other genes get turned on" or "the way the plans get read changes over time." I mean, I know we use the phrases, "get ready," "get rid of," "get going," and the ever popular, "get laid," but those are slang and not technically grammatically correct. Or am I the one who is mistaken? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I remember reading advice about fictional writing once that if you want to raise the pervceived socioeconomic level of a fictional character one of the easiest ways is to eliminate "get" from the characters vocabulary. After reading that I definitely try to avoid the word "get" in formal writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 'Get' is a "banned word" in IEW!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I used to be grammar conscious and language conscious when I was younger, but then I decided (in my own mind) that language is a fluctuating, colloquial thing, and flows with the tide of time. So, if get becomes an accepted helping verb, I'll learn to live with it. For the time being, I do think it sounds more elegant to say "We rid the house of mice.", "We readied ourselves for the journey.", "The molecule turned on this specimen's genetic code. ", etc. What bugs me about many people I hear being interviewed on NPR, especially scientists, is that they start almost every sentence with the word "so", whether or not the question warrants it. For example, Interviewer-"How does this affect behavior in chimps?" Scientist-"So, chimps are similar to humans in that . . ." Interviewer-"Do all researchers focus this intently on this topic?" Scientist- "So, there are 1700 researchers working on this topic . . ." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Maybe this is a generational thing, because I'm not sure what all the fuss is about about "the gene gets turned on by..." :confused: I'm tail end of Gen X, almost Gen Y. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Many of the articles in Wired put me on edge grammar-wise. :D I think there's a "look how young and cutting edge we are, we don't even speak like those old people" feel. In the examples you gave, though, get isn't being used as a helping verb. For example, in "get ready," get is the linking verb and ready is the predicate adjective. In "other genes get turned on," you could replace get with are, so it is a linking verb, and turned on is a phrase acting as the PA (describing genes.) Anyway, I agree with you about its increase in use, and I wouldn't use that construction in formal writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 ...especially scientists, is that they start almost every sentence with the word "so", whether or not the question warrants it. For example, Interviewer-"How does this affect behavior in chimps?" Scientist-"So, chimps are similar to humans in that . . ." Economists do that as well; I listen to Bloomberg radio a lot. Most who answer in that manner are foreigners so I've always presumed they just don't quite understand the proper usage of the word. As for "gets ___", the way I learned it (and it may be outdated) is that whenever it's used to create the passive voice in a sentence, it's a no-no. When I was in school, they taught us to use the passive voice as little as possible. I may be wrong, but that's how I learned it. "I got promoted." vs. "My employer promoted me." "My car got hit from behind." vs. "Another car hit mine from behind." "I was taught..." vs. "I learned..." or "My teachers taught me..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I have been trying to eliminate the word get from my speaking vocabulary with my children. It's so imprecise. I feel like I'm losing an opportunity to use an exact word every time I say "get." I don't notice it used too frequently in the ways stated in the OP, but I would probably use are or were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 22. to become or to cause oneself to become as specified; reach a certain condition: to get angry; to get sick. 23. (used as an auxiliary verb followed by a past participle to form the passive): to get married; to get elected; to get hit by a car. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/get Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 22. to become or to cause oneself to become as specified; reach a certain condition: to get angry; to get sick. 23. (used as an auxiliary verb followed by a past participle to form the passive): to get married; to get elected; to get hit by a car. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/get Maybe that's my problem. I just hate the passive. Period. In any of those sentences, there is a better way to express oneself. To grow angry. To feel or become sick. To marry. Is elected (or was elected) Is or was married. Down with the passive voice! It sounds like a 5yo speaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 In the examples you gave, though, get isn't being used as a helping verb. For example, in "get ready," get is the linking verb and ready is the predicate adjective. I admit to the bad examples. It was the last post of the night before bed while I was reading Wired and hanging on the boards. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 Maybe this is a generational thing, because I'm not sure what all the fuss is about about "the gene gets turned on by..." :confused: I'm tail end of Gen X, almost Gen Y. No, I don't think it's a generational thing. My peers do this all the time and it sends me up a tree. "The gene is turned on by..." or "________turns on the gene by." From a kids' toy advert: "Long, lustrous hair that gets streaked with color." NOooooo!!! Anyway, I was wondering if this has ties to the SAT Critical Reading drop thread. Someone, I can't recall who, made the point that while STEM majors are a worthy pursuit, it's possible that their focus have contributed to the consistent and ongoing decrease in grammar and expressive ability in writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 Scientist- "So, there are 1700 researchers working on this topic . . ." :lol: My Biologist daughter has picked up this habit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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