Frenchman learning English

Got it?!

As any English student knows one of the most frustrating things to learn are all the various uses of "GET". Get is used as a verb by itself with various meanings.
One of the most difficult areas of usage is how "get" combines with prepositions for form phrasal verbs.
Add to these problems the variations in colloquial usage and you have got ;-) a recipe for confusion!
Below is a list of the principal usage. Hopefully you will get it (i.e. understand the proper usage)

>> GET "alone"

Meaning and Examples

To receive >> I got a book for my birthday.

To earn >> I get $7 an hour.

To bring or fetch >> Can you get that book for me?

To understand >> Do you get the lesson?

To be affected by, or catch >> He got a cold last week.

To catch or take >> I got the 4.55 train to New York.

To communicate with >> If he isn't home, try to to get him on his cell phone.

To have a strong effect on >> That film really got me.

To capture or seize >> The police got him at the station.


GET used in a phrasal verb
These are only the main meanings (not all)

Phrasal Verb, Meaning and Example

To get away = To escape >> The thief got away from the police.

To get back = To recover >> I got my books back from Tom.

To get by = To survive financially >> Sally gets by on just $1,000 a month.

To get in = To enter a car, train etc. >> Come on, get in! Let's go.

To get into = To be accepted >> He got into the university he wanted.

To get off = To exit from a train, bus etc. >> Jerry got off at 52nd Street.

To get on with = To have a good relationship with >> I really get on well with Janet.

To get out = To leave >> I got out of class at 3.30.

To get over = To recover from an illness >> He got over his operation very quickly.
To get through = To succeed in an examination or test >> That was a difficult test to get through, wasn't it?

To get up = To get out of bed >> I get up at 7 every morning.



Get "Colloquial" usage

Verb, Meaning and Example

Gotta = To have to (US) >> I gotta go, it's late.

Have got to = To have to (US) >> I've got to hurry up!

To get down to business = To begin working >> Tom arrived at 12 and immediately got down to business.

To get together = To meet >> Let's get together this weekend.



SOURCE: About.com: English as a Second Language.

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Does Your Dog Know English?

As acute as a dog’s hearing is, we ought to give them a little more credit for understanding our language. We know we can teach our dogs verbal commands, but many dogs learn to understand words we haven’t purposely taught them. We may find ourselves saying, “Let’s go for a walk” as we pick up the leash. The dog first associates the leash with the promise of going for a walk. He may also pick up on the word “walk” without his owner making a move toward the door or picking up the leash.

Astute owners who notice their dog’s linguistic talent have tried to develop it further by teaching words rather than commands. Some dogs are able to find their ball when the owner says, “Where’s your ball?” Some dogs appear to have an extensive vocabulary and can follow detailed directions like, “go to my desk and bring me my pen.” While this ability astounds dog owners, and anyone watching, scientists have tested dogs who show such prowess, and the findings are less or more impressive, depending upon how you look at it.

Dogs can learn many words, without a doubt, especially names of objects or commands. But to follow more complex directions, dogs rely on other skills. According to Stanley Coren in How to Speak Dog, a dog will listen to your words, and watch your subtle, even subconscious body language, and then add his most reasonable guess to figure out what you want him to do.

In How to Speak Dog, to test the theory that dogs rely more on our body language than words, a dog was told to go to one place, but the person speaking glanced in a different direction. The dog always went to where the person was looking. Dogs may never have a complete command of our spoken language, but their ability and interest in listening to our words and observing our body language in order to do what we ask of them, to ultimately please us, is really truly impressive.

Source: Yahoo! Pets