get 用法1 (get V-ed/ be V-ed)
問：(a) The window was broken.
(b) The window got broken.
句(a) 是被動句, 句(b) 也是被動句嗎? 它們之間有無區別?
答：除助動詞be 之外, 動詞get 用法也可構成被動句。例如:
- Our team got beaten by the visitors.
我們的隊被客隊打敗了。 - Mind you don’t get hurt.
注意不要受傷。 - Hundreds of people get killed every year by traffic on the roads.
每年在公路交通事故中遇難身亡的人數以百計。 - James got caught by the Police.
詹姆斯被員警抓走了。
A. be V-ed 既可以表示動作, 又可以表示狀態。
有時候難以分清。例如:
- They were married.
- The chair was broken.
- We were lost.
而get V-ed 卻明白無誤地表示動作。例如:
- …he had tried to break into the shop during the night but had got stuck in the chimney.
……他企圖在夜間鑽進商店, 但被卡在煙囪裡了。 - They are married now, but I can’t tell you when they got married.
他們現在已結了婚, 但我不知道他們是什麼時候結的婚。 - If an explanation to confusing, you get confused.
如果一個解釋令人糊塗, 你就會被弄糊塗。
B. get V-ed 常常表示不合心意的事情
如get hurt (受傷), get slapped (beaten) (挨打), get dismissed(被開除), get killed(被殺), get caught (被抓), get caught in the rain (遇上雨)
- The picture got damaged when we were moving.
我們搬家時, 那張畫碰壞了。 - How did that window get opened.
怎麼竟然把窗戶打開了? - You may get cheated, robbed and murdered in London.
在倫敦你可能受騙, 可能被搶, 也可能被謀殺。
C. get V-ed 不大用於正式語體。
get 用法2 (have got, have got to)
見have 用法
get 用法3 (get 與 become比較)
get 用法4 (get 與 receive比較)
問：When did you ________ my letter?
A. received
B. accept
C. get
標準答案為A。但我認為C (get) 是同樣正確的。我在考試中選了C, 而被扣了分, 我至今仍覺得委屈。
答：你的委屈是有道理的。因為get a letter 同receive a letter 一樣, 都是很常見的用法:
- We received a letter of thanks from them.
我們收到了他們寄來的感謝信。 - I got a letter today.
今天我收到了一封信。 - I got your card from the hospital.
我收到了你從醫院寄來的明信片。
它們的區別僅僅在於receive 用於正式語體, get 用法用於非正式語體。
get 用法5 (get away with)
問：She could get away with anything because she looked such a baby.
[原譯] 她能渡過任何風險, 因為她看上去簡直還像是個娃娃模樣。(《英譯漢翻譯教程》)
譯文很費解, 請分析。
答：中文“風險”是指“很大的困難或危險”。“像是個娃娃模樣”, 怎麼就能“ 渡過任何風險”呢? 讀者實在看不出其間有什麼必然的聯繫, 也就是說, 譯文提出的用以支持中心論斷的理由是不充足的。一查原文, 原來是譯者誤解了get away with 的含義。get away with 是“逃避處罰(責備) ”的意思, 並不是“渡過風險”的意思。
[試] 因為她看起來簡直像個娃娃, 所以事事都能逃避責備或處罰。
類似的例子:
- How did he get away with cheating?
他騙了人, 怎麼沒有受懲罰呢? - The child ought to be punished. You shouldn’t let him get away with telling lies.
這個孩子應當受處罰。你不應當讓他撒謊而不受處罰。 - He thinks he can get away with everything.
他認為他做一切事都能逃脫懲罰。
get 用法6 (get off easy)
見easy
get 用法7 (get sb. to do)
問：“What did the children do in school?” “Their teacher _______ a short talk about their holiday.”
A. made them all to given
B. is getting them all giving
C. makes them all giving
D. got them all to give
(TOEFL)
正確答案為D (got them all to give) 。查《新英漢詞典》, get sb. to do 的意思是:
“說服”、“勸說”。但把這個意思用在上面的試題裡似乎講不通。請分析。
答：get sb. to do 的一般含義是“使(讓, 叫, 請) 某人做某事”;“說服”、“勸說”是其中的一個具體含義。
- You should get your friends to help you.
你應該請朋友幫助你。 - Be sure and get Mr Eathorne to come.
一定要請伊遜先生來。 - You must get her to sign that.
你必須說服她在這上面簽字。 - I will get the publisher to illustrate the book.
我將說服出版商給這本書加上插圖。 - Get her to stay for dinner if you can.
請你勸她留下來吃晚飯, 要是你能做到的話。
get 用法8 (get sb. to do/ doing)
問：(A) If you can get them to talk your problem solved.
(B) If you can get them talking your problem is solved.
上面兩個句子是否都正確? 如果都正確, 它們之間是否有區別?
答：上面兩個句子都是正確的, 它們在語意上的區別是極其微小的。get sb. doing 表示動作具有進行體含義, get s b. to do 所表示動作則可能指現在, 也可能指將來或僅僅是一種可能性。關於get sb. to do 的含義, 見get 用法7 條。下面補充一些關於get sb. (sth.) doing 的例句:
- I’ll get the car going.
我要把汽車開動起來。 - They finally got everyone studying the subject.
最後他們終於說服了大家都來學這門課程。 - Can you get the clock going again?
你能讓這鐘再走嗎?
get 用法9 (get sth. Done)
問：“Did you have trouble with your car this morning?” “Yes, but I finally managed _______.”
A. to get starting it
B. it to get started
C. to get it started
D. getting started it
我的教科書上說, get sth. done 是指讓別人做某事, 例如, I must get my hair cut. (我該理髮了。) He got his bicycle repaired. (他把自行車送去修理了。) 不知上題中的答案to get it started 是否指讓別人開動了汽車?
答：一般說來, get sth. done 可能有三種含義:
A. 讓別人做某事
B. 自己完成某事(或自己參與完成某事) :
- The farmer got his planting done before the rains came.
這位農民在雨季來臨之前幹完了他的種植工作。 - I can’t get the car started. 我無法把汽車開動起來。
- Did you get the picture finished all right? 你順利地完成了那幅畫了嗎?
看來, 上面考題中的to get it started 屬於此種用法。
C. 遭遇某事
- He got his wrist broken. 他折斷了手腕。
- I got my car smashed up in the accident. 在一次事故中我的汽車被撞壞了。
- He got his nose broken playing football. 他踢足球時把鼻子碰壞了。
get 用法10 (get to)
見come 用法6
get 用法11 (get used to/ be used to)
問：“Do you like Chicago?”“It’s big and frightening, but I lived there for a while and I ________.”
A. used
B. am using
C. used to
D. got used to
(TOEFL)
請問got used to it 與was used to it 有何區別?
答：我們在come to 中已經講過, 英語裡有些動詞叫做靜態動詞或具有靜態意義的動詞, 如know, love, understand, like, live, stand, lie。它既沒有動作的起點, 也沒有動作的終點。使用get to 就能使這些動詞具有動態含義。get to know 表示從“不知”到“知”的變化過程:
- How did you get to know about this?
你怎麼知道這件事的? - I shall get to like them in time, I suppose.
我想我以後會喜歡他們的。 - He’s nice when you get to know him.
當你瞭解了他之後, 你會覺得他是很不錯的。
在被動語態裡或者在連綴動詞 + 過去分詞(或形容詞) 結構裡, 情況亦是如此。The chair was broken, They were married. 和I was used to it.到底具有動態含義還是具有靜態含義, 是不明確的。但是The chair was broken.和They got married. I got used to it . 就沒有這種歧義了。I got used to it.明確地表示了由“不習慣”到“習慣”的變化過程。
- The daughter of a friend of mine got married the other day.
幾天前, 我一位朋友的女兒結婚了。 - It was difficult getting acquainted with her.
去認識她很困難。 - I got drunk for the first time in my life that night.
那天晚上我是有生以來第一次喝醉。
屬於這類用法的還有get dressed (穿衣服), get tired (累了), get bored (厭煩), get lost (迷路), get engaged (訂婚), get divorced (離婚), get confused (迷惑), get cold(冷了), get hot (熱了), get old(老了) (參見get V–ed) 。