It’s very common to put “get” and a past participle together in English to describe an action performed by another person or by yourself. The person doing the work does not have to be named. For example…
This work will get done later today.
Who will do the work? We don’t know. The main verb, “do” follows the verb “get” in this sentence. The verb tense is indicated by the verb “get.” The sentence above is in the future tense.
Included in this lessons are simple yet common examples of how “get” is often used with a past participle in American English. Not all of these examples are in the passive voice.
He got hit in the head by a hockey puck.
Her thumb got hurt when using the stapler.
(Remember: The passive voice is not always the best choice. Ordinarily, I would probably say, “She hurt her thumb when using the stapler.”)
She got her fingers stuck in a bowling ball.
He got stuck in the mud.
His finger got caught in the jaws of a piranha.
His car will probably never get built.
If you don’t do your job, you might get fired.
If they get this traffic light fixed soon, they’ll go have lunch.
Directions: Fill in the blanks with “get” and the past participle. The tenses are indicated for each:
Write your answers by hand.
The window ______________ very easily. (break — past tense)
It ________________ sometime next week. (fix — future tense)
Pedro __________________ on Friday. (pay — present tense)
The cake _____________. (frost — present continuous tense)
The lights ________________incorrectly. (install – past tense)
