Get has more phrasal verb combinations than almost any other verb in English — the particle does much of the semantic work, shifting the meaning from movement to relationships to recovery and beyond. This first exercise covers the most common everyday combinations. Exercise 2 covers a different set of combinations.
Choose the correct preposition to complete each of the following sentences.
1.The river's current is very strong. It will be hard to ________.
Correct answer: get across — get across = cross to the other side of something.
2.You really need a car in this city to ________.
Correct answer: get around — get around = move around or travel within a place.
3.She had a hard time after the break-up, but then
she decided to ________ with her life.
Correct answer: get on — get on = continue with one's life or move forward (also: get on with something).
4.My girlfriend's mother and I don't ________ at all.
Correct answer: get along — get along = have a good or friendly relationship with someone.
5.It's OK. Don't worry. You'll ________ this.
Correct answer: get through — get through = survive or cope with a difficult experience.
6.The museum? You should ________ at the third stop.
Correct answer: get off — get off = exit or disembark from public transport.
7.As soon as he ________ the horse, I knew that he had never been on one before.
Correct answer: got on — get on = mount or board (a horse, bicycle, or large vehicle).
8.I ________ my old couch and need to buy a new one.
Correct answer: got rid of — get rid of = dispose of, throw away, or eliminate.
9.I'm really tired because I ________ at 5 AM this morning.
Correct answer: got up — get up = rise from bed; wake up and leave one's bed.
10.Friends can help you to ________ a difficult time in your life.
Correct answer: get through — get through = survive, endure, or make it through a hard period.
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ABOUT PHRASAL VERBS WITH GET (part 1)
Get is one of the most versatile words in English, and nowhere is that more obvious than in its phrasal verb combinations. It pairs with almost every common particle and produces meanings ranging from movement and acquisition to relationships and recovery.
What makes get phrasal verbs distinctive is how heavily the particle carries the meaning. The base verb get acts almost like a blank canvas — the particle does most of the semantic work.
For example: get back suggests returning or retrieving something; get out implies leaving or escaping; get away means to leave or escape, often with difficulty; get along means to have a friendly relationship with someone.
This first exercise covers some of the most common get combinations in everyday conversational English. Because get phrasal verbs are so frequent in informal speech, learning them in context is the most effective strategy.