TAKE generally means to CARRY/ MOVE from one place to another.

• Can you take the kids to school today? 
• Take an umbrella. It’s raining.
• Can you take my shirt to the dry-cleaner?
• Don’t forget to take your driving license with you.

GET usually means to RECEIVE/ OBTAIN.

• I got some flowers. (I received some flowers. Someone gave me some flowers)
• How much do you get for looking after Jane’s children?
• Did you get the tickets?
• I think you should get a new job.

Another difference is that TAKE implies that you may take something from another person who may give the object willingly or not so willingly. GET means that something was voluntarily given to you. For example:

My mom takes my phone when I don’t do my homework. (She takes my phone although I don’t want her to)

I always take some food from my friend’s lunch bag. (I take it because I want to, whether my friend lets me or not)

I get my phone after I do my homework. (My mom willingly gives me my phone after I do my homework)

I always get some food from my friend’s lunch bag. (My friend willingly lets me have some food from his/her lunch bag)

A third difference is that when you TAKE an object from someone, you choose or pick the object.  If you GET something from somebody, the choice is up to the giver. For example:

Do you have more of those scarves?  I will take the pink one.  (I choose the pink one)

I usually get nice presents for Christmas. (Someone else chooses my present, not me)

TAKE and GET also have an active and passive meaning, respectively:

I plan to take my girlfriend to the movie theatre on Friday.

You always get a ride from your mother.

The difference lies in the action taken by the speaker of the sentence and what is done to him/her. In the first sentence, the subject is involved in doing the action of taking someone somewhere. In the second sentence, the subject is not involved in the action as it is the other person, the mother, who is doing the actual action of driving the subject to a place.

QUIZ

Fill in the blanks with TAKE or GET:

1. They normally ______ good grades in school.
2. You _________ your medicine from the pharmacy close to your house.
3. Don’t just ____________ the candy, you need to ask if you can first.
4. I will ___________ the red car, this is my choice.
5. When she _______ a new job, she will be happier.
6. My sister ________ my clothes whenever she wants without my permission.

ANSWERS

1. get, 2. get, 3. take, 4. take, 5. gets, 6. takes

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To Get can be used in a number of patterns and has a number of meanings. Below are the most common:

TO GET + DIRECT OBJECT = TO OBTAIN, TO RECEIVE, TO BUY

• I got my passport last week. (to obtain)
• She got her driving license last week. (to obtain)
• They got permission to live in Switzerland. (to obtain)
• I got a letter from my friend in Nigeria. (to receive)
• He gets $1,000 a year from his father. (to receive)
• She got a new coat from Zappaloni in Rome. (to buy)
• We got a new television for the sitting room. (to buy)

TO GET + PLACE EXPRESSION = REACH, ARRIVE AT A PLACE

• How are you getting home tonight?
• We got to London around 6 p.m.
• What time will we get there?
• When did you get back from New York?

TO GET + ADJECTIVE = BECOME, SHOW A CHANGE OF STATE

• I am getting old.
• It’s getting hotter.
• By the time they reached the house they were getting hungry.
• I’m getting tired of all this nonsense.
• My mother’s getting old and needs looking after.
• It gets dark very early in the winter.
• Don’t touch the stove until is gets cool.

OTHER MEANINGS of GET:

Contract an illness
She got a cold on the flight back from Australia.

Fetch/Pick up
I have to get the children from school at half past three.

Persuade
We couldn’t get her to come to the cinema with us.

Pay someone else to do something
I need to get my eyes tested.

Start
We got talking when we were at Heathrow, waiting for a plane that had been delayed.

Have an opportunity
It’s a real shame that we never get to have a quiet evening at home together.

Travel by train/bus/taxi
Shall we get a taxi to the airport, or shall we take the train?

Make something/someone move
I need to get this desk into the other room. Can you help me?

Answer a call
There’s someone at the door. Can you get it?

Hit and harm
Look at my arm! A wasp got me!

Draw attention to something
Get this! The capital of California is Sacramento, not Los Angeles or San Francisco.

To do

A – I need to take out the trash.

B – Don’t worry, I’ll get it!

Pay back, take vengeance on or get even

We’ll get them!
That’ll get him good!
This time I got him.
Just wait until I get you!

TO GET + PREPOSITION/ADVERB = PHRASAL VERBS WITH VARIOUS MEANINGS

OTHER EXPRESSIONS WITH GET

• Do you get it means do you understand.
  Do you get what the teacher was explaining in class?
• He’s getting dinner tonight means he’s preparing the meal.
  You can relax. It’s my turn to get dinner tonight.
• I’ll get the bill means I’ll pay.
  Put your wallet away! I’ll get the bill.
• That really gets me! means that irritates me.
  It really gets me when my sister shows up late.
• To get rid of something means to throw it away.
  I’m going to get rid of all these old newspapers.
• To get out of bed on the wrong side means to be in a bad mood.
  He got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning and he’s been horrible all day.
• To get your own back means to have your revenge or punish someone.
  She’s getting her own back for all those rude things you said at the party last night.

QUIZ

I. Decide how ‘get’ is meant in the following sentences.

1. I got three As last semester. – be striken by / become / score
2. Peter has gotten serious about his studies. – arrive / cause / become
3. They got their father to buy them a new horse. – bring / acquire / cause
4. We got three books for our new library. – experience / cause / receive
5. Jane got the flu from her students last week. – arrive / experience / contract
6. Could you get me the paper? – receive / fetch / take vengeance
7. I got spooked by all the talk of revolution. – experience / fetch / become
8. I got some excellent advice on the new job. – bring / receive / cause
9. She promised to get him some day for all his bad behavior. – pay back / fetch / acquire
10. John Handersohn got 32 points and 12 rebounds during the game last night. – become / score / arrive

II. Choose the synonyms of the verbs in brackets using GET:

1. Dr Mason has another ten patients to _____________________________ (see) before ten.
2. Dr Mason uses a bicycle to _____________________________ (go from one place to another) in HurstGreen.
3. Mary took a long time to _____________________________ (recover from) the shock.
4. Don’t start dinner until your mother _____________________________ (returns).
5. Have you _____________________________ (understood)?
6. Lucy will not _____________________________(be accepted at) Cambridge with those marks.
7. Two prisoners _____________________________ (escaped) during the fire.
8. Doreene _____________________________ (rises) at dawn every day.
9. I couldn’t _____________________________ (persuade) Franck to come along.
10. What time did you _____________________________ (arrive at) Peter’s place?

ANSWERS

I.

1. score
2. become
3. cause
4. receive
5. contract
6. fetch
7. experience
8. receive
9. pay back
10. score

II.

1. get to
2. get about
3. get over
4. gets back
5. gotten it
6. get into
7. got away
8. gets up
9. get
10. get to

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