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Examples
She got her driving license last week. They got permission to live in Switzerland.
To receive
Examples
I got a letter from my friend in Nigeria. He gets $1,000 a year from his father.
To buy
Examples
She got a new coat from Zappaloni in Rome. We got a new television for the sitting room.
Examples
We got to London around 6 p.m. What time will we get there? When did you get back from New York?
Examples
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.
TO GET + preposition / adverb is used in many phrasal verbs. Here are some of the most common ones:
Examples
get away with escape punishment for a crime or bad action get by get down get off get on manage (financially) descend; depress leave a form of transport (train, bus, bicycle, plane) enter/sit on a form of transport (train, bus, bicycle, plane); have a relationship with someone; manage avoid doing something, especially a duty recover (from an illness, a surprise) use or finish the supply of something leave your bed do - usually something bad
Examples
He got on his bicycle and rode down the street. He gets up at 6.00 a.m. every morning. She got out of the washing-up every day, even when it was her turn. We got off the train just before the bomb exploded. We've got through all the sugar - can you buy some more? The children are very quiet - I wonder what they're getting up to.
Quick examples
I had written the letter before you came home. If she had studied hard, she would have passed the English language exam. I wish I had been brave enough. Mary looked as if she had not slept for 48 hours.
We use the Past Perfect tense to emphasize that an action in the past finished before another action in the past started. This tense is also used in reported speech, third conditional sentences, or to show dissatisfaction with the past.
Use
1. Completed action before another action in the past 2. Third conditional sentences 3. Reported speech 4. Dissatisfaction with the past
Good to know
People (especially native speakers) do not use the Past Perfect in above sentences very often. For example, they will say: After I washed my car, I went to fill up. After I had washed my car, I went to fill up.
Rather than: This is because "after" and "before" tell the listener which action happened first. Still, keep in mind that it is better to use the Past Perfect, especially in written English or when writing exams.
Form
To form a sentence in the Past Perfect, what you need is: 1. The proper conjugation of the auxiliary verb "to have" in the past form. 2. The Past Participle of your verb. 1. Auxiliary verb "to have" The past form of the auxiliary verb "to have" is "had": Mary had finished her homework before Mike came home. Mary has finished her homework before Mike came home. Mary hads finished her homework before Mike came home.
2. The Past Participle The past participle of a verb is a verb form that appears with the perfect tenses. The past participle can be either regular or irregular. The regular verbs are formed by adding "-ed" to the verb:
Verb
Past Participle
talk
talked
explain
explained
use
used
Verb
Past Participle
deliver
delivered
include
included
achieve
achieved
The formation of the irregular verbs does not follow one rule. Therefore, they should be memorized.
Verb
Past Participle
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be
been
be
become
become
become
see
seen
see
go
gone
go
eat
eaten
eat
grow
grown
grow
Positive Sentences
Subject
HAD
EXAMPLES Before I went to the park, I had finished my work. If he had made the right choice, he wouldn't be unhappy now. Mary said she had already seen this movie before. I wish I had had enough courage to kiss her!
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Questions
HAD +
Subject +
e.g. he, she, a dog, etc.
EXAMPLES Had she eaten the dinner before she went to the cinema?
Negative Sentences
Subject +
e.g. he, she, a dog, etc.
HADN'T +
EXAMPLES I had not seen this movie before we went to the cinema yesterday to see it. If he hadn't made the mistake, he would be happy now.
1 2
Mary said she had not visited her father for a long time. I wish I hadn't done it!
3 4