The Most Overused Word in the English Language

GET—GOT—GOTTEN

According to Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary the word “get” means “to gain possession of” or to seek out and obtain. Perhaps it is the most overused word in the English language, and too often, “get” and its forms are incorrectly used.

For example, when a person is ill with the sniffles and coughing, he will say,

“I got a cold.”

According to the definition of the word, the individual is declaring that he actively sought out and obtained the cold. Maybe he sat outside nude in the cold weather until his immune system was comprised enough so that the germ infected him. Maybe he visited a doctor’s waiting room and sat in the presence of sick folks until he contracted the illness.

Another example is this:

“I got an F in English.”

Did the individual set up a plan whereby he could fail tests, not complete homework, and not pay attention to the instructions from the teacher?

The solution to overuse of “get” and its forms is to either drop it or reword the sentence.

EXAMPLE:

Wrong:  I got a cold.

Correct: I have a cold.

Wrong: I got an F in English.

Correct: I made an F in English.

The correction is simple and only takes just a little thinking of to better write a sentence.

BY THE WAY, the correct forms of the verb get are get, got, (has or have) gotten. To say, “I have got a solution for every problem” is WRONG!!!!!! The correct usage is “I have GOTTEN a solution for every problem.”

Remember, the most overused words in the English language is “get” and its forms. Avoid using them in your writing so that your ideas are more strongly presented.