Strong Verbs Engage Readers

Meet Herb, a man visiting a farmers’ market.

Herb got twenty oranges from Jenny’s Fruit Stand.

How did he get the oranges? Note the connotations of the following edits:

Herb bought twenty oranges from Jenny’s Fruit Stand.

Herb pilfered twenty oranges from Jenny’s Fruit Stand.

Without providing any description of Herb’s backstory or appearance, the substitution of one word changes readers’ opinions of him.

Evaluate the Verbs in the Following Sentences

Cecelia got an allowance of $15 per week.

Cecelia earned an allowance of $15 per week.

Cecelia banked an allowance of $15 per week.

The first Cecelia gets an allowance. Period.

The second Cecelia works for her allowance. Her diligence could reflect in other areas of her life. Maybe she excels at school because she studies and takes good notes.

The third Cecelia deposits her allowance in the bank. Is she saving for a car, perhaps?

Get, Borrow, or Commandeer?

Dean got a car.

Dean borrowed a car.

Dean commandeered a car.

Lackluster Dean gets a car.

A more interesting Dean borrows a car. Perhaps he doesn’t own one, or his car is in the shop.

Is the third Dean a detective on someone’s tail? A military officer? A crook?

Many Idioms and Phrases Begin With Get

Some of the suggested replacements that follow are cliché, but they would suit dialogue and some narrators.

get a clue: become aware, discover, figure out, grasp, realize, understand

get a free ride: benefit without contributing, receive something free

get a glimpse: catch sight of, glance at, glimpse, peek at, see, sight, spy

get hot under the collar: become angry, fly into a rage, lose one’s temper

get a kick out of: be amused by, enjoy, relish, take great pleasure in

get a life: do something interesting [Provide a specific example of the interesting activity rather than parrot this phrase.]

get a load of: concentrate on, focus on, look at, listen to, pay attention to

get a move on: accelerate, embark on, go, hasten, hurry, hustle, kick off, move faster, rush, set in motion, set off, start the ball rolling

get a room: go somewhere private, nix the PDA (public display of affection)

get a word in: barge in, butt in, comment, interject, interrupt, remark, speak

get across: bring home, clarify, communicate, convey, impart, make clear, pass on

get along with: agree with, be compatible with, cooperate with, harmonize with, like, relate well to

get angry: curse, cuss, flare up, fume, boil, rage, seethe, smolder, swear

get around (1): circumvent

get around (2): solve a problem

get around (3): coax someone to do something

get at (1): access, reach, touch

get at (2): allude, hint, imply, infer, insinuate, intimate, suggest

get away: beat a hasty retreat, depart, disappear, escape, exit, flee, leave, make a break for it, sally forth, scarper, vamoose

get away with (1): avoid punishment

get away with (2): elude, evade

get away with (3): pull off (a joke or crime)

get back: recoup, recapture, recover, regain, repossess, rescue, retrieve, salvage

get better: convalesce, improve, mend, progress, rally, recover, recuperate

get by: cope, deal with, eke, manage (with difficulty), muddle through, survive

get caught with one’s pants down: make a fool of oneself, feel embarrassed

get close: advance, approach, border on, creep up to, move toward, near

get dark: blacken, cloud over, darken, dim, grow dim

get divorced: break up, divorce, split up

get down: celebrate, dance, groove, hang loose, let one’s hair down, paint the town red, party, revel, whoop it up

get easier: alleviate, assuage, diminish, ease, improve, lessen, lighten, moderate, reduce

get free: break free, cut and run, escape, flee, run away, take flight

get going: depart, disappear, go, exit, hit the road, leave, make tracks, split, take off, withdraw

get hammered/sloshed/trashed: drink like a fish, drink someone under the table, drink too much, party hearty

get hands on: acquire, come across, come by, discover, find, locate, obtain, procure

get home: arrive, reach, reappear, return, turn up

get into (1): don, put on, slide into, slip into

get into (2): enter

get into (3): develop an interest in

get it: comprehend, cotton on to, follow, grasp, realize, see, see the point, twig, understand

get it together: fall into place, improve, mend one’s ways, progress, reform, shape up, sort out, work out

get lost (1): ignore the GPS, lose one’s way, lose one’s bearings, take a wrong turn

get lost (2): disappear, go away, vanish

get married: espouse, join in matrimony, jump the broom, marry, say “i do,” tie the knot, wed

get off on: enjoy or be aroused by __________ [a questionable activity or substance]

get on (1): be compatible, gel, like, relate, work well with

get on (2): board, climb on, embark, mount

get on someone’s nerves: annoy, bother, exasperate, frustrate, infuriate, irritate

get one’s due: deserve, earn, justify, merit, prevail, prove worthy, warrant, win

get one’s teeth into: become actively involved, tackle with enthusiasm

get out: abandon, buzz off, depart, disappear, evacuate, exit, leave, quit, vacate

get over: accept, come to terms with, conquer, live through, overcome, recover, surmount, triumph over

get published: publish a book, make the bestseller list, see one’s name in print

get ready: arrange, brace, coordinate, mobilize, organize, prepare, set up, steel oneself

get rid of: abandon, cast off, discard, dispose of, dump, eliminate, reject, shed, throw away, thrust aside

get some sleep/shuteye: catnap, doze, grab forty winks, kip, nap, sleep, snooze

get someone’s number: discover the truth about someone, recognize someone’s true intentions or motives

get started: start, begin, commence, embark, launch

get the best/better of: beat, conquer, defeat, outclass, outdo, outshine, outwit, trounce, vanquish

get the drop on: act first, seize the advantage

get the hang of: become proficient, grasp, learn, master

get the most out of: capitalize on, exploit, maximize, optimize, take full advantage of

get through (1): endure, live through, persevere, prevail, stay alive, survive, weather

get through (2): breach

get tired: droop, flag, grow weary, run out of steam, slump, tire, weaken, wear out, wilt

get to one’s feet: hop up, jump up, leave one’s seat, rise, stand

get together (1): assemble, congregate, meet

get together (2): connect, hook up, link up, make friends, pair off, take up with

get under one’s skin: annoy, bother, frustrate, irritate, peeve, provoke, rub the wrong way, upset, vex

get up (1): arise, ascend, rise, stand

get up (2): awaken, rouse, stir, wake

get up (3): leave one’s bed

get with it (1): contribute, do what is expected, improve, partake, participate, progress, take part

get with it (2): realize, understand

get worse: decline, degenerate, degrade, depreciate, deteriorate, go downhill, weaken, worsen

Alternatives for Get

Rather than function as direct replacements, many of the suggestions in this word list will generate ideas and steer narrative in new directions.

A
accrue, accumulate, acquire, add to, adopt, agglomerate, aggregate, amass, ambush, annex, apprehend, appropriate, arrogate, assemble, assume, attain

B and C
bag, bank, borrow, bring in, build up, burgle, buy, cache, cadge, cage, capture, catch, charter, choose, claim, clear, collar, collect, corral, commandeer, compile, confiscate, co-opt, corner, cull

D to F
derive, detect, discover, distrain, draft, draw, earn, embezzle, embrace, engage, ensnare, entangle, entrap, excavate, expropriate, fetch, filch, finagle, find, foreclose

G to L
gain, garner, gather, glean, glom onto, grab, gross, harvest, heap, hide away, hijack, hire, hoard, hook, hustle, impound, inherit, land, latch onto, lay claim to, lay hands on, lease, liberate, lift, line one’s pockets, loot

M to P
marshal, misappropriate, mooch, muster, nab, nail, net, nick, obtain, pen (as in confine, imprison), pick, pick up, piece together, pile up, pilfer, pinch, poach, pocket, preserve, procure, purchase, purloin, put by

R
rack up, realize, reap, recapture, receive, reclaim, recoup, recover, recuperate, regain, rent, repossess, requisition, rescue, retrieve, round up

S
salt away, salvage, save, scare up, score, scrounge, secure, seize, sequester, shoplift, shoulder, skim, snaffle, snag, snap up, snare, snatch, sock away, sponge, squirrel away, stash, steal, stockpile, store, swipe

T
take, take over, take possession, thieve, trap, unearth, usurp, wangle, warehouse, win, withdraw, wrest

Exercises to Recalibrate Your Get Radar

Replace most instances of get, gets, got, getting, and gotten in the following. Remember that sometimes dialogue should break the rules.

Exercise 1

Travis got into the driver’s seat of his dad’s car and pressed the gas pedal. It wouldn’t budge. “What the f —”

A glance at the floor revealed that a banana had been shoved under the pedal. He got angry as he reached down to get the banana. “Danika did this. Who else would try to get away with something so childish?” He smirked. “I’ve got her number. She’s got a crush on me.”

Suggested solution 1

Travis slid into the driver’s seat of his dad’s car and pressed the gas pedal. It wouldn’t budge. “What the f —”

A glance at the floor revealed that a banana had been shoved under the pedal. He pressed his lips into a thin white line as he reached down to retrieve the banana. “Must’ve been Danika. Who else would do something so childish?” He smirked. “I’ve got her number. She has a crush on me.”

Notes: Changes are straightforward. The last sentence still contains got. All other versions of get have been removed, including a change from she’s got to she has, although many writers would prefer she’s got: a common phrase in dialogue.

Did Danika try to get away with something, or did she succeed? Try to is redundant, and it slows the dialogue. Removed.

Suggested solution 2

Travis slumped into the driver’s seat of his dad’s car and rammed the gas pedal. It wouldn’t budge. “What the f —”

A glower at the floor revealed that a banana had been concealed under the pedal. He cursed as he reached down to seize the banana. “Must’ve been Danika. Who else would pull something so childish?” He scowled. “Bloody cow is fixated on me.”

Notes: The strong underlined words lend a dark mood to the scenario. This Danika comes across as a stalker rather than a lovesick pursuer.

Exercise 2

Andrea’s eyes widened when she got a glimpse of the gift-wrapped box. She had never gotten a present from Onithaele on her birthday before. What had changed all of a sudden? Frebondians lived for thousands of years and usually ignored human celebrations. He gets it. When I see him again, he’ll get his due. Maybe now I’ll even agree to get married to him.

Suggested solution

Andrea’s eyes widened when she spied the gift-wrapped box. She had never received a present from Onithaele on her birthday. What had changed? Frebondians lived for thousands of years and usually ignored human celebrations. He finally understands. When I see him again, I’ll hug him till his eyes bug out. Maybe now I’ll even agree to marry him.

Notes: The extraneous words before and all of a sudden have been removed. Rather than thinking that Onithaele will get his due, a vague thought, Andrea envisions a specific action.