Step 74: Get Things Done
Arrangements — Get / have something done; get phrases
📖 Read — Sophia's Big Week
Sophia has the busiest week of her life. On Saturday, she's getting married! She got her dress ready weeks ago, but this week everything is moving: the family is getting the garden cleaned, her brother got lost twice driving to the hall, and Grandma Rose got a new haircut for the photos.
“How do you feel?” asks Emma. “Nervous — but happy! My fiancé and I get along so well. We got over our one big argument months ago.” On Friday, all the cousins get together for dinner. “Okay,” laughs Sophia, taking a deep breath, “let's get the show on the road!”
🧩 Grammar — Get Phrases + Get Something Done
Get is the champion of informal English. With adjectives and participles, it shows CHANGE: get ready, get married, get lost, get dressed, get better/worse. In phrasal verbs: get along (with) = have a good relationship, get over = recover from, get together = meet as a group, get back = return. And just like 'have' (Step 73), get something done works as a casual causative: We're getting the garden cleaned.
- It's getting late — let's go.
- They get along really well.
- She got over her cold in three days.
- We got the car cleaned yesterday.
🏗️ Key structures
- get ___ (ready / married / lost / better) — Hurry up and get ready!
- get along with ___ / get over ___ — I get along with my manager. / He got over the flu.
- get ___ done (causative) — Let's get the house cleaned before the guests come.
⭐ Idiom & natural phrases
Everything's ready — let's get the show on the road!
🔤 New words
become husband and wife
They're getting married on Saturday.
prepare yourself for something
Get ready — we leave in five minutes!
not know where you are
We got lost in downtown Chicago.
put your clothes on
He gets dressed quickly every morning.
have a friendly relationship with someone
Do you get along with your brother?
recover from an illness or a sad experience
It took weeks to get over the flu.
meet as a group of friends or family
The family gets together every Sunday.
return to a place
What time did you get back last night?
🎧 Say it with me
We get along really well, and this week we’re getting everything done — get ready, get together, and get the show on the road!
🎤 Your turn to speak
Tell a busy-week story using four get phrases: get ready, get along, get together, and get back (or get over / get lost).
Say it out loud three times. Even better: record it on your phone and listen — your ear is your best teacher.
✍️ Your turn to write
Write 5 sentences about a family event you're preparing. Use at least four different get phrases.
See a model answer
Next month, my cousin is getting married in Denver. The whole family will get together for the weekend. I'm getting my suit cleaned, and my sister got her dress ready last week. We all get along, so it will be fun. I hope nobody gets lost on the way to the hall!
Self-check: capital letters? Full stops? Did you use the grammar of this step?
📝 Quick check
Go deeper
This step is a doorway — the full lesson goes much further:
Passive Advanced & The Causative (have/get something done) — full lesson + 50-question quiz
🎉 Saved in your progress!