Savannah TP # 14

I tutored Cui and Libo Friday after class.  Before I got there I made sure to have an thorough understanding of "get" and its usage.  I am really glad I did so because it proved to pique my interest and facilitate a great conversation between the three of us.  It was also easier to come up with linguistic support in the form of examples when I knew how to group the different uses of the word.   I explained that it can mean "earn" or "win."  As in "We got third place in the dance tournament."  It also can refer to contracting a disease or sickness. It can also describe an affliction or uncomfortable feeling, as in "I got stung by a wasp" or "I get terrible headaches before it rains."     Cui asked the difference between "I had the flu" and "I got the flu."  I explained to him that when you use the verb "get" what is emphasized in the sentence is that you were healthy and then suffered from the flu.  You could say "I got sick after we ate at that restaurant."   That example seemed to help them both.  

I explained that it can by synonymous with "fetch"  an object, or explain an expected and experience or phenomena.  For example, "We get a lot of rain in Florida in the summers."  The problem was that when Libo would ask if he could use "get" in a sentence he came up with it did not work and once again I couldn't explain why.  I find that slightly frustrating but I guess it can serve to provide more insight into linguistic usage.  I really enjoyed this session regardless and I was happy to help them as much as I could.