GET + object + TO infinitive “get them to come”

Let’s analyse and then listen to the grammar structure: ‘get someone or something to do something’ by looking at real expert examples:

• I can’t get these parents to come.
• I’ll get them to come.

Listen to these examples.

The same meaning of ‘get + object + infinitive‘ can be written in other ways:

• I can’t make them come.
• I can’t change their minds to make them come.
• I can’t persuade them to come.

Basically, we use this grammar to cause someone or something to do what we want.

• I will cause them to come by persuading them.
• I will cause it to happen.
• I’ll do something and that will cause them to understand that they should come.

The sense of this grammar is not easy to catch in corpora.  For example:

Sometimes, HAVE GOT is used for possession and followed with a noun phrase + infinitive of purpose or an infinitive that is used in ways that are not related to modality.  For example:

I have got a car to drive to work.

I have got something to worry about.

I have got someone to do something for me.

This is clearly a much rarer structure to find based on the low counts for these clusters seen in corpora.

On the left we have matches for the criteria on iWeb through a wildcard search for: get * to _VVI

1 GET IT TO WORK 14075
2 GET UP TO SPEED 6858
3 GET THIS TO WORK 3286
4 GET BACK TO WORK 2743

GET THEM TO WORK

  Fox11online.com

This connects people who need rides to work with volunteers who can help facilitate that and get them on their feet and get them to work.

6 GET READY TO GO 1616
7 GET SOMETHING TO EAT 1547
8 GET BACK TO SLEEP 1536
9 GET IT TO RUN 1431
10 GET IT TO GO 1236

GET YOU TO BUY

  Fast Company

Journal of Consumer Research study shows people buy less …

Companies use cookies to get you to buy more stuff.  Could it have the opposite effect?

Aug 4, 2020

12 GET IT TO FIT 1109
13 GET READY TO TAKE 1092

14 GET THEM TO COME 955
15 GET THEM TO STOP 937

16 GET IN TO SEE 935

17 GET THEM TO TAKE 881
18 GET PEOPLE TO BUY 863

19 GET READY TO GET 858
20 GET IT TO LOOK 835
21 GET IT TO START 835
22 GET READY TO MAKE 831
23 GET IT TO STOP 799

24 GET THEM TO GO 751
25 GET PEOPLE TO COME 717

26 GET READY TO START 705
27 GET READY TO ENJOY 700

28 GET HIM TO STOP 686
29 GET THEM TO BUY 668
30 GET HIM TO EAT 658

31 GET READY TO SEE 643

32 GET SOMEONE TO HELP 607

33 GET READY TO PLAY 574
34 GET IT TO SHOW 571
35 GET THEM TO FIT 564
36 GET UP TO GO 564
37 GET READY TO EXPERIENCE 548

38 GET PEOPLE TO PAY 534

39 GET THAT TO WORK 522
40 GET IT TO COME 518

41 GET THEM TO SIGN 517
42 GET THEM TO EAT 516
43 GET HIM TO GO 510
44 GET PEOPLE TO SIGN 508

45 GET IT TO STAY 503

46 GET THEM TO LOOK 503
47 GET HIM TO COME 501
48 GET THEM TO PAY 500
49 GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND 498