In this mini episode, you will learn the idiom “get going” (and a related construction).
Episode 346 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the idiom “get going” (and a related construction). Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hello! This is Sasa, from China. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 346 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I am going to teach you an interesting idiom. And that idiom is “get going.” Get going. That’s g-e-t, g-o-i-n-g. Get going.
What does it mean when we say, “Get going”? I don’t think there is any way you could guess this meaning. What the idiom means is “to leave, to go, to go away.”
If somebody says, “Well, I think I will get going now,” that means “I think I will leave now. I’m going to leave. Goodbye.”
This is where things get a little more interesting. Because “get going” has another meaning, also. “Get going” also means to “begin a task, to begin doing something.”
For instance, if somebody says, “I have a lot of homework. I think I will get going on my homework now. I will get going on my homework,” that means “I will begin doing my homework. I will start doing my homework.”
And this is not the only word we can use in this same construction. We can use lots of other verbs in this “get doing” construction. It’s not just “get going.” We can also use all kinds of other verbs. Like, for instance, “get studying.” Get studying. That means “begin studying” or “begin to study.”
If that person from before, who had a lot of homework, was getting ready to begin studying, he or she could say, “I’m going to get studying now.” I’m going to get studying now. In other words, “I’m going to begin studying now.”
You could also say that you were going to get practicing. Or get cooking. Or get working now.
In all of those cases, that construction—get with an -ing verb—in all of those cases, it means “begin doing something, begin some activity.”
And so, it is not only “get going.” It is all kinds of other verbs, too. I don’t think this expression works with every verb, but I think it works with many verbs that describe activities or things that take time to do.
And that is “get going” (and this other “get doing” construction). This is an interesting part of grammar that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 346 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Sasa recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode. And until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!