passive with GET?

[Student33]

Can we use get instead of be in every possible tense?

1. He has got beaten by the police. (present perfect)
2. She had got employed. (past perfect)
3. I am getting watched. (present continuous)

[Rusty]

Can we use get instead of be in every possible tense?

1. He has got beaten by the police. (present perfect)
2. She had got employed. (past perfect)
3. I am getting watched. (present continuous)
Get can be used in any tense, but get and be are not always interchangeable. There is a difference in meaning. Got implies that the subject has an influence on the action. Be describes a state.
1. Implies that he has put himself in a position where the police beat him.
1a. "He has been beaten by the police" has no such implication.
2. She has got employed. She had an active part in acquiring a job.
2a. She has been employed. Someone/company employed her.
3. I am getting watched. This sentence is unlikely unless I have hired someone to watch me.
3a. I am being watched. Someone is watching me.

[Marius Hancu]

>3. I am getting watched. This sentence is unlikely unless I have hired someone to watch me.

Good one, Rusty:-)