A study on the forms and meanings of lexical
verb‘ get ’and vietnamese equivalents

Đặng Thị Thùy Vân

Trường Đại học Ngoại Ngữ
Luận văn ThS. Chuyên ngành: English Linguistics; Mã số: 60 22 15
Người hướng dẫn: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Võ Đại Quang
Năm bảo vệ: 2010 Abstract: This minor thesis is to be focused on the forms and meanings of lexical verb ‘get’
exhibited in basic clause patterns versus Vietnamese equivalents. Before going deeply into
this, the basic elements as well as patterns are introduced; then followed by English Verbs,
which include classification and verb phrases. Sharing the same content with it is Vietnamese
verbs, which is discussed in the last part of chapter one.In chapter 2, the forms and meanings
of ‘get’ are presented with relevant examples and formulas. Simultaneously, they are
analyzed and compared with the Vietnamese equivalents to find out the similarities and
differences between the two languages in the concerned areas.The study attempts to provide
readers, particularly students of English, solutions to the problems when exploring this verb.
Therefore, in chapter 3, the common errors and mistakes likely to be committed by
Vietnamese learners are highlighted. Then the suggestions for each of the problems are put
forward with examples to help students understand and overcome their difficulties in
mastering this verb.
Keywords: Tiếng Anh; Động từ; Tiếng Việt; Ngữ pháp.
Content: iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
CHAPTER 1 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
4
1. Clause patterns and elements
4
1.1. Verb
4
1.2. Subject
5
1.3. Object
5
1.3.1. Direct object
5
1.3.2. Indirect object
5
1.4. Complement
5
1.5. Adverbial
6
2. English Verbs
6
2.1. Forms of verbs
6
2.2. Major grammatical categories
7
2.2.1. Tense and aspect
7
2.2.2. Voice
8

2.4.3.5. Complex transitive verbs
13
3. Vietnamese Verbs
14
3.1. Classification
14
3.2. Verb phrases in Vietnamese
15
4. Contrastive analysis
17 CHAPTER 2 THE OCCURRENCES OF LEXICAL VERB ‘ GET ’
IN ENGLISH WITH VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS

18
1. Communicative functions expressed via the lexical verb Get in clause
pattern SVO

18
1.1. to receive or obtain something
18
1.2. to fetch something
20
1.3. to catch illness
20
1.4. to use form of transportation
21
1.5. to have revenge on somebody
21

1.1. Similarities
32
1.2. Differences
33
2. Errors and mistakes commonly committed by Vietnamese beginners of
English and some possible solutions

34
1.1. Get as a linking verb ( copula verb )
34
1.2. Get used with a past participle ( in pattern SVC )
34
1.3. Get used with a past participle ( in pattern SVOC )
35
1.4. Got / Gotten alternation
35 PART III
CONCLUSION
36
1. Conclusions
36
2. Recommendations for further research
37
REFERENCES
38
APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: Notes of usage on some common copula verbs.


2. Aims of the study
The thesis is to be focused on:
* Different forms and meanings exhibited by Get and Vietnamese equivalents.
* Similarities and dissimilarities in terms of meaning between English and
Vietnamese.
* Common mistakes likely committed by Vietnamese beginners of English and
some possible solutions.

3. Research questions
To fully achieve these aims, the study should answer the following questions:
(i) How is Get exhibited in different clause patterns ?
2
2
(ii) How are they similar and different in terms of meaning between English and
Vietnamese ?
(iii) What are common mistakes likely committed by Vietnamese beginners of English
and how to solve them ?

4. Scope of the study
Since the verb get goes largely unnoticed, and yet in conversation it is the single
most common lexical verb in any one register, it is viewed as a broad subject to discuss.
However, its meaning depends on what kind of words comes after it; such as: noun,
pronoun, adjective, adverb, past participle, object, infinitive, etc … I just try to focus on
the seven basic clause patterns in which get occurs and its polysemy; therefore, occurrence
of get in idiomatic multiword phrases as „get away with‟ or „get rid of ‟ will not be treated
much here.

5. Methodology of the study
In order to deal with the subject effectively, a flexible combination of methods is

consideration. Chapter 2 presents and describes concrete cases related to the lexical verb
get in a contrastive analysis with the Vietnamese translation equivalents, together with the
transfer rules identified in formulas. Chapter 3 is about the findings and discussion
resulting from the study.
Part III is the „CONCLUSION‟ offers the overview of the major conclusions on
each of the objectives set forth as tasks assigned to the research, which is followed by
some suggestion for further research.
REFERENCES come at the end of the paper, closing with Appendix.
38
38
REFERENCES

In English.

1. Alexander L.G. (1988), Longman English Grammar, Longman Group UK Limited.
2. A.P. Cowie and R. Mackin. (1993), Oxford Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Oxford
University Press, printed in Hong Kong.
3. A.S.Hornby (1995), Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English,

intermediate & advanced), Cambridge University Press.
21. Michael McCarthy & Felicity O’Dell (1999), English Vocabulary in Use
(elementary), Cambridge University Press.
22. Michael Swan (1995), Practical English Usage, Oxford University Press.
23. Palmer, F.R. (1965), The English Verb, Longman Group Limited, London.
24. Võ Đại Quang (2006), Lectures on English Grammar, Trường Đại học Ngoại Ngữ -
Đại học Quốc Gia, Hà Nội.
25. Randolph Quirk et al (1972), A Grammar of Contemporary English, Longman.
26. Randolph Quirk & Sidney Greenbaum (1973), A University Grammar of English,
Longman.
27. Richard, Jack et al. (1985), Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics, Longman.
28. Sidney Greenbaum (1996), The Oxford English Grammar, Oxford University Press.
29. Stuart Redman & Ruth Gairns (1999), Test Your English Vocabulary in Use (pre-
intermediate & intermediate), Cambridge University Press.
30. Stuart Redman (1997), English Vocabulary in Use (pre-intermediate &
intermediate), Cambridge University Press.
31. www.encarta.msn.com
32. www.wikitionary.com/get

In Vietnamese

33. Diệp Quang Ban (1996), Ngữ pháp Tiếng Việt, Tập 2, NXB Giáo Dục.
34. Diệp Quang Ban & Hoàng Văn Thung (1992), Ngữ pháp Tiếng Việt, Tập 1, NXB
Giáo Dục.
35. Lê Huy Bắc (2000), Ông già và biển cả, NXB Văn học.
36. Nguyễn Hòa & Minh Thu (2006), Luyện dịch Việt – Anh, NXB Đại học Quốc Gia
Hà Nội.
37. Trần Hữu Mạnh (2007), Ngôn ngữ học đối chiếu – Cú pháp Tiếng Anh-Tiếng Việt,
NXB Đại học Quốc Gia Hà Nội.
40