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get something done vs have done something



 
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ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
Why do you use the past tense to describe the subjunctive mood? | Sentences I never heard before: Don't Make The Sense God Gave A Mule.
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get something done vs have done something #1 (permalink) Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:26 am   get something done vs have done something
 

Hi!
"The boss really tore into me about not getting that report finished in time."

Does it mean that I didn't finish the report on my own?
if so,why don't we say "..................about finishing that report in time?"
Sultano
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Joined: 29 Jan 2006
Posts: 174

get something done vs have done something #2 (permalink) Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:37 am   get something done vs have done something
 

No. You had a deadline and you didn't meet the deadline. You were late in finishing the report. "Get" there means "not achieve (a goal)" or "not manage to do (something)".
Molly
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Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 4017

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get something done vs have done something #3 (permalink) Wed Jun 25, 2008 12:44 pm   get something done vs have done something
 

Molly wrote:
No. You had a deadline and you didn't meet the deadline. You were late in finishing the report. "Get" there means "not achieve (a goal)" or "not manage to do (something)".
Hi Molly
Are you saying that you think it is 100% clear that the speaker was the one writing the report? Confused
.
Yankee
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Joined: 16 Apr 2006
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Location: USA

get something done vs have done something #4 (permalink) Wed Jun 25, 2008 13:25 pm   get something done vs have done something
 

I think it could go either way. You could be Jim's supervisor and it was Jim's report -- but it was still needed by your boss so you didn't ensure it was done. OR it could have been your objective to get it done, and you didn't.

It's not uncommon, Sultano, to have someone say "Get it done" and it doesn't mean "have someone else do it" but rather "find a way to ensure this happens, one way or the other."
Barb_D
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Joined: 13 Jun 2008
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Why do you use the past tense to describe the subjunctive mood? | Sentences I never heard before: Don't Make The Sense God Gave A Mule.
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