ESEN
Which one to use?Intermediatestructurestructure
Be (passive)vsGet (passive)
'Be' + past participle is the formal, neutral passive; 'get' + past participle is the informal passive emphasizing change.
Side-by-side comparison
Be (passive)
structureThe passive with "be" ("was invited") is more formal and neutral. It describes the resulting state or process with no connotation of surprise or informality.
The bridge was built over a hundred years ago and is still in perfect condition.
All applicants will be notified by email within two weeks of the closing date.
The letter was signed by the head teacher and sent to all parents on Friday.
Get (passive)
structureThe passive with "get" ("got invited") is more informal and conversational. It usually implies something happened unexpectedly or without the subject having planned it.
He got stopped by the police on the way home because a brake light was out.
She got stung by a wasp at the park and her arm swelled up immediately.
My bike got stolen from outside the supermarket while I was inside shopping.
Common mistake
"The report got approved by the board" sounds too colloquial for a formal text: in written and professional registers use "was approved by the board." The "get" passive implies an accidental event or change affecting the subject; the "be" passive is neutral.
Trick to remember it
- •Formal register (report, professional email) = always "be" + participle.
- •Spoken/informal register or emphasising accident or change = "get" + participle.
- •With a "by + agent," "be" is always more natural.
Quick rule
- •"Be" + participle = standard passive, all registers.
- •"Get" + participle = spoken/informal passive, emphasises change, result, or accident.
- •Formal written text = always "be."
Did you know?
The GET passive developed mainly in Late Modern English (17th-18th centuries) and continues to expand. Corpus data shows that the GET passive has increased significantly in spoken 20th-century English, especially in American English. Linguists Alexiadou and Doron have studied why the GET passive implies "active participation" of the subject or an "accidental event" that the BE passive does not: "She got arrested" suggests that her behavior contributed to the situation, while "She was arrested" is completely neutral. This subtle pragmatic distinction is why the GET passive remains productive and useful even though the BE passive is older and more formally established.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She _____ promoted last month. Everyone congratulated her.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The window _____ broken by a football last night. Nobody knows who did it.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
Active voicevsPassive voice
In the active voice the subject acts; in the passive voice the subject receives the action.
GetvsBe
'Get' + past participle emphasizes process or change of state; 'be' + past participle is the standard, formal passive.
HavevsHave got
'Have' and 'have got' express possession with the same basic meaning, but differ in register and negative/question forms.
AvsAn
'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy