I'd say you were right that the "get" passive is always pretty informal. I am always amused by the "get married" phrasing. The 'got' passive is usually adversative--besides being quite informal--in English. That is, it usually means something bad happened to the subject. I suppose this reflects a deeply held cultural ambivalence towards marriage! Compare I got slammed on the curve. (Okay, if informal) and I got sent a check for $200 by my grandmother. (Pretty unlikely, besides being informal. Most people regard checks as a good thing.) I think there is a difference in meaning between "she got married" and "she is married." If you just use the latter, the wedding ceremony could have been five decades ago; I think the most likely interpretation for "she got married" would be that the wedding ceremony was relatively recent--at least since the last time you asked about her.) I wonder if the "got passive" can be analyzed as a verb plus passive participle construction/ Kathleen Ward UC Davis On Nov 25, 2005, at 2:59 PM, Cynthia Baird wrote: > I would like some feedback on the correct usage of "got." > > I was always taught that "got" is a no-no in good writing, > > > For example, writers and speakers frequently say "she got married," > when it seems to me that "she married" is adequate. Besides, how does > one analyze "got married"? Some type of compound verb/verb particle > combination? > > Thanks > > > > Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less To > join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web > interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select > "Join or leave the list" > > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/