This looks like a good example of why we need to carefully distinguish “colloquial” from “ungrammatical.” I advise students to switch to the canonical passive in formal writing, but I view that as stylistic advice, not as a grammatical injunction.

As a side note on your analogy: Given the frequency with which helping verbs pair up with main verbs, I would expect a very, very large set of illegitimate offspring. It’s one of the many grey areas in grammar, and perhaps we should adjust to modernity and legalize grey marriage in this case.

Sincerely,

Bill Spruiell

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Brad Johnston
Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 7:17 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: query on the use of the word got

--- On Tue, 3/24/09, Castilleja, Janet <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

I tell my students that ‘got’ is the illegitimate child of the helping verb family.

You go on to explain that they should not use it when writing Standard English, don't you?

You tell 'em, "My dog was killed by the car", when they write about it, don't you? Sure you do. There IS something that can be done about it. 'Tain't hopelus uh'tall, even in Chicago.

From: Castilleja, Janet <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: query on the use of the word got
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 5:42 PM

I am unclear on why you think this is ungrammatical.  It seems acceptable to me. What is bothering you about it?  I know a lot of people complain when ‘got’ is used as an auxiliary:  ‘My dog got killed by the car.’  This usage seems to be so much a part of the language that I doubt anything can be done about it.  I tell my students that ‘got’ is the illegitimate child of the helping verb family.

Janet

---

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ciervo , Frank
Sent: Tuesday , March 24 , 2009 6:20 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: query on the use of the word got

Isn’t this a good example of very poor usage? Unless my memory is very bad , it would have been cause for points off in my freshmen composition class. A sad commentary on the state of news writing in 2009

But Farley noted that bill sponsor Assemblyman Peter Abbate Jr. , D-Brooklyn, hasn’t yet gotten a Democrat to introduce the bill in the Senate. The Democrats won control of the Senate this year.

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