Comments on: 3. You’ve Got to Help… http://taiwaneers.com A couple of kids from Michigan living the high life in Taiwan Tue, 22 May 2012 21:40:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Steve http://taiwaneers.com/the-english-challenge/3-youve-got-to-help/comment-page-1/#comment-6997 Steve Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:55:28 +0000 http://taiwaneers.com/the-english-challenge/3-youve-got-to-help/#comment-6997 Got is a helping verb, and so is have. Combining them creates a stronger sense of completion, in this case emphasizing the truth of this verb, really. I'd say more, but I've got to go do some work now. Really. I do have some work to do. And I agree with Genevieve, if you want to write formally, you've really got to get rid of the contractions, eliminate totally every single last one of the unnecessary little modifiers and keep your sparkling text spotlessly clear of unnecessary though seemingly harmless clutter. You've just got to do it! Got is a helping verb, and so is have. Combining them creates a stronger sense of completion, in this case emphasizing the truth of this verb, really. I’d say more, but I’ve got to go do some work now. Really. I do have some work to do. And I agree with Genevieve, if you want to write formally, you’ve really got to get rid of the contractions, eliminate totally every single last one of the unnecessary little modifiers and keep your sparkling text spotlessly clear of unnecessary though seemingly harmless clutter. You’ve just got to do it!

]]> By: Genevieve http://taiwaneers.com/the-english-challenge/3-youve-got-to-help/comment-page-1/#comment-904 Genevieve Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:02:20 +0000 http://taiwaneers.com/the-english-challenge/3-youve-got-to-help/#comment-904 You don't <em>need</em> to put "got" in there. BUT here's my justification of how the word "got" got in there. no got = formal and impersonal. When you simply say "you have xyz," you make an obvious and impersonal statement. There's no recognition that it was actually <em>got</em> by the owner from somewhere, somehow, from someone, at sometime for some reason with some effort or some luck. You just have it. No story. Boring. got = engaging and personal When you say "you have got xyz," you are saying, "you went out and made the effort to acquire xyz." The "got" recognizes the owner's effort to acquire what they have. It begs the question of a story about its acquisition, and THEREFORE engages the owner, turning the formal statement into a more personal comment or conversation starter. Fascinating. Do you buy it? You don’t need to put “got” in there.

BUT here’s my justification of how the word “got” got in there.

no got = formal and impersonal.
When you simply say “you have xyz,” you make an obvious and impersonal statement. There’s no recognition that it was actually got by the owner from somewhere, somehow, from someone, at sometime for some reason with some effort or some luck. You just have it. No story. Boring.

got = engaging and personal
When you say “you have got xyz,” you are saying, “you went out and made the effort to acquire xyz.” The “got” recognizes the owner’s effort to acquire what they have. It begs the question of a story about its acquisition, and THEREFORE engages the owner, turning the formal statement into a more personal comment or conversation starter. Fascinating.

Do you buy it?

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