0
Jigneshbharati Posted 5 years ago
Grammar

Got his living

Jack was thin, small and ugly, and stank like a drain. He got his living by running errands, holding horses and doing a bit of scrubbing on the side. I read in my son's book "Gripping tales".

How do we confirm that "got" is the main verb in the sentence? What does got mean here?

  

Top answer

Jigneshbharati How do we confirm that "got" is the main verb in the sentence? By observing that everything else is under the scope of "by", and indeed that the "-ing" words are gerunds and not (finite) verbs. Jigneshbharati What does got mean here?

— GPY

  • Jigneshbharati How do we confirm that "got" is the main verb in the sentence?
  • By observing that everything else is under the scope of "by", and indeed that the "-ing" words are gerunds and not (finite) verbs.
  • Jigneshbharati What does got mean here?
  • Obtained.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

2 Answers
0
JigneshbharatiHow do we confirm that "got" is the main verb in the sentence?

By observing that everything else is under the scope of "by", and indeed that the "-ing" words are gerunds and not (finite) verbs.

JigneshbharatiWhat does got mean here?

Obtained.

0
0
Jigneshbharatigot his living

idiom: earned money that allowed him to buy the necessities of life

In American English it's 'made his living'. Also 'earned his living'.

This is one of the very few uses in English of 'living' as a noun.

You make your living in the pharmaceutical business, don't you?

CJ

0

Related Questions