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HSS Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Got to -ing

Hi.

How would you paraphrase "got to" in the sentence, "I got to talking with him"?

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Best,

Hiro
  

Top answer

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7 Answers
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It means, "(eventually) I started talking with him."
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Hi

How would you paraphrase "got to" in the sentence, "I got to talking with him"?

After some time, I began to talk with him.
It's a folksy-sounding phrase that is not really part of main-line English, in my opinion.

Best wishes, Clive
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HSSHow would you paraphrase "got to" in the sentence, "I got to talking with him"?
became involved in.
get to + -ing suggests becoming a participant in the -ing activity, becoming engaged in doing it, possibly after some resistance or delay. A common formula is Once ... got to ... -ing, ...

Once I got to thinkin
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It has the feeling of, I think: "It so happened (i.e. it came about by chance) that I started talking with him."
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Annvanso happened (i.e. it came about by chance)
Yes. I get that feeling as well. Emotion: smile
CJ
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Can it be converted to a present tense format? For example:

Once Mary get to doing her homework, she will find that it is not so difficult after all.

Thanks.
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in this example we would probably say, "Once Mary gets around to doing her homework, she will find that it is not too difficult after all." (Don't forget the "s" on "gets.")

But in a generalized present tense, you could say "Whenever I get to thinking about Paris, I get nostaligic."

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