PTE Practice and Learn / Vocab Mixed Skills / Repeat Sentence/ Reading Gap fill

(Tester: here a page in progress of free upcoming practice material for PTE. Excuse errors and inconsistency, we aim to improve)

The purpose of this lesson is to get you to

1. understand get collocation and phrasal verbs
2. conquer them in repeat sentence, write from dictation and reading gap fill sections of the PTE Academic Test.

Get has the following basic meanings:

• receive, obtain or buy something. e.g. please get me a newspaper when you’re in town; I got a letter from John today; She got top marks in her exam.
• show a change in position – move or be moved, e.g. How are you getting home tonight?
• show a change in state – become or make, e.g. We are all getting older if not wiser.

Get also has a number of other more specific meanings.

It’s my turn to get dinner tonight= Meaning prepare a meal.

I don’t get it. Why did he speak like that? Meaning understand.  

His behaviour really gets me at times Meaning annoy.

When you pronounce a phrase verb (or a multi-part verb) the ‘get’ will be stressed and the preposition, at, to, by, down etc. will be weak, very weak, so weak that you can barely hear a grunt when native speakers use them.

For instance, ‘GETup’, GETat- may sound identical to non-native speakers. So, you have to understand the context of the sentence.

        The table below shows just some of the phrasal verbs based on get.

phrasal verb	meaning	sample sentence
get at	reach, find	A. I hope the enquiry will get at the truth.
get away with	do something wrong without getting caught	B. The robbers got away with several though pounds.
get rid of	remove completely	C. The company got rid of all their photocopies in order to cut costs.
get behind	fail to produce some- thing at the right time	D. I’ve got terribly behind with my work.
get by	manage (financially)	E. We could never get by on my salary alone.
get down	depress	F. This weather is really getting me down.
get down to	begin to give serious attention to	G. It’s time you got down to some work.
get on	manage	H. However will we get on without you?
get on	advance, develop	I. Jo is getting on very well at school now.
get out of	avoid a responsibility	J. I’ll try and get out of my lesson tomorrow.
get over	recover from	K. She’s getting over a bad attack of flu.
get round	spread	L.The rumour soon got round the whole village.
get through	come to a successful end	M. What a relief that she got through all her exams!
get through	use up all of	N. He got through his month’s salary in just one weekend.
get up to	to do (especially something bad)	O. They’re very quiet. I wonder what they’re getting up to?

Repeat sentence or write from dictation exercises

Repeat sentence or write from dictation. Here are 10 sentences using a get phrasal verb from the table in the introduction. First listen to the whole meaning, then attempt to write or repeat.

1.

2

3.

4.

5.

6

7

8.

9.

10.

ANSWER KEY

2. Controlled Gap fill

Collocations with ‘get’

Read in context and then study all the collocation with get in bold. The fill in the gaps in the similar PTE reading exercise.

Pollution has become a significant issue, and it’s crucial to get a handle on it before it gets out of control. Whilst many individuals are trying to reduce single-use plastics, governments are also getting involved by implementing stricter regulations on emissions. It’s essential to get the message across that everyone needs to contribute to environmental protection. If we don’t get together and take action, the damage to our planet will become irreversible. By getting behind initiatives like recycling and renewable energy, we can make a positive impact and get our environment back on track.

Now try this reading test sample. Hint: pay attention to the preposition to decide which expression uses that preposition.

The plight of endangered turtles has become a significant concern, and it’s crucial to get a 1. _____________on conservation efforts before it’s too late. While many individuals are getting 2. _____________ by supporting beach clean-ups and reducing plastic waste, governments are also getting 3. ___________ initiatives to protect turtle habitats. It’s essential to get the message 4._________ that everyone needs to contribute to saving these remarkable creatures. By getting behind conservation programs and promoting sustainable practices, we can make a positive impact and get our environment back on 5.___________.

involved // handle // rid // across // behind // track //together // handle// over // around

ANSWER KEY

3. Extended Gap fill

with a mixture of get phrasal verbs and collocations

The fill in the gaps in the similar PTE reading exercise.

Urban sprawl has gotten out of  1._____________ in recent years. While many individuals are getting 2. __________ by participating in community gardening and tree-planting initiatives, it’s essential to get the message 3. ________ that everyone needs to contribute to this cause. If we don’t take action, the loss of green spaces will make it harder for future generations to get 4. __________in increasingly concrete environments. By supporting urban green projects and advocating for sustainable city planning, we can get 5.__________ these challenges and ensure that our cities remain vibrant and liveable

ANSWER KEY

If you have already. Check your answers.