Phrasal verb
get across
Definition
phrasal verb. to make someone understand an idea or a message clearly.
phrasal verb. to communicate a concept or information effectively so that it is comprehended by the recipient; often implies a barrier or difficulty in the communication process.
Examples
“I hope I can get my point across.”
“The teacher used simple diagrams to get the complex scientific theory across to the students.”
“The politician struggled to get her message across to the voters despite an extensive and expensive advertising campaign.”
Examples
simple
“I hope I can get my point across.”
contextual
“The teacher used simple diagrams to get the complex scientific theory across to the students.”
complex
“The politician struggled to get her message across to the voters despite an extensive and expensive advertising campaign.”
Usage
often used with 'point', 'message', or 'idea' as the object.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'explain'; 'get across' emphasizes the successful reception of the message by the listener rather than just the act of speaking.
Pitfall
He got across his point.
He got his point across.
while both are grammatically possible, this phrasal verb is almost always separated when the object is a short noun phrase or pronoun.
Phrasal verb
Particles
across
Separability
optional
Pattern
get + object + across
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/get-across