Phrasal verb
get down to
Definition
phrasal verb. to start doing something seriously or give it your full attention.
phrasal verb. to begin to direct one's efforts or attention towards a specific task or topic, often after a period of delay or socialising.
Examples
“Let's get down to business.”
“After we finished our coffee and caught up on news, we finally got down to studying for the exam.”
“The committee spent an hour debating the agenda before they could get down to the actual task of budget allocation.”
Examples
simple
“Let's get down to business.”
contextual
“After we finished our coffee and caught up on news, we finally got down to studying for the exam.”
complex
“The committee spent an hour debating the agenda before they could get down to the actual task of budget allocation.”
Usage
usually followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form).
Teaching tip
contrast this with 'get to' (reach a destination) to show how 'down' adds a sense of focus and seriousness to the action.
Pitfall
We got down to work on the project.
We got down to working on the project.
if using a verb after 'to', it must be in the -ing form because 'to' is a preposition here, not part of an infinitive.
Phrasal verb
Particles
down to
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
get + down + to + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/get-down-to