How to say “get rid of” like a native speaker
Remove something you do not want. Use it with care when talking about people: it can sound harsh or dismissive.
All phrases · Common idioms
Hear “get rid of” in real speech
Clip 1 · Patrick Winston (MIT)
How to Speak · 27:15
About this video
Patrick Winston teaches a lecture about speaking and communicating ideas. He discusses the role of knowledge and practice, and uses presentation slides to illustrate choices that help or hinder an audience.
In context
What else can we do?Get rid of the title.
Now, I want to talk to you about some rules for slide preparation.
Clip 2 · Kelly McGonigal
How to Make Stress Your Friend | Kelly McGonigal | TED · 6:56
About this video
Kelly McGonigal asks the audience about stress and discusses how people interpret their stress responses. She explains why she wants listeners to reconsider what a pounding heart and other signs of stress mean.
In context
So my goal as a health psychologist has changed.I no longer want to get rid of your stress.
I want to make you better at stress.
Clip 3 · Bill Gates
We Can Make COVID-19 the Last Pandemic | Bill Gates | TED · 9:48
About this video
Bill Gates discusses preparing to prevent future pandemics. He compares organised disease prevention with a community's firefighters and describes the unequal effects of COVID-19.
In context
which is to help us eradicate entire families of viruses.Innovative new vaccines used properly could get rid of the flu family, the coronavirus family.
And there's a huge burden of those, even in non-pandemic years, and if we get rid of it, it can never cause a pandemic.
When to use “get rid of”
- Clearing a cupboard: “I need to get rid of these empty boxes.”
- Solving a small household problem: “How can I get rid of this stain?”
Common learner mistake
Keep the whole expression: “get rid of it”, not “get rid it”.
Possible connected-speech patterns in “get rid of”
The D in “rid” links into a weak “of”. Keep the main emphasis on “rid” and the object that follows.
Related phrases
Practise again tomorrow? Get one short sentence a day, ready to record in one tap.
You don't need to speak fast.
A slow line to begin with: listen to how “don’t need to” runs together, then say it at the speaker’s pace.
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