Meaning trap
get around
news spreads
if news or information gets around, many people hear about it.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
if news or information gets around, many people hear about it.
Another meaning of 'get around' is 'travel locally'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- It didn't take long for the news of their engagement to get around.communication
- If something important happens in a small town, it usually gets around very quickly.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: get around (that...)
WrongThe news got around to everyone fast.
RightThe news got around fast. / Word got around.
'Get around' (news) is intransitive — don't add 'to everyone'.
Patternget around (that...)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Get around' (of news) is the natural idiom; the formal version is sociology.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
word/news gets aroundwordnewsfastquickly
Don't confuse it
'Get around' is about information spreading, while 'keep quiet' means not telling anyone.
Related
- get around (travel locally) — Another meaning of 'get around' is 'travel locally'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.