Fly, Flee
In a general sense fly is applied to winged creatures and flee to persons. “What exile from himself can flee?” “When the swallows homeward fly.” The past tense forms are sometimes confused, as, “The inhabitants flew to the fort for safety,” “The wild geese have all fled to the South.” The principal parts of the verbs are:
Present. Past. Perf. part.
fly, flew, flown.
flee, fled, fled.
The verbs flew and fled in the foregoing sentences should be transposed. Fly implies motion either from or toward. Flee implies motion from. Fly may be used, in a figurative sense, of persons, to indicate great speed as of wings. “I flew to his rescue.” “He flew to my rescue.” “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
The word flown is sometimes used erroneously as the past tense or perfect participle of the verb flow. The parts of this verb are flow, flowed, flowed. “The river has overflowed (not overflown) its banks.”
Get, Got
Because a horse is willing is no reason why he should be ridden to death. The verb get and its past-tense form got admit of many meanings, as the following, from an old English publication, fully proves: “I got on horseback within ten minutes after I got your letter. When I got to Canterbury I got a chaise for town; but I got wet through before I got to Canterbury, and I have got such a cold as I shall not be able to get rid of in a hurry. I got to the Treasury about noon, but, first of all, I got shaved and dressed. I soon got into the secret of getting a memorial before the Board, but I could not get an answer then. However, I got intelligence from the messenger that I should most likely get an answer the next morning. As soon as I got back to my inn I got my supper and got to bed. It was not long before I got to sleep. When I got up in the morning I got myself dressed, and then got my breakfast, that I might get out in time to get an answer to my memorial. As soon as I got it I got into the chaise and got to Canterbury by three, and about teatime I got home. I have got nothing more to say.”
Those who are disposed to overwork the words get and got will find it interesting and profitable to read the foregoing exercise, substituting other words for those in italics.
With have the word got is generally superfluous; as, “I have got a cold,” “I have got to go to Boston this evening,” “Have you got Hires’s root-beer on draught?” For “I did not get to meet your cousin,” say “I had no opportunity,” or “I was prevented,” etc.
Another very faulty use of got is heard in such expressions as “He got killed,” “They got beaten,” “She got cured,” etc. Was or were would be more appropriate.