CONTENTS FEATURE: Choose refined alternatives for the verb 'get' WORD POWER: Strengthen your vocabulary SPOTLIGHT: EditPros clients in the news NET NOTES: Captivating web sites FEATURE: Choose refined alternatives for the crass verb 'get'      Some words that are acceptable in conversations are inadvisable in business writing because they either are colloquial, imprecise or they have multiple meanings. One such word is the verb "get"—which also happens to be objectionable because it's crass.      Think of a sweaty guy with matted hair, a torn T-shirt, two-day beard stubble and gapped yellow teeth ogling a television set in a display window as he mutters, "I'm gonna get me one of them."      Think of a movie scene in which a handcuffed criminal being led past his accuser snarls, "I'm gonna get you, man!"      A declaration, therefore, by a business executive about intentions to get a larger market share is uninspiring.      Although "get" is a legitimate verb that appears in Shakespearean literature, dictionary usage panel members consider some of its many uses "nonstandard"—in other words, slang. Contemporary dictionaries identify as many as 30 distinct definitions for "get." It can mean to obtain, to take by force, to cause, to prepare, to persuade, to perceive, to stimulate emotional involvement; it can indicate necessity, understanding or revenge.      While use of "get" may offer the most expedient way to express an idea, more thoughtful alternatives can command greater respect. Here's a list of common expressions involving variations of "get," followed by preferable equivalents. To obtain   We've got 1.5 million signatures.   We've collected 1.5 million signatures. To receive, as a gift   She got that book for her birthday.   That book was a gift for her birthday. To purchase   We've decided to get new furniture for the meeting room.   We've decided to buy new furniture. To earn   I got my master's degree three years ago.   I earned my master's degree. To begin   Let's get working.   Let's start working. To become   With her ambition, she'll get to be president.   She has the ambition to become president. To arrive   We should get there before 3 p.m.   We should arrive before 3 p.m. To board a vehicle   It's time to get on the bus.   It's time to board the bus. To return   We'll get back on Saturday.   We'll return on Saturday. To undergo   Tom got searched by security agents at the airport.   Security agents searched Tom at the airport. To inflict with disease   She's worried about getting Lyme disease.   She's worried about contracting Lyme disease. To receive as punishment   The convicted robber got four years in prison.   The convicted robber was sentenced to four years in prison. To comprehend   I don't get it.   I don't understand. To discover   What did you get out of that class?   What did you learn in that class? To determine or solve   I got the answer.   I calculated the answer. To evoke emotions   Dorothea Lange's photographs really get to me.   The precise meaning of that statement is unclear.   Specify how they "get to you"—for example:   Dorothea Lange's photographs convey such desperation.   Dorothea Lange's photographs remind me how fortunate I am.   Dorothea Lange's photographs penetrate people's souls. To annoy or irritate   His arrogance really gets to me.   His arrogance really annoys me. To become or grow to be   Billy got a lot taller.   Billy grew a lot taller. State of necessity or obligation   I've got to go.   I must leave.      The verb "get" also appears as a component of a large number of idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs. You can get up early and get going so you can get ahead in life, trying in the meantime to get by with a modest budget, get in touch with friends, get after people who impede your progress, lecture them to get over your disagreements, see if you can get a rise out of unresponsive people, try to get around cumbersome regulations, and hope you will not get sick and be forced to get to bed.      Because "get" often substitutes for the verb "have," its use is redundant in sentences containing contractions of "have." For example, the uncontracted form of the sentence "I've got to go" is "I have got to go." In that case, "got" is superfluous; "I have to go" or "I must go" will suffice.      Be aware that the past-participle form "gotten" is unrelated to the adjective "misbegotten," which means unlawfully or illegally conceived. It also means illegitimate or disreputable. "Begotten" is a past participle of "beget," which means to father or sire.      The verb "get" does have its place. A traveler who says he "shall retrieve" his luggage (rather than saying he is "going to get" his luggage) typically would be considered pompous. So don't feel compelled to banish "get" in your business writing, but use it with discretion. Yes! EditPros can help you make wise word choices. WORD POWER: Strengthen your vocabulary Xeriscape:     That's the proper spelling for the landscaping concept suited for arid regions. The water-saving method (sometimes misspelled "zeroscape") is a term trademarked by a Colorado public utility, Denver Water, and should be capitalized. The word is a combination of "landscape" and the Greek word "xeros," which means "dry." To avoid copyright infringement in commercial applications, refer to it generically as "water-conserving landscape." SPOTLIGHT: EditPros clients in the news Animal Safety Lab on front lines of disease outbreak battles      The California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory (CAHFS) based in Davis, Calif., is at the forefront as the state prepares for the inevitable invasion of West Nile virus. The laboratory, an EditPros client, performs vital functions, monitoring and diagnosing livestock and poultry diseases that pose a threat to agriculture, the food supply and to human health. Headquartered on the campus of the University of California, Davis, the laboratory works closely with state and federal agencies.      Through its detection and diagnosis methods, the laboratory has played a significant role in controlling numerous disease outbreaks. In January 2002, low-path avian influenza was diagnosed in layer chickens examined by the San Bernardino branch of the laboratory. The virus, which is associated with significant reproductive tract disease that diminishes egg production, spread into Central Valley chickens. Through a cooperative effort, the poultry industry and the California Department of Food and Agriculture isolated the virus and dampened its spread.      In late September, exotic Newcastle disease (END) was identified in game birds submitted from Los Angeles County. The California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched an eradication program in cooperation with various state agencies, including the California Department of Forestry (CDF), the Office of Emergency Services (OES) and the California Conservation Corps (CCC). Declarations of emergency by Gov. Gray Davis and President George W. Bush enabled participation of more than 1,600 personnel in combating the outbreak.      After END was discovered in commercial poultry in Nevada, Arizona and Texas, the CAHFS responded by performing postmortem examination of birds submitted by veterinarians, producers and non-commercial bird owners. Virus isolation capabilities were established in the San Bernardino laboratory. CAHFS personnel recognized that a rapid test was needed to meet testing demands. In collaboration with scientists from federal agencies, CAHFS personnel succeeded in creating a new test for the Newcastle virus. Through further refinement of the assay, the lab developed capability to process in excess of 1,000 tests a day.      The CAHFS already has begun postmortem examination of birds and horses for West Nile virus. Lab personnel believe that California will feel the onslaught of infestation before 2003 comes to a close.      West Nile virus causes encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. The virus has been found in Africa, western Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean region of Europe, and by the fall of 1999 it reached the New York City area. West Nile virus is transmitted by mosquitoes that acquire it from infected birds. Migrating birds may play a role in spreading the virus, which has the potential to affect livestock and poultry.      Visit the CAHFS Web site for more information. Net Notes: Captivating Internet resources W3C MarkUp Validation Service http://validator.w3.org/      Creating or editing Web pages can be tricky, and identifying errors in HTML (hypertext markup language) can be challenging. This Web site can help. By entering your Web page addresses, you can use the W3C MarkUp Validation Service at no cost to check the syntax of your HTML and XHTML documents for conformity to W3C recommendations and other standards. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) was founded in 1974 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Laboratory for Computer Science to develop protocols for the Web, including technical specifications, guidelines and software. Yahoo Maps http://www.yahoo.com/      Yahoo.com has introduced a remarkably fast map generator. In the "Search the Web" window, simply type "map" followed by an address—for example: "map 423 F Street, Davis, CA". With a high-speed connection, you'll see a resulting map faster than you can read the address aloud. Lorem Ipsum Generator http://www.lipsum.com/      Lorem Ipsum—truncated to Lipsum—is simply dummy text used for typography and page layout specimens. Lipsum is not random text, but rather has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC. Lipsum is favored because recognizable text can be distracting when trying to evaluate a layout design. But unlike gibberish or repeated words, Lipsum has a normal distribution of letters, making it resemble readable English. You can specify the number of paragraphs, words, bytes, or bulleted list items in the text you'd like to generate, and it's free of charge. This site was suggested by EditPros newsletter reader Susan Rogers of Grass Valley, Calif. YOUR TURN: Ask the "grammar coach" or subscribe      We invite you to submit your questions to the "grammar coach," and we welcome you to subscribe to this monthly newsletter—which we'll send to your e-mail address at no charge. We respond to all "grammar coach" questions personally, but delays may occur because we must place top priority on assignments from our clients. We appreciate your patience and your interest.      You also can change your e-mail subscription address. For an address change, please indicate your existing AND your new e-mail address. Thank you. 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