Get sick means to become ill. Get marks the moment the illness starts. In American English it's the most common way to say it, while British speakers more often say get ill or fall ill.
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get sick (with + illness); get sick before/during + event; get sick of + noun/-ing = be tired of
- I got sick the day before my exam and had to stay in bed.
- Wash your hands often so you don't get sick during flu season.
- Young children get sick a lot in their first year at nursery.
What changed
First versionIt's freezing outside — put on a scarf, or you'll be sick.
RevisionIt's freezing outside — put on a scarf, or you'll get sick.
Be sick describes a state, not the moment someone falls ill. On top of that, in British English be sick means to vomit: you'll be sick sounds like a warning that you'll throw up. To say that someone will fall ill, you need get sick.
Sick of has nothing to do with health: get sick of something means to get tired of it, to be fed up with it. I'm getting sick of this rain means I'm fed up with this rain. You can't say this with ill.
Your turn
I've eaten the same sandwich for lunch every day this month, and I'm getting ___ of it.
Show the answer
sick — This isn't about illness: the speaker is fed up with the same sandwich, so the answer is sick of. Ill is never used to mean fed up.
Describe a time when you got sick at a bad moment. Say when it happened and what you had to cancel.
I got sick the week before my sister's wedding and had to cancel my trip to help her with the preparations.
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