Should ‘got’ be used instead of ‘was’ in formal reports

formalitypast-tense

I frequently write reports for customers with detailed descriptions of my work. Neither me nor my colleagues are native speakers but they frequently use 'got', where I would rather use 'was'. Very crude examples:

  • The file got deleted.
  • The parcel got delivered.

I've corrected this numerous times, but my colleagues do not understand my issue with the term. I've googled, but could not come up with a proper rule against the use of 'got' in these scenarios.

To me, 'got' feels too informal or colloquial to be used in our reports. Do I have any grounds for this accusation or is it purely subjective?

Our reports are US English, but I'd be interested in any rules concerning the topic for both US and UK English.

Best Answer

We should use was in both cases in formal writing.

get in Wiktionary sense 17 is stated as informal:

  1. (auxiliary, informal) Used with the past participle to form the dynamic passive voice of a dynamic verb. Compared with static passive with to be, this emphasizes the commencement of an action or entry into a state. Synonym: to be

He got bitten by a dog.

Some other dictionaries also have general statements on get being fairly informal.

Collins Dictionary has this note at the beginning of its definition of get:

LANGUAGE NOTE:

In most of its uses get is a fairly informal word.

Oxford Learners Dictionary has this note after its sense 27 definition:

Get is one of the most common words in English, but some people try to avoid it in formal writing.

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