Casuative Verbs

Jack had his house painted. This sentence is similar in meaning to: Someone painted Jack's house. OR Jack's house was painted by someone. Causative verbs express the idea of someone causing something to take place. Causative verbs can be similar in meaning to passive verbs. Examples: My hair was cut. (passive) I had my hair cut. (causative) Both 'make' and 'have' can be used as causative verbs. Make 'Make' as a causative verb expresses the idea that the person requires another person to do something. Construction Chart Subject + Make + Person + Base Form of Verb Examples: Peter made her do her homework. The teacher made the students stay after class. Have 'Have' as a causative verb expresses the idea that the person wants something to be done for them. This causative verb is often used when speaking about various services. There are two forms of the causative verb 'have'. Construction Chart: Use 1 Subject + Have + Person + Base Form of Verb Examples: They had John arrive early. She had her children cook dinner for her. Construction Chart: Use 2 Subject + Have + Object + Past Participle Examples: I had my hair cut last Saturday. She had the car washed at the weekend. Note: This form is similar in meaning to the passive. The following is a mini-tutorial on the use of the causative verbs "let," "make," "have," and "get." After you have studied the tutorial, complete the associated exercises. If you already know how to use these verbs, you can skip the explanation and go directly to the exercises. Let FORM [let + person + verb] USE This construction means "to allow someone to do something." Examples: John let me drive his new car. Will your parents let you go to the party? I don't know if my boss will let me take the day off. Make FORM [make + person + verb] USE This construction means "to force someone to do something." Examples: My teacher made me apologize for what I had said. Did somebody make you wear that ugly hat? She made her children do their homework. Have FORM [have + person + verb] USE This construction means "to give someone the responsibility to do something." Examples: Dr. Smith had his nurse take the patient's temperature. Please have your secretary fax me the information. I had the mechanic check the brakes. Get FORM [get + person + to + verb] USE This construction usually means "to convince to do something" or "to trick someone into doing something." Examples: Susie got her son to take the medicine even though it tasted terrible. How can parents get their children to read more? The government TV commercials are trying to get people to stop smoking. Get vs. Have Sometimes "get someone to do something" is interchangeable with "have someone do something," but these expressions do not mean exactly the same thing. Examples: I got the mechanic to check my brakes. At first the mechanic didn't think it was necessary, but I convinced him to check the brakes. I had the mechanic check my brakes. I asked the mechanic to check the brakes.