Contents
- Five minute guide
The key points if you’re short of time. - Causative in detail
A more in-depth look at rules and usage of causative.
Five Minute Guide to Causative
Forming sentences with causative
- “have something done”
have + object + verb 3 (past participle)
-
“have someone do something”
have + object + infinitive
Using causative
- We use causative when arranging for someone to do something for us.
- They had their car repaired. (they arranged for someone to repair it)
Compare to: They repaired their car. (they did it themselves)
- I had my hair cut yesterday. (I went to the hairdresser)
Compare to: I cut my hair yesterday. (I cut it myself)
- We also use causative when someone does something to us.
- Bill had his money stolen.
- We use “have someone do something” to talk about giving instructions or orders (more common in American English).
- I had my assistant type the report.
- I’ll have my lawyer look into it.
Other rules and use of causative
- Get is possible instead of have, usually in informal spoken English.
- I’m going to have my car fixed tomorrow.
- I’m going to get my car fixed tomorrow.
Causative in detail
What is causative and why do we use it?
have + object + verb 3 (past participle)
have + object + infinitive
- They had their car repaired. (they arranged for someone to repair it)
Compare to: They repaired their car. (they did it themselves) - I had my hair cut yesterday. (I went to the hairdresser)
Compare to: I cut my hair yesterday. (I cut it myself)
- Bill had his money stolen.
- I had my assistant type the report.
- I’ll have my lawyer look into it.
- I’m going to have my car fixed tomorrow.
- I’m going to get my car fixed tomorrow.
We use causative when we want to say that we’re not doing something ourselves, but arranging for someone else to do it for us. One of the most common causative forms is in passive voice. Have a look at these sentences:
- I had my nails done yesterday.
- I’m getting my car washed later.
Firstly, as you can see, I’m not doing my nails or washing my car myself, but arranging for someone to do these things for me. Just like with other passive sentences, we don’t specify who is doing the action in these sentences. With causative, the reason is normally that it’s quite clear from the context. It’s clear in the first example that someone at a nail salon did the nails, and in the second example that someone at the car wash is going to wash the car.
Here’s the form of this type of causative sentence:
- have/get + object + past participle
Active causative
We can also use “have” and “get” in causative sentences in active voice. Once again, we are saying that we’re not doing the action ourselves, but someone else is doing it. More specifically, we want to say that we are giving someone else the responsibility, or convincing them, to do something for us:
- I had my husband call the doctor.
- I got my husband to call the doctor.
What can we notice about the form of these active causative sentences?
Well, firstly, we can see that we know who is doing the action – we have specified the agent (my husband). Secondly, we use the base form of the verb rather than the past participle (and with “get” we put “to” in front of it). So the form this time is:
- have + agent + base form
- get + agent + to + base form
Using “let” and “make” with active causative
We can also use the verbs “make” and “let” in active causative sentences. We use “let” when we want to say that we allow someone else to do something for us, and “make” when we want to say that we oblige someone else to do something for us:
- He let her borrow his car.
- She makes him tidy his bedroom every Sunday.
As you can see, the form is the same as when we used “have”:
- let/make + agent + base form
40 comments
Timita
I give each student a drawing of a town, with lots of different businesses. I first elicit what each business does (i.e. in the hair salon they cut your hair, at the mechanic they fix your car… etc) to check vocabulary. Then I introduce the grammar and ask what you can have done in each, for example:
In the hair salon I can have my hair cut, at the mechanic I can have my car fixed. etc.
Filip Kaas
Yeah really great idea!
Masilbi
Great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Houcine
I write the following sentence on the board:
I have my hair cut every week.
1. Elicit the form from the students (have/has + noun + past participle)
2. Use the following concept questions to elicit YES or NO:
Do I cut my hair? Ss: NO
Does somebody else cut my hair? Ss: YES
Do I pay money? Ss: YES
3. If you cut your hair yourselves, how would you say that? I elicit: I cut my hair.
4. Elicit that every week expresses “a habit”, and have is in the present simple tense.
5. Write the following on the board:
house/clean
and elicit…
I have my house cleaned.
I repeat the concept questions to make sure that students grasp the new structure, and drill it (whole class/individuals).
6. Written practice.
Poppy
I ask the class who is scared of going to the dentists. Then I tell them all the work I had done when I was young (6 teeth out, a brace for 2 years, now I’m having my wisdom teeth out) and put them in pairs to tell their partners how much dental work they’ve had done (extra vocab too).
Then you can elicit a few modal sentences from one of the students, put it on the board and clarify the form and meaning.
In changing it into the active it can be quite funny, as you can’t really take our own wisdom teeth out. You can even bring in some gory pictures! :)
Anonymous
I put on the board pictures showing
a.) broken down car
b.) mechanic repairing it.
Then I say:
I had a problem with my car and took it to the mechanic and write on the board:
I had my car fixed.
Then ask:
a) Did I fix it? Students answer “No”
b) Did the mechanic fix it? Students answer “yes”
c) Did I pay for it? They answer “yes”.
Finally I write on the board the form of causative.
Τ.Ι.
it is right to say
I had my house painted ?
carlos
remember to start your question with “is” instead of “it” :3
Keith Taylor
Hi T.I.
Yes, that sentence is correct.
Harry
Is saying
Did marvin had his hair cut?
Correct?
Keith Taylor
“Did Marvin have his hair cut?” is correct.
In a yes/no question we don’t put the main verb into the past tense, because the auxiliary verb “Did” shows us the tense.
Hope that helps.
Ivona
What would be the correct answers here?
A: John looked different somehow.
B: He_______________ . (his hair)(cut)
A: Yes, and I think he ___________________ . It looked much smarter! (his jacket)(cleaned)
Keith Taylor
A: John looked different somehow.
There are a few possibilities for this. For example:
B: He has had his hair cut.
B: He must have had his hair cut.
B: Maybe he had his hair cut.
A: Yes, and I think he had his jacket cleaned. It looked much smarter!
Waheed Elgabry
What’s the answer?
He wants to fix his car. ( use : had).
Keith Taylor
You could try:
“He wants to have his car fixed”.
Parsa
Why you didn’t use “has”?
“Did Marvin has his hair cut?”
Keith Taylor
Hi Parsa
When we make a question in past simple, the auxiliary verb “did” is in past simple, and the main verb goes back to the base form (have).
I hope this helps.
Geraldine Castellanos
How would it be with the following examples?
– I didn’t see them. They went away for their summer holidays.
– We may have the day off and perhaps we might go to U2 concert.
– She doesn’t want to talk to me. so I can’t help her.
– Maggie was in the garden. Therefore, her dinner burnt.
– Paul is sad because he can’t see his friends due to coronavirus.
Keith Taylor
Hi Geraldine – what kind of sentences do you want to change these to?
Rizwan Ali
Please make clear my concept.
1. She always has me do her work.
2. She always have me do her work.
Which one is gramatically correct?
Keith Taylor
This one is correct:
1. She always has me do her work.
I have
You have
She has
We have
They have
Manu
Hi, so I was in the middle of my English class, and we were learning about the Causative Form, and my teacher said that the sentence “Did you get the car serviced yesterday?” was incorrect because of the “did”, but that’s not correct, is it?
Keith Taylor
“Did you get the car serviced yesterday?” looks correct to me!
grey
Hi
please which among the two is correct?
1. I’ve not fixed the room
2. I’ve not fix the room
OXUNJON FROM UZBEKISTAN
I haven’t had fixed the room. Or
I didn’t have fixed the room
Keith Taylor
“I haven’t had the room fixed” is correct.
Keith Taylor
1. I’ve not fixed the room (or “I haven’t fixed the room”)
is correct. Please see this article on present perfect for more about this.
Mahgul Jairal
Are the following sentences correct?
1. I have my assistance call the client.
2. I have my car painted.
3. I help him carry the luggage.
Keith Taylor
1. I have my assistance call the client.
I have / I’ll have / I had my assistant call the client.
2. I have my car painted.
This is ok.
3. I help him carry the luggage.
This is ok.
Aayush karki
“He is making me see my old photo”
Is this correct?
Dodly
I had my house cleaned yesterday.
What is the tense and the meaning of the sentence?
What is the problem in meaning, form, and pronunciation?
Help as soon as possible (:
Keith Taylor
“I had my house cleaned yesterday.”
This is a causative sentence in past simple. It means that I arranged for someone to clean my house for me.
Hope this helps.
Kushal
Which one is correct:
“I get the tiger trapped in the cage” or “I get the tiger to trap in the cage”.
“I get the goat grazed” or “I get the cage to graze”.
Qusaj
A: Rewrite the following sentences using the causative form with the verbs (get, have).
1- Go and cut your hair, it is too long
Go
My dad asked the mechanic to fix his car yesterday.
2-My dad
Keith Taylor
“Go and have your hair cut.”
“My dad asked the mechanic to get his car fixed.”
– This one is strange, because you wouldn’t ask the mechanic for someone else to fix the car – it is the mechanic himself who would fix it.
abdulahhamoud@gmail.com
Hi
Brides rarely make their wedding dresses.
Is it acceptable to say?
They don’t have them made.
Or only?
They have them made.
Keith Taylor
“They don’t have them made” is okay. Or you can say: “They rarely have them made”.
Alexandre
Could you tell me if the sentence is correct?
Is it possible for me to have the washing machine installed by the deliverer?
Can we use Causative + by + object if it is necessary?
Thank you in advance.
Keith Taylor
Your sentence is correct!
Alexandre
Thank you very much