CAUSATIVES: HAVE AND GET
We use a
causative verb when we want to talk about something that someone else did for us or for another person. It means that the
subject caused the action to happen, but didn't do it themselves. Maybe they
paid, or asked, or persuaded the other person to do it.
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For example, we can say:
I cleaned my house. (This means I cleaned it
myself).
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If I paid someone to clean it, of course I
can say:
A cleaner
cleaned my house.
➤➤But, another way is to use a causative construction.
So I can also say:
I had my house
cleaned.
In a sense,
using a causative verb is similar to
using a passive. The important thing is that the house is now clean. We
don't focus on who did the cleaning.
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We usually
use 'have something done' when we are
talking about paying someone to do something for us. It's often used for services.
The form is 'subject + have +
object + past participle'.
I had my car washed.
John will have
his house painted.
We can also
use 'subject + get + object + past
participle'. This has the same meaning as 'have', but is less formal.
The students get their essays checked. I'll get my
hair cut next week.
He got his washing machine fixed.
We can also
use the construction 'subject + have +
person + infinitive'. This has a very similar meaning to 'have something
done', which we've already talked about, but this time we say who did the thing - we talk about the
person who we asked to do the thing for us.
I had the electrician look at my broken light. The
doctor will have the nurse call the patients.
The teacher had the students write the answers on
the whiteboard.
Finally, we can
also use the construction 'get + someone
+ to + infinitive'. Again, this means that you cause the other person to do
the action, maybe by paying them to do it, or by asking them to do it, or by
persuading them to do it.
She gets her son to do his homework
by promising him ice cream when he's finished.
I got the cleaner to clean
under the cupboards.
Sometimes, this
construction has the feeling that we needed to convince someone to do
something, while the other constructions on this page are neutral.
➤➤
Exercise 34. Causatives: Have / Get Something Done
Change
these examples into the structure ‘have +
object + past participle’ or ‘get + object + past participle’.
For example: I cleaned my kitchen (have) → I had
my kitchen cleaned.
1.
I washed my car. (have)
2.
I cut my hair. (get)
3.
I typed the documents. (have)
4.
I fixed my washing machine. (get)
5.
I cut my grass. (have)
6.
I painted my bedroom. (get)
7.
I repaired my fridge. (have)
8.
I tidied my garden. (get)
9.
I edited the article. (have)
10. I
cleaned the carpets. (get)
11. I
printed the photo. (have)
12. I
checked my teeth. (get)
13. I
cleaned the windows. (have)
14. I made
the necklace. (get)
15. I
delivered the furniture. (have)
16. I
repaired the roof. (get)
17. I wrote
the report. (have)
18. I dyed
my hair. (get)
19. I sent
the money. (have).
20. I built
the shed. (get)
➤➤Exercise 35. Causatives: Have someone do something / Get someone
to do something
Change the
sentences to use the structures ‘have someone do something’ or ‘get someone to
do something’. Each one starts with ‘I’.
1.
The cleaner cleaned the house. (have)
2.
The taxi driver collected us. (have)
3.
John arrived on time. (get)
4.
The mechanic fixed the brakes. (have)
5.
The teacher explained the lesson. (have)
6.
My husband looked after our children. (get)
7.
The waiter brought some water. (have)
8.
The nurse took your temperature. (have)
9. The students stopped sleeping in class. (get) 10.The
teenagers went to bed early. (get)
11. The dentist
cleaned my teeth. (have) 12.My friend took her car. (get)
13.The window
cleaner washed the windows. (have) 14.The toddler ate her vegetables. (get)
15.The teacher
checked my writing. (get) 16.The secretary typed the report. (have) 17.The shop
assistant gave me a discount. (get) 18.The shop delivered the food. (have)
19. The
children did their homework. (get)
20.
My colleague helped me write the report. (get)
