Causative Verbs

Causative Verbs

Causative verbs are used to talk about getting something done by somebody else. Some common expressions using the causative verb forms are given below.

• You must have your hair washed. / You must get your hair cut.

• You must get that carpet cleaned.

• You must get / have your nails polished.

• We must have the roof repaired.

Causative forms are also possible with make. Causative forms of make often imply the idea that somebody has a certain authority over somebody else.

• He made me cry.

• They made her repeat the whole story. (= They forced her to repeat the whole story.)

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• ​He made her cook dinner.

• ​I made him do the homework.

• ​She made the child drink the milk.

MAKE = Force or Require Someone to Take an Action

• Grammatical structure:

• MAKE + PERSON + VERB (base form)

Examples:

• After Billy broke the neighbor’s window, his parents made him pay for it.

• My ex-boyfriend loved sci-fi and made me watch every episode of his favorite show.

• The teacher made all the students rewrite their papers, because the first drafts were not acceptable.

HAVE = Give Someone Else the Responsibility to do Something

​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. For example, we can say:

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• ​I cleaned my house. (This means I cleaned it myself).

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.

STRUCTURE:

​Subject + Have + object + past participle (have something done)

Examples:

• I’ll have my assistant call you to reschedule the appointment.

• The businessman had his secretary make copies of the report.

​EXAMPLES:

• ​I had my car washed.

• ​John will have his house painted.

• ​I'll get my hair cut next week.

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GET = Convince/Encourage Someone to do Something

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Grammatical structure:

• GET + PERSON + TO + VERB

​EXAMPLES:

• ​My husband hates housework; I can never get him to wash the dishes!

• ​I was nervous about eating sushi, but my brother got me to try it at a Japanese restaurant.

• ​The non-profit got a professional photographer to take photos at the event for free.

HELP = Assist Someone in Doing Something

Grammatical structure:

• HELP + PERSON + VERB (base form)

EXAMPLES: 

• He helped me carry the boxes.​

• Reading before bed helps me relax.

• ​They helped her clean her house.

LET = Permit Something to Happen

Grammatical structure:

• LET + PERSON/THING + VERB (base form)

Examples:

• I don’t let my kids watch violent movies.

• Mary’s father won’t let her adopt a puppy because he’s allergic to dogs.

• Don’t let the advertising expenses surpass $1000.

• ​Oops! I wasn’t paying attention while cooking, and I let the food burn.

• ​Our boss doesn’t let us eat lunch at our desks; we have to eat in the cafeteria.