Passive causative

​Passive causative

By ilona sprice

​Active: I cut my hair. (I did it myself).
Passive Causative: I had my hair cut. (A barber did it).

​The Passive Causative is used when we don’t do something ourselves, but instead, we arrange for someone else to do it for us.

The most common structure uses the verbs have or get.

I have my eyes tested every year. or
I get my eyes tested every year.

​Subject + Have/Get + Object + Past Participle (V3)

Fill in the Blanks

Can you fix your teeth yourself?

No- you have to have/get your teeth

by the dentist.

Multiple Choice

Look at my hair! Yes, next week I .................................my hair cut.

• will have

• will cut

• am cutting

Fill in the Blanks

Look at her nails! She has

done every fortnight. (by a manicurist)

Word Cloud

What professionals do you pay for a service ?

Multiple Choice

Transform this sentence into the Passive Causative:A mechanic is fixing Mary’s car.

• Mary is having her car fixed.

• Mary is fixing her car.

• Mary is having car issues.

• Fix the car!

More informal. It often implies that there was some effort or difficulty in making the action happen.

get

More formal. It focuses on the arrangement.

​have

"Have" vs. "Get"

In most cases, they are interchangeable, but there is a slight difference in tone:

I finally got my computer fixed."

In advanced grammar, we distinguish between having something done and persuading someone to do it.

Example: "I finally got the IT department to upgrade my software."

The Structure: Subject + Get + Person + to + Infinitive


Contrast: "I had my software upgraded." (Focus is on the service, not the persuasion).

Multiple Choice

Which of the following sentences correctly uses the Passive Causative to express a professional service arranged in the past?

• I got to repair my laptop yesterday.

• I had repaired my laptop yesterday.

• I had my laptop repaired yesterday.

• I was having my laptop repair yesterday.

Multiple Choice

Complete the sentence with the correct 'persuasive' causative form: 'It was hard, but I finally _______ my brother _______ my car.'

• had / washed

• got / to wash

• had / to wash

• got / wash

Multiple Choice

Which sentence describes a misfortune using the passive causative?

• She had stolen a phone on the subway.

• 
  She was having a phone stolen.

• She got to steal a phone.

• She had her phone stolen on the subway.

Multiple Choice

Transform this active sentence into the passive causative: 'A professional is going to paint our house next month.'

• Our house is going to have painted.

• We are going to have painted our house.

• We are going to have our house painted next month.

• We have our house painted next month.

Passive Causative with "-ing" Forms

• After Verbs of Preference: "I hate having my photo taken."

• As a Subject: "Having your house renovated is an expensive nightmare."

Modal Perfects in Passive Causative

Formula: Subject + Modal + Have + Had + Object + V3

This is perfect for expressing regrets or assumptions about the past.
Regret: "I should have had the roof repaired before the storm hit." Deduction: "She must have had her dress custom-made; it fits perfectly."

ilona

" Getting others to do things for yourself is a gift not a skill. "