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. For
example, we can say: 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.

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.

Have + object + past participle (have something done)

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.

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.

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.

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 1. Change the sentences so they use the structure 'have something done' or 'get
something done'.

1. I washed my car. (have)

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2. I cut my hair. (get)

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3. I typed the documents. (have)

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4. I fixed my washing machine. (get)

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5. I cut my grass. (have)

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6. I painted my bedroom. (get)

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7. I repaired my fridge. (have)

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8. I tidied my garden. (get)

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9. I edited the article. (have)

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10. I cleaned the carpets. (get)

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11. I printed the photo. (have)

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12. I checked my teeth. (get)

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13. I cleaned the windows. (have)

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14. I made the necklace. (get)

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15. I delivered the furniture. (have)

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16. I repaired the roof. (get)

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17. I wrote the report. (have)

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18. I dyed my hair. (get)

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19. I sent the money. (have)

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20. I built the shed. (get)

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Exercise 2. Change the sentences so that they use the structure 'have someone do
something' or 'get someone to do something'. Start with 'I'.

1. The cleaner cleaned the house. (have)

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2. The taxi driver collected us. (have)

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3. John arrived on time. (get)

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4. The mechanic fixed the brakes. (have)

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5. The teacher explained the lesson. (have)

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6. My husband looked after our children. (get)

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7. The waiter brought some water. (have)

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8. The nurse took your temperature. (have)

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9. The students stopped sleeping in class. (get)

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10. The teenagers went to bed early. (get)

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11. The dentist cleaned my teeth. (have)

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12. My friend took her car. (get)

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13. The window cleaner washed the windows. (have)

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14. The toddler ate her vegetables. (get)

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15. The teacher checked my writing. (get)

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16. The secretary typed the report. (have)

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17. The shop assistant gave me a discount. (get)

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18. The shop delivered the food. (have)

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19. The children did their homework. (get)

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20. My colleague helped me write the report. (get)

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Ex.1. Key:

1. I had my car washed. 2. I got my hair cut. 3. I had the documents typed. 4. I had my
washing machine fixed. 5. I had my grass cut. 6. I got my bedroom painted. 7. I had my
fridge repaired. 8. I got my garden tidied. 9. I had the article edited. 10. I got the carpets
cleaned. 11. I had the photo printed. 12. I got my teeth checked. 13. I had the windows
cleaned. 14. I got the necklace made. 15. I had the furniture delivered. 16. I got the roof
repaired. 17. I had the report written. 18. I got my hair dyed. 19. I had the money sent.
20. I got the shed built.

Ex.2. Key:

1. I had the cleaner clean the house. 2. I had the taxi driver collect us. 3. I got John to
arrive on time. 4. I had the mechanic fix the brakes. 5. I had the teacher explain the lesson.
6. I got my husband to look after our children. 7. I had the waiter bring some water. 8. I
had the nurse take your temperature. 9. I got the students to stop sleeping in class. 10. I
got the teenagers to go to bed early. 11. I had the dentist clean my teeth. 12. I got my
friend to take her car. 13. I had the window cleaner wash the windows. 14. I got the toddler
to eat her vegetables. 15. I got the teacher to check my writing. 16. I had the secretary
type the report. 17. I got the shop assistant to give me a discount. 18. I had the shop deliver
the food. 19. I got the children to do their homework. 20. I got my colleague to help me
write the report.