Welcome students!
LESSON 8
CAUSATIVE VERBS
Teacher Alessandro
Odoardi
CAUSATIVE VERBS
There are things in our everyday life which we ask others to do
for us. Some of these things are, for example: Getting a haircut,
having our house painted, making our children learn
mathematics, helping clean the house.
For that reason, we generally:
Get a hairsyler cut our hair;
Have a mason paint our house;
Get a teacher make the children learn mathematics;
Get a maid help us clean the house
For speaking about those people (or the
actions that others make for us), we express by
means of Causative Verbs which are:
HAVE, GET, MAKE, LET and HELP.
Sentences made with causative verbs may
follow two different formulas.
CAUSATIVE VERBS:
Formula #1
This formula may be used with any of the four causative verbs:
Causer(+)causative(+)actor(+)base form(+)object
verb verb
Examples:
a) Julia has a mechanic fix her car
b) Mr. Patrick is having an accountant
pay his bills
c) We had a teacher explain this course
SOME CASES
Sometimes people make (force) others to do things for them. Ex:
a) Christian makes his little brother clean the garden.
b) Lilian makes her boyfriend do her homework.
Also, something or someone causes something to happen. Ex:
c) Chirs Evans makes girls sigh when he acts in a new movie.
d) A beautiful girl can make my heart beat.
People can let others do some things as well. Ex:
e) Mrs Bloom let the kids play soccer after the class.
f) Frank doesn't let anyone enter his room.
g) My parents haven't let me get home after 10pm.
OTHER CASES
It's possible that we need someone help us (to) do something. Ex:
h) Theresa helped David turn on the car.
i) Ronald helped Harry win the chess game.
j) Jack helped Rose survive the tragedy.
k) Scooby Doo always helps Shaggy eat the food.
l) Pinky helps Brain conquer the world.
m) Scarlett Johansson helps me forget my wife.
CAUSATIVE VERBS:
Formula #2
When we say we "have something done", it means that we arrange
that something is done by somebody else. The person who did it isn't
important but the action itself. We only use "have" in this case.
Causer(+)causative(+)object(+)past participle(+)complement
verb (have) verb
Examples:
a) Dolly Parton has her hair styled every day.
b) Abraham had his garage door repaired
last month.
MORE EXAMPLES
a) We’re having the house painted next week.
b) I have my chimney swept every two years.
c) He had his teeth checked last week.
d) Is he having his computer fixed?
e) We haven't had our lock changed yet.
f) I won't have my birthday dinner cooked by tomorrow
g) They are going to have their kitchen painted.
