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Causative Verbs

Causative verbs, including 'have', 'get', and 'make', are used to indicate that one person causes another to perform an action. The document outlines various structures and examples for using these verbs in both active and passive forms, as well as the distinctions between them. Additionally, it covers the use of 'let', 'help', and the implications of modal verbs in causative constructions.

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16 views23 pages

Causative Verbs

Causative verbs, including 'have', 'get', and 'make', are used to indicate that one person causes another to perform an action. The document outlines various structures and examples for using these verbs in both active and passive forms, as well as the distinctions between them. Additionally, it covers the use of 'let', 'help', and the implications of modal verbs in causative constructions.

Uploaded by

Bimbel Siapin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CAUSATIVE VERBS

Causative verbs are used to indicate that one person causes a second
person to do something for the first person.
The causative are : have, get, make

• Have/ Get
the pattern Have active
S + have + complement (usually person) + Infinitives ( V1 )
examples
1. Marry has John wash the car (present tense)
2. Marry had John wash the car (past tense)
3. Marry is having John wash the car ( present continuous)
4. Marry has had John wash the car (present perfect)
5. Marry had had John wash the car (past perfect)
6. Marry will have John wash the car (future tenses)
The pattern Get Active
S + get + complement + to infinitive (to + v1)
Examples
Marry gets John to wash the car (simple present)
Marry got John to wash the car (past tense)
Marry is getting John to wash the car (present continuous)

The pattern Have and Get Passive


S + Have/ Get + complement (usually things) + Past
participle (V3)
Examples
James has/gets his shirts cleaned at the drycleaners
Pat is having/is getting her car repaired this week
Anna had/got her paper typed by a friend.
Make→ force.
The pattern Make/force
S + make + complement + Bare Infinitive

Examples
1. The teacher always makes the children stay in their class
2. The teacher always forces the children to stay in their class
3. The manager made the salesmen attend the conference
4. The manager forced the salesmen to attend the conference
5. The president is making his cabinet members sign this
document
6. The president is forcing his cabinet members to sign this
document
Let →→ is not actually causative, it means allow or permit.
The pattern Let/ permit/allow
S + let + complement + Bare Infinitive
(any tense)
S + permit + complement + to infinitive
allow

Examples
1. John let his daughter swim with her best friend
2. John permitted/ allowed his daughter to swim with her best friend
3. Dr Jones is letting the students hand in the papers
4. Dr. Jones is permitting/allowing the students to hand in the
papers
Help
• The Pattern:
• S + help + Bare Infinitive/To
infinitive

• Example:
• John helps me to do/do the assignment.
• Ted helped Mary to clean/clean the room.
• Exercises
1. The teacher made Juan _______
(leave) the room.
2. Toshiko had her car _______ (repair)
by a machine.
3. Ellen got Marvin _____ (type) her
paper
4. We got our house _______ (paint)
last week
5. Mark got his transcripts ______
(send) to the university
6. The teacher let Al _____ (leave) the
causative
verbs:
The causative verb is a common
structure in English. It shows that
somebody or something is
indirectly responsible for an
action. The subject doesn't
perform the action itself, but
causes someone or something
else to do it instead. Pinker,
Basic causative
structures in English.
• There are two basic causative
structures. One is like an active,
and the other is like a passive.
2.1. Active causative verbs?
• This structure is used when
someone causes something to
happen, or when a person causes
another one to take an action.
Consider:
• Railway station security had
everyone show their tickets.
• The tutor made his students do an
oral interpretation.
Sentence structure of
active causatives
•

• Active causatives use the following


structure:
• subject + causative verb + agent + bare infinitive -or- to-
infinitive + object/complement. Downing and Locke (1992).
• The judge + had + the lawyer + defend + the suspect.
• The English department at the university + made + all staff
members + attend + the stylistics seminar.
• The agent is the person/thing to whom is caused to take an action,
such as: The judge had the lawyer defend the suspect. Here, the
lawyer is the agent of the sentence.
active causatives
• It's also important to note that some causative verbs require the
bare infinitive, namely when using have, let, and make. Other
common causative actions require the to-infinitive, such as:
Convince, allow , encourage, permit, employ, help, get, require,
motivate, hire, assist, permit, command, force, order, remind,
urge and force. For example:
• The lawyer convinced the judge to reduce the fine.
• The teacher encouraged his students to apply for the
scholarships.
• The boss required new employees to attend training sessions
twice a week.
• The magazine encouraged all readers to submit suggestions
for future issues.
active causatives
• Modal verbs may also be used with
the causative sentence structure.
Mainly in offering a suggestion, such
as: The magazine should encourage
all readers to submit suggestions for
future issues. The structure is:
• subject + modal auxiliary verb +
causative verb + agent +
object/complement
• teachers + should + ask +
students + to make responses for
every class they attend.
Get (FORM: GET +
PERSON + to + VERB)
• This construction usually means ‘to
convince someone to do
something’ or ‘to trick someone
into doing something’. Consider:
• I will GET my car maintained
before this winter.
• How can teachers GET their
students to read more?
• Al-Aqsa TV commercials are trying
to GET people to stop smoking.
Have (FORM: HAVE +
PERSON + VERB)
• This construction means ‘to
authorize someone to do
something.’
• Here are some examples:
• The doctor HAD his nurse take
the patient's temperature.
• Please HAVE your secretary
forward me the e-mail.
• I HAD the technician check the
photocopy machine.
Get vs. Have
• Sometimes ‘get someone to do
something’ is interchangeable with
‘have someone do something,’ but
these expressions are not semantically
the same thing. For convenience
consider the examples below:
• He GOT the mechanic to check his
brakes.
• (At first the mechanic didn't think it
was necessary, but he convinced him
to check the brakes.)
• I HAD the mechanic check my brakes.
• (I asked the mechanic to check the
Make (FORM: MAKE +
PERSON + VERB)
• This construction means ‘to
force someone to do
something.’
• Here are some examples:
• My dad MADE me apologize
for what I had done.
• Did somebody MAKE you wear
that ugly pant? .
• She MADE her kids tidy their
Let (FORM: LET + PERSON
+ VERB)

• This construction means ‘to


allow someone to do
something.’ Consider the
following examples:
• Mary LET me use her new
laptop.
• Will your parents LET you go to
the festival?
The Passive causative
structure
• This structure is used to talk
about having something done by
another person/thing. Consider
the following example:
• Ahmed had his house repaired
after the Forgan war on Gaza
last year.
• President Obama had his
speech written by a very
talented group of writers.
• In both cases, the person (Ahmed
and President Obama) arranged for
structure
• the word order of the sentence of passive
causatives is as the following:
• subject + causative verb + object +
past participle. Downing and Locke
(1992).
• I + had + the van + tuned up.
• He + had + his home air conditioned
system + installed a week ago.
• Our neighbors + will have + their house
+ renovated.
• I got my car washed and waxed at the
new service station.
• Although she hates the dentist, she has
had her teeth cleaned regularly.
Need and want
• Additionally. Need and want may be used
in passive causative sentences. In some
cases, the passive causative verb (had /
got) may be dropped altogether.
• I need to have the van tuned up.
• I need the van tuned up.
• Modal auxiliary verbs may also be used
with the causative sentence structure to
express a suggestion by the speaker, such
as: You should have your hair cut. Unlike
need and want, though, the causative
verb must always accompany the modal
verb. Consider the example below:
• subject + modal auxiliary verb +
causative verb + object + past participle
USING CAUSATIVE VERBS: LET, MAKE,
AND HAVE; USING HELP

• LET = Permit
• Please let me help you
• I let my brother carry my suitcase.
•
• MAKE = Gives the idea that there are
no choices, no alternatives
• The doctor made the patient stay in bed.
• Mrs. Lee made her son clean up his
room
HAVE: (both active and passive
forms are possible) = ask
someone to do something for you
• Active: have someone do
something
• I had the jeweler repair my watch.
• Mrs. Crane had someone paint her
house.
•
• Passive: Have something done by
someone
• I had my watch repaired. (by the
jeweler)
GET: get someone to do
Let, Have and Make are followed by the simple form of the
something
verb, not an infinitive.has basically the same

meaning as have someone do


something
Active: Get someone to do
something
I got my friend to drive to the airport
I had my friend drive me to the
airport

Passive : Get something done


I will get the windows cleaned soon.
I got the house painted last year

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