The Causative
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’ve had my computer fixed.
• John will have his house painted.
• They are having their car cleaned.
REMEMBER
IN OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS, SOME OF YOUR ANSWERS MAY BE CORRECT EVEN THOUGH THE SYSTEM GRADES THEM AS WRONG!
To minimize the chances of being graded incorrectly, mind your orthography, include punctuation marks, such as periods, use the same contractions, tenses and words as the original example uses.
Remember to use “have” in the right tense for the causative in the sentences you type. Let’s practice!
