he gets his she had a tattoo made
glasses repaired
he is having an He has make for a he had a blood test
eye exam done dental cleaning
he went for a hairstyle
has gone for he has had the car
vaccination repaired
he had the food had the door repairing the washing
brought to him repaired machine
Exercise 1.
Subject + have (any tense) + object (usually person) + base form of verb + ...
Example: He doesn't repair his car. (mechanic) - He has the mechanic repair his car.
1. He doesn't+ paint his house. (painter) ____________________________________________
He has the painter paint his house.
2. I don’t + repair the tv. set or stereo. (electrician) ________________________________
I have the electrician repair the TV or stereo.
3. We don’t wash our clothes. (cleaners) ________________________________________
We have the cleaners wash our clothes.
4. She doesn't shop for groceries. (driver) ___________________________________________
She makes the driver buy groceries.
5. Mark doesn't make his bed. (housekeeper) ______________________________________
Mark has the housekeeper make up his bed.
6. They don’t answer the calls at the office. (secretary) They have the secretary answer calls in the office.
_________________________________
7. I don’t + answer the calls at the office. (secretary) _______________________________
I have the secretary answer calls in the office.
8. She doesn't repair the kitchen sink when it brakes. (plumber) She
__________________________
has the plumber repair the kitchen sink when it breaks.
9. He doesn't make his suits. (tailor) _______________________________________________
He has his suits made by the tailor.
Mark has his wife mend his clothes.
10. Mark doesn't mend his clothes. (wife) __________________________________________
I have the driver take my kids to the park."
11. I don’t take MY children to the park. (driver) ____________________________________
12. We don’t buy OUR plane tickets. (secretary) _______________________________________
We have the secretary buy our airline tickets.
13. He doesn't pay his bills at the bank. (messenger) ____________________________________
He has the courier pay his bills at the bank.
Exercise 2.
Subject + have (any tense) + object (usually thing) + past participle form of verb +...
Subject + have (any tense) + object (usually person) + base form of verb + ...
Example: She/the dishes/wash - she has the dishes washed
1 She/the dishes/wash _______________________________________
She has the dishes washed.
2 I / my daughter/tidy/her room _______________________________________
I have my daughter tidy up her room.
3 We have our son serve him meals.
We / our son/serve /her meals _______________________________________
4 My family / the housekeeper / cook / dinner _______________________________________
My family has the maid cook dinner.
5 She / her husband/buy/ the groceries _______________________________________
She has her husband buy the groceries.
6 My mum / the bathrooms / wash _______________________________________
My mom has the toilets washed.
7 I / the laundry / do _______________________________________
I have the clothes washed.
8 He / his daughter / mop / the floors _______________________________________
He has his daughter mop the floors.
9 My dad / the cleaners / deliver / the laundry at her home _______________________________
My dad has the cleaners deliver the laundry to his house.
10 The girls / her nails /manicure _______________________________________
Girls have their nails manicured.
11 they / the housekeeper / wash / their clothes _______________________________________
They have the housekeeper wash their clothes.
12 She / her hair / dye _______________________________________
She dyes her hair.
Causatives Exercise 2: Have Someone Do Something / Get Someone to Do Something
Change the sentences to use the structures 'have someone do something' or 'get someone to do something'. Each one starts
with 'I'.
The cleaner cleaned the house. (have)
I had the cleaner clean the house.
John arrived on time. (get)
I got John to arrive on time.
The bus driver collects him. (have)
He has the bus driver drive him
___________________________________________________________________________
The mechanic is fixing the car. (have)
___________________________________________________________________________
I have the mechanic fix the car.
The miss will explain the lesson. (have)
___________________________________________________________________________
I have the miss explain the lesson.
My wife looks after our children. (get)
I get my wife to take care of our children.
___________________________________________________________________________
The waiter will bring some water. (have)
I had the waiter bring me some water
___________________________________________________________________________
The doctor takes your temperature. (have)
___________________________________________________________________________
I had your temperature taken the doctor.
The students stop sleeping in class. (get)
I get students to stop sleeping in class.
___________________________________________________________________________
The boys went to bed early. (get)
___________________________________________________________________________
I get the boys to bed early.
The dentist whitens my teeth. (have)
I had the dentist whiten my teeth.
___________________________________________________________________________
My boyfriend took his car. (get)
I get my boyfriend a car
___________________________________________________________________________
The window cleaner washed the windows. (have)
___________________________________________________________________________
I had the glass washer wash the windows
The baby girl ate her vegetables. (get)
I get the baby girl to eat her vegetables.
___________________________________________________________________________
Help à Is not actually a causative verb either but is generally regarded as a causative verb
because of its grammatical use in a sentence. It means to assist someone in doing something
Structure 7
Charts adapted from: Learn English Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading & Writing, Speaking & Listening -
Subject + help (any tense) + object (usually person) + base form of verb +. . .
Learngrammar.net. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://www.learngrammar.net/
Robert helped me escape the prison.
He helps me prepare my presentations.
The teacher had helped the students understand a complex theory.
I helped him learn driving.
It will help you move on.
Structure 8
Subject + help + object + infinitive + …
John helped him to lift his car.
He always helps me to find my stuff.
The teacher helped me to understand the topic.
Practice 1: Complete the next sentences using causative verbs and pronouns.
a) My sons play video games too much. I always try to _____________
Make do their homework before
dinner,but they play video games instead.
b) My father won't ____________
let get
use the car. I have to __________ to drive me everywhere.
c) Our brothers never _________ clean the house. We can't even _________ to clean up their own
don't bother to get
rooms.
d) My dad is always _________
urged to come home early. She _________ should come before midnight.
e) My parents ___________
encourage to spend more time studying.
II. Fill in the blanks with the right verbs.
a) My friends have a catering business.They________
keep me to get involved in that,but I'm not really into
it.
b) It's your father again. I'm busy now. Can you ________
have him call me back later?
c) My dad has alwaysencouraged
________ me to get married. But he has also pretty much _______
let me make
my own decisions.
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Everybody has to obey rules at home, at school, at work. But sometimes we find that it's
not fair.
Using causative verbs and vocabulary from the table below, form sentences. Use the
Example: My parents make me tidy my bedroom every weekend.
Taken from: English ESL worksheets, activities for distance learning and physical classrooms (x92369). (n.d.). Retrieved April
causative verbs (ex. let, make, get, have, + verbal base) or (want, allow, expect, ask + infinitive)
At home At home At School At School
Wash up play xbox in my room Pay attention be late for class
16, 2021, from https://en.islcollective.com/
Clean the bathroom have a moped Arrive on time talk in class
Hoover the living room play video games for walk in the corridors Balance on my
hours chair
mow the lawn eat junk food Participate in class Wear what I want
do my homework drink coffee Do all my homework Disrupt the class
Stock the dishwasher Join facebook Use please and thank have 2 desserts in
you the canteen
tidy my room Stay up after 10pm Get along with my use on my mobile
class mates phone
At home:
_____________________________________________________________________________
My parents let me eat junk food
_____________________________________________________________________________
I have to do my homework
_____________________________________________________________________________
I make mi sister cleaner the bathroom
_____________________________________________
My brother get My father play video games for hours whit him
At school:
_____________________________________________________________________________
the teacher let me participate in classes
_____________________________________________________________________________
I have to pay attention in class
_____________________________________________________________________________
He makes his students arrive on time
_____________________________________________
I will get to participate in classes
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Causative Verbs
Get – shows persuasion, it means "to convince to do something" or "to trick
someone into doing something." It takes the infinitive (to + base form).
- My cat Isis gets me to feed her by knocking over her water bowl.
- I usually get my mom to clean my room for me.
Make – suggests pressure and the subject being the boss, it means "to force
someone to do something."
- I wanted a kitten, but my boyfriend made me buy a puppy instead.
- My boss made me work overtime everyday this week.
-
Have – sounds less forceful than make, means “to give someone the responsibility to
do something.”
- I try to have my dog shake hands with me before giving her a snack.
- I had the mechanic fix the brakes on my car
Let – suggests permission, it means to “allow someone to do something.”
- I never let my kids drink alcohol
- My boss let me take a week off from work.
Is there anything your mother or father always makes you do?
Let me play non-violent video games.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
I have to respect everyone equally
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
My parents let me repair their cell phones for them.
What is something your high school teachers made you do?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
I was made to Participate in class discussions.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
I had to take responsibility for my learning and academic progress.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
I was made to Present projects in class.
What do your friends get you to do for them?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Explain difficult concepts or help with mathematical, scientific or other academic problems.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Share jokes, funny stories or just have a good time together.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Collaborate in creative projects
What is something that you let other people do for you?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The customer service staff provides fast and friendly assistance when I have problems with
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
my internet service.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The computer technician solves my computer problems by configuring the appropriate
software.
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Is there anything you would never let your friends borrow?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
I would never lend my cell phone to my friends.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
I would never tell them my passwords
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
I would never lend them my name
Would you ever make your boyfriend/girlfriend do something they didn’t want to
do?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
no
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Memories from
my childhood
Remember you childhood, what your parents never let you do? What they always
have you done? Make sentences about true facts about your childhood.
Example:
When I was a kid, my parents never let me eat junk food.
1. _________________________________________________________________________________________
When I was a kid, my parents never let me eat chips.
When I was a kid, my parents would never let me play until nighttime.
2. _________________________________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________________________________
When I was a kid, my parents never let me play with the older kids.
4. _________________________________________________________________________________________
When I was a kid, my parents used to let me watch wrestling.
When I was a kid, my parents let me have pets.
5. _________________________________________________________________________________________
6. _________________________________________________________________________________________
When I was a kid, my parents let me have a cell phone.
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1. Complete the text with the correct form of the verb in parentheses. Use the correct form of have as the main
verb where necessary
Ellen looked great at the party. She was wearing a gorgeous yellow dress. She
(make/it) ___________by
made it a famous fashion designer, and it looked perfect on
her but she would have looked better if she had worn some earrings. I wonder
when she's going to (pierced/her ears) _______________.
have her ears pierced.
She (cut/her hair) _______________
had her hair cut by Jean Jacques at the salon. He (trim/it)
___________ about an inch. And she (do/her nails) ______________
trimmed it had her nails there.
They were bright red! Her hair was red, too. The problem is, she (dye/it)
_________herself.
dyed it Personally. I think she should have had jean Jacques do it.
Luckily. Jean Jacques (do/her hair) _______________very
did her hair nicely. So, despite
the badly-dyed red hair, she was definitely one of the most glamorous people
that night.
Causative verbs – adapted from: https://es.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en/English_as_a_Second_Language_(ESL)/Causative_verbs/English_exercises_uf888355hq
2. En the structure have / get + object + past participle, have and give
function as main verbs, select the correct option.
• have
I ____________ my car washed.
get
• You _________ your hair cut.
• have
He __________ his house painted.
• She _________
get her computer fixed.
3. Drag each sentence into the correct category.
Active Sentences Causative Sentences
• I cut my hair last week. • She got her hair permed last week
• I'm going to shave my head. • Did you have your hair dyed?
• I'm going to dye my hair. • Elizabeth had her nails done.
•I'm going to have my head shaved. • Did you get your hair cut?
• She permed her hair.
•Elizabeth does her nails.
• Why did he trim his mustache?
• He had his mustache trimmed
• She got her hair permed last week • I'm going to shave my head.
• I cut my hair last week. • I'm going to dye my hair.
• Did you have your hair dyed? • I'm going to have my head shaved.
• Elizabeth had her nails done. • Elizabeth does her nails.
• Did you get your hair cut? • He had his mustache trimmed
• She permed her hair. • Why did he trim his mustache?
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Speaking practice - Complete the dialogues.
Dialogue 1:
X: Who's going to clean this mess?
Y: I'll have the maid (clean) ________
cleaned it up.
Causative verbs – Adapted from: https://es.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en/English_as_a_Second_Language_(ESL)/Causative_verbs/Causative_Verbs_Dialogue_nb2693823ua
Dialogue 2:
X: Don't be so hard on your children.
Y: They are so badly-behaved.
behave nicely in public?
How can I get them (behave) ________
Dialogue 3:
X: Who's going to teach me French?
Y: Your aunt speaks fluent French. I'll get her (teach) ________
to teach you.
Dialogue 4:
X: Where did you get the money?
Y: I got my sister (lend) ________
lend me some money.
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