Causative verbs are used to describe how a person affects, or causes, another person’s actions. Each causative verb expresses a different function.
There are five main causative verbs:
- get
- have
- make
- let
- help
Get
Get is used to describe persuading others to do something. Often, there is an element of difficulty.
The structure is as follows: get + object + infinitive verb
Teacher’s Note
The use of ‘object’ here usually refers to a person, but it can also refer to an animal, personified inanimate object, or a collective noun that includes people.
- I got my parents to buy me a laptop by explaining that I was going to use it to study English.
- I got my little brother to lend me his car so that I could pick my girlfriend up at the airport.
- She got the school to change its language policy.
Get can also be used with the past participle to show that the subject arranged for someone else to do an action for them. Like the use of the passive voice in Grammar 5-1, this is used when we want the focus to be on the action and not the agent because the agent is obvious, unknown, or unimportant. Generally speaking, the person actually doing the action is not directly stated.
The structure is as follows: get + object + past participle
- He doesn’t have any money, but somehow he got his car fixed.
- Did you get your report checked?
- The manager got the guide uploaded to the company website.
Have
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