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Chalk ‘n’ Talk 06 – Causative

Remember:

1. The causative has the meaning of 'someone causes someone to do something'.

2. The three verbs usually used for the causative are get, have, and make.

Examples:

A. John got Susan to rake the leaves.

B. John had Susan rake the leaves.
C. John made Susan rake the leaves.

Notice in a that there is a to in to rake and in b and c there is no to.

3. Get gives the idea of persuasion, have is asking, and make is forcing or strong
convincing. There is not much difference between have and get.

4. These causative verbs can be in any verb tense:

 I am making my students take the exam again next week because they did so poorly.
 I have been having my kids clean the sidewalks after every snowfall.
 I have to get my wife to pick me up after work because my car is in for repairs.

Transcript

Let me explain how the causative works. Notice my three examples: I have the
verb get, I have the verb have and the verb make – all in the simple past for my
examples. Those are the three verbs the causative usually takes.

Screen

1. John got Mary to clean up the kitchen.

2. Mary had John vacuum the carpets.
3. I made both of them take a brake from the
housework.

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CT 06 Grammar – Causative & Caus ative Passive

Now the causative concept is somebody causes, or gets, somebody to do

something. In other words, they ask, persuade or force [somebody to do
something].

Let’s look at number one as an example, “John got Mary to clean up the kitchen.”
We have the verb ‘got’ in the simple past – that’s our causative verb. So we have
somebody [John] gets somebody [Mary] and then we have the next part, which is
an infinitive with ‘to’. Notice how the verb ‘get’ works with the causative: John got
Mary to clean up the kitchen.”

Now ‘got’ has the idea of ‘ to persuade’, so maybe the conversation between John
and Mary went like this; John said to Mary, “Hey if you clean up the kitchen, I’ll
take you out to dinner tonight.” And she says, “Yeah okay, sure.”

Number two is a little bit different. “Mary had John vacuum the carpets.” There’s
our causative [had] - simple past – “Mary had John” and then here notice there’s
no ‘to’ right there [before ‘vacuum’]. There’s a ‘to’ there [before ‘clean up’ in
example 1.], but there’s no ‘to’ here [before ‘vacuum’]. So after the verb ‘have’ in
the causative, there’s just the base form of the verb, or the infinitive, without ‘to’.
In this case notice there’s a ‘to clean up’ there [in example 1.] with the infinitive,
with ‘to’.
Okay, what’s the difference between ‘get’ and have’? Not much. In number two,
our example probably has the meaning of John asked Mary. He probably said …–
sorry - Mary asked John. Mary said, “Okay John, I’ll do that [the kitchen]. Could
you vacuum the house, please?” So, this one [example 1.] has persuasion in it, and
this one [example 2.] is really an ‘ask’.
Finally, we get to my example number three with the verb ‘make’. Now, ‘make’ is
stronger than these two [previous examples] in that there’s a little bit of forcing
going on. And this is me talking to Mary and John, “I made both of them” – this is
both Mary and John – “take a break from the housework.” I thought they were
working too much and I came into the house and said, “Listen, you two stop now,
you’re working way too hard; take a break. Now, no I don’t mean later, I mean
now.” So there’s a little bit of forcing going on with the verb ‘make’.
Now look at how this one works [example 3.]. There’s the causative verb [made] –
simple past – “I made both of them” and then after the person is being forced to do
it, there is no ‘to’ as well. So ‘get’ is the one with ‘to’, and ‘have’ and ‘make’ don’t
have the ‘to’.
So, I hope that explains the causative and how it works. Those are the three main
verbs that work with the causative in such a fashion.

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CT 06 Grammar – Causative & Caus ative Passive

Part 2 - Causative Passive

The causative in the passive voice has two structures:

1. For GET and HAVE: usually used with professional services.

 I went to the bank to have my check cashed.

 I got my car washed and the oil changed.

Structure: GET/HAVE + SOMETHING + PAST PARTICIPLE (by someone)

Usually, we know who is doing the professional service so the BY SOMEONE is not
required.

2. MAKE in the passive works the same as the usual passive for other verbs:

 I was made to clean my room when I was just a lad.

Notice that in the passive with make, an infinitive with to follows:

 I will be made to rewrite the test if my mark is poor.

 The teacher will make me rewrite the test if my mark is poor.

Transcript

My three examples on the board now are the causative passive. Now, I hope you’ve
looked at the passive video [CT 03] and the causative video. If you have, you’ll
understand these a little better.

Screen
1. I had my hair cut and my suit dry cleaned.

2. I got my car repaired and my watch fixed.

3. I was made to write the test again.

Number one, “I had my hair cut and my suit dry cleaned.” There’s that causative
verb [had] right there in the simple past. Number two, “I got my car repaired and
my watch fixed.” There’s that causative verb [got] as well.

Now with ‘have’ and ‘get’, quite often you are going to do a causative passive in
this way: you have ‘have’ and then something and then you have your past
participle – you have ‘cut’ ‘dry’, ‘cleaned’, ‘repaired’, and ‘fixed’. Number one, I had
my hair cut by a professional hair cutter, or barber/hair stylist, I had my suit dry
cleaned by a professional dry cleaning establishment [shop]. I got my car repaired
by a mechanic and I paid him money. And I got my watch fixed by a watchmaker
and I paid him for his services.

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CT 06 Grammar – Causative & Caus ative Passive

So quite often, ‘have’ and ‘get’ in the causative passive will work: ‘Have” plus
whatever else you’re having – your item – in this case hair, suit, car and watch –
then the past participle: cut, dry cleaner, repaired and fixed. You quite often don’t
need to use the ‘by’ phrase with these passive because we know it was a
professional in all of these circumstances.

So the examples of number one and number two, you have: the causative,
something, and the past participle. And that’s how those two work.

Number three, is the verb ‘make’ and, if you remember correctly from the
causative, ‘make’ is the more forceful one, and that’s what’s happening in example
number three. “I was made to write the test again.” By who? Probably my teacher.
The active of this would be, “My teacher made me write the test again.”

So when you take ‘make’ as a causative and put it into the passive, you have to
remember that you have you’re typical passive construction [was made] and then
you have the infinitive with ‘to’ - ‘to write’. So, “I was made to write the test again
by my teacher.” – “My teacher made me write the test again.” That’s how the verb
‘makes’ … he or she forced me to do it.

So once again, ‘have’ and ‘get’ in the causative passive, work a little bit differently
from the verb ‘make’ in the passive as well.

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CT 06 Grammar – Causative & Caus ative Passive

Review Exercises

A. Fill in all the gaps with appropriate words from the box below.

gets has made me to take will have

When I was a kid, my mother always _______ me clean my room. As well, she
made _______ wash the dishes after dinner. Nowadays, my wife _______ me do
the same things, as well as getting me _______ out the garbage. In addition, she
_______ me to do the shopping on the weekends. I'm sure when we have children
she _______ me do lots more than what I already do around the house!

B. Make complete sentences using the causative my matching the.

1. When I was a baby, my mother me hang some new Christmas lights.

2. When I was a young boy, my mother made to cook and clean three times a week.

3. When I was a teenager, my parents got my dad to change my diapers.

4. Nowadays, my wife gets me help me paint the garage.

5. Next weekend, I am getting my friend Dave to me clean up my room.

6. This coming Christmas I am having Dave help had me walk my sister to the bus stop.

C. Causative Passive Review

Fill in all the gaps with appropriate words from the box below.

have cashed changed made made to

painted repaired to have to pay cut

1. Did you get your hair _______?

2. _______ you had your hair colored?
3. My watch is like new because I had it _______.
4. This weekend I am going to get the oil _______ in my car.
5. I went to the bank to get my paycheck _______.
6. We need _______ our sink fixed because the water's not draining.
7. Next summer we are going to have our house _______.
8. Were you _______ to wash your own clothes when you were young?
9. I will be made _______ a fine if I don't clean up this mess in the street.
10. Being _______ wake up early is such a pain!

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CT 06 Grammar – Causative & Caus ative Passive

Answers

A. Causative Review

When I was a kid, my mother always made me clean my room. As well, she made
me wash the dishes after dinner. Nowadays, my wife has me do the same things,
as well as getting me to take out the garbage. In addition, she gets me to do the
shopping on the weekends. I'm sure when we have children she will have me do
lots more than what I already do around the house!

B. Matching

1. When I was a baby, my mother... got my dad to change my diapers.

2. When I was a young lad, my mother me clean up my room.

made...
3. When I was a teenager, my parents... had me walk my sister to the bus stop.

4. Nowadays, my wife gets me... to cook and clean three times a week.

5. Next weekend, I am getting my friend Dave to help me paint the garage.

6. This coming Christmas I am having Dave help me hang some new Christmas lights.

C. Causative Passive Review

1. Did you get your hair cut?

2. Have you had your hair colored?
3. My watch is like new because I had it repaired.
4. This weekend I am going to get the oil changed in my car.
5. I went to the bank to get my paycheck cashed.
6. We need to have our sink fixed because the water's not draining.
7. Next summer we are going to have our house painted.
8. Were you made to wash your own clothes when you were young?
9. I will be made to pay a fine if I don't clean up this mess in the street.
10. Being made to wake up early is such a pain!

Online Practice

Click the “Launch” button to open the FLASH version:

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