2. What someone does for us
We use: have + object + v3 form when we talk about someone
doing something for us which we ask or instruct them to do. It
emphasises the process/action rather than who performs it:
We’re having the house painted next week. (We are not going to
paint the house ourselves. Someone else will paint it. The
emphasis is on the fact that the house is being painted rather
than who is doing it.)
3. comparison
I had my hair cut Someone cut my hair
I’ve cut my hair.
I’d cut my hair.
I cut my own hair.
comparison
4. We can also use have + object + v3 form when something bad
happens, especially when someone is affected by an action which
they did not cause
They’ve had their car stolen. (‘They’ are affected by the action of the car being
stolen but they did not cause this to happen.)
Hundreds of people had their homes destroyed by the hurricane. (Hundreds of
people were affected by the hurricane, which they did not cause.)
5. Asking or instructing
We use the pattern have + object + infinitive without to when we talk
about instructing someone (underlined) to do something. We use it to
emphasise who performed the action:
I’ll have Harry book you a taxi. (I will instruct Harry to book a taxi
for you. Emphasis is on who will do the action more than on the
action.)
He had Kay make us all some tea.
6. Talking about experience
We use have + object + -ing form or infinitive without to to talk
about an event or experience. We use the -ing form for an event
in progress and the infinitive without to for a completed event:
We had a man singing to us as we sat in the restaurant
having our meal.
We had a strange woman come to the door selling
pictures.
7. We can also use the -ing form to describe an
ongoing action that someone or something is
causing:
Her story had us laughing so much. (Her
story was making us laugh.)
I just had them doing stretch routines, and
after, they got really good at it.
