The causative construction allows speakers to cause or arrange for actions to be done by others. There are several patterns including "get someone to do something", "get something done", and "have something done". The causative uses the verbs "get" or "have" to indicate who is responsible for an action being done. Context is important to determine the precise meaning as the same causative construction can indicate either intentional causation or an unintended experience. The verbs "get" and "have" are often interchangeable but "get" sometimes implies a stronger or more insistent meaning.

1. THE CAUSATIVE

2. The causative: similar or not to the passive ?
•Jack is servicing my car. – I know who is doing
the job
•My car is being serviced. – someone is doing the
job for me
•I’m having my car serviced. – I’m responsible for
causing someone to do the job

3. I. get someone to do something (BrE)
[= have someone do something (AmE)]
= cause, order, ask, persuade someone to do
something
I’ll get the waiter to bring you the menu. (BrE)
[I’ll have the waiter bring you the menu. (AmE)]
I got them to pay me in cash.

4. II. get something to do something
= to persuade, to manage to
I finally got the car to start by asking everyone to
push it.
It took me all morning to get the car going.
(continuous action)

5. III. have/get something done
III.a. = arrange for somebody else to do something for
us
I’ll have/get the menu brought to you.
I must go and have/get my photo taken for my new
passport.
She is having/getting her teeth fixed.
The fridge isn’t working properly. I’m having it looked
at.

6. III. have something done
III. b. = experience (often misfortunes )
I’ve had my car stolen.
When he got up to speak, the minister had eggs
thrown at him.
You should understand by now. You’ve had it explained
often enough! (= it has been explained to you)

7. III. have something done
III. c. = allow
I refuse to have my house used as a hotel.

8. III. have something done
III. d. = to describe the present result of past
action
We now have the problem solved.
I had a house built. I had built a house.

9. CONTEXT identifies precise meaning
• They had their fence pulled down.
= they employed somebody to pull it down (causative)
or
= it was pulled down without their planning it (e.g. by
vandals)

10. She had her house destroyed in an earthquake.
Don’t join in their argument or you might get your
nose punched. (that’s what might happen to you)

11. have or get?
•often interchangeable
BUT:
•get: stronger
I had my roof repaired. vs. I finally got my roof
repaired. (it was difficult)
•get: more natural in the imperative
Get your eyes tested!

12. have or get?
•in suggestions with Why don’t you…?:
Why don’t you have your hair cut? (neutral
suggestion)
Why don’t you get your hair cut? (almost an
order)

13. IV. make somebody do something
V. = be made to do something (passive)
= compel/insist/force/cause to:
Miss Prouty made the boys stay in after school.
That beard makes you look much older than you are.
He was made to work twenty hours a day. (passive)
I had to shout to make myself heard.
= feelings:
You can always make me laugh.

14. (have + object + infinitive)
• experience
I had a very strange thing happen to me when I was in
Ireland.

15. (have + object + -ing form)
• experience
We got home to find that we had water coming
through the kitchen ceiling.

16. (won’t have + somebody + -ing form)
= refusal
I won’t have you telling me what to do.
The government won’t have strikers bringing the
country to a standstill.