Causative Verbs Grammar Quiz
12 multiple-choice questions on English causative verbs: 'have something done', 'get something done', and the structures make, let, have and get with the infinitive. B2–C1 level.
Keep building your grasp of causative verbs.
Causative Verbs — FAQ
Causative verbs are verbs used to show that one person causes another person (or thing) to do something, or arranges for something to be done. The main causative verbs are 'have', 'get', 'make', 'let' and 'help'. For example: 'I had my car repaired' means I arranged for someone else to repair it, and 'She made him apologise' means she forced him to apologise.
The structure is have + object + past participle. It means you arrange for someone else to do a service for you. For example: 'I had my car repaired', 'They are having their house painted', 'She had her hair cut'. The focus is on the result rather than on who does the work. The verb 'have' changes with the tense: 'I had it fixed', 'I will have it fixed', 'I am having it fixed'.
Both 'have something done' and 'get something done' follow the pattern verb + object + past participle and mean arranging for a service. 'Get something done' is slightly more informal and can suggest extra effort or persuasion. Compare: 'I had my car repaired' (neutral) and 'I got my car repaired' (a little more informal). In most everyday contexts they are interchangeable.
'Make' as a causative means to force or compel someone to do something, and it is followed by the object and the bare infinitive (without 'to'): 'The film made me cry', 'They made him wait outside', 'You can't make her change her mind'. Note that 'make' takes no 'to' in the active voice, but in the passive it does take 'to': 'He was made to wait outside'.
'Let' means to allow or permit someone to do something, and it is followed by the object and the bare infinitive (no 'to'): 'Let him go', 'My parents let me stay up late', 'She won't let us help'. 'Let' has no passive form, so for the passive idea we usually switch to 'be allowed to': 'We were allowed to leave early'.
Besides 'have something done', 'have' can mean to cause or arrange for someone to do something, followed by the object and the bare infinitive: 'I had the plumber fix the leak', 'The teacher had the students rewrite their essays'. Here 'have someone do something' suggests giving instructions or arranging the action, often in a position of authority.
With 'get', the causative pattern is get + object + TO-infinitive: 'I got my brother to help me'. With 'have', it is have + object + bare infinitive: 'I had my brother help me'. 'Get someone to do something' often implies persuading or convincing them, while 'have someone do something' usually implies arranging or instructing, sometimes with more authority.
'Help' is a special case: it can be followed by either the bare infinitive or the to-infinitive, and both are correct. So you can say 'She helped me carry the bags' or 'She helped me to carry the bags'. The bare infinitive is slightly more common in modern English, especially in speech. 'Help' means to assist someone in doing something.
'I repaired my car' means you did the work yourself. 'I had my car repaired' means you did not do it yourself — you arranged for a mechanic or garage to do it for you. The causative 'have something done' is essential when you want to make clear that someone else performed the action as a service, which is very common when talking about repairs, haircuts, deliveries and similar.
Yes. As well as arranged services, 'have something done' (and especially 'get something done') can describe unpleasant or unexpected events that happen to someone, where they did not arrange them: 'He had his wallet stolen', 'She had her flight cancelled', 'They got their windows smashed'. Here the structure shows that the person was affected by an action done by someone or something else.