English is a language that provides words and sentences for almost anything that anyone wants to say or write. So, which words do we use when we want to talk about getting something done? The answer is causative verbs. This High English quiz will show you how we use causative verbs to talk about getting something done.
When we want something to be done we have a particular form of the language that we use. Take a look at these two sentences:
‘I repaired the mobile phone.’
‘I had my mobile phone repaired’
The first sentence implies that the speaker himself repaired the mobile phone, while the second sentence implies that the speaker GOT his mobile phone repaired (probably by someone else). We notice that GOT implies someone else is doing the work.
The base form of the verb GOT is GET and GET is a causative verb. Other causative verbs include HAVE, MAKE, and LET. Here are some example sentences using the respective causative verbs:
‘I must HAVE my investments evaluated by a financial advisor.’
‘We have had our dresses MADE by a Milan designer.’
‘The usher LET me sit on the front row.’
There are different situations when these four verbs are used. When we want to force or influence somebody to do something, we use ‘make’ and ‘get.’ For example, a flight attendant forces you to put on the seat belt or a mother coaxes her child to complete their homework. When we want to have something done by somebody who is a natural fit, we use ‘have.’ For example, we use ‘have’ when we describe a doctor, whose job is to advise on health issues or an accountant, who advises on financial health. When we want somebody to do something, we may give permission and here we use ‘let.’ For instance, parents might allow their teenage daughter to go out on a date or an employer may give permission to an employee to take the day off work.
When we use causative verbs, we can use them in both active and passive voices, and the rules are just the same as we studied earlier. The language of getting something done has its own charm and you can see it when you take the quiz that follows.