Causatives
What are Causatives?
Simply put, causatives are verb forms used to indicate that one person causes or enables another person to do something. In other words, causatives show that someone makes something happen or takes action to ensure an action is carried out by someone else. They are used to express a range of meanings, including persuasion, permission, arrangement, obligation, and authority.
In English, causatives are often formed using the verbs “make,” “have,” “let,” or “get” followed by the base form (V1) of the main verb.
Examples:
- Make: She made her son clean his room.
- Have: He had his car repaired yesterday.
- Let: They let me borrow their books.
- Get: I got him to fix the computer.
- Help: I helped John write his paper.
Or - Help: I helped John to write his paper.
Causative Structure
| Make (force) | SUBJECT | make | OBJECT (someone) | V1 (base verb) |
| Have (authorize) | SUBJECT | have | OBJECT (someone) | V1 (base verb) |
| Let (allow) | SUBJECT | let | OBJECT (someone) | V1 (base verb) |
| Get (convince) | SUBJECT | get | OBJECT (someone) + to-infinitive | V1 (base verb) |
| Help (aid) | SUBJECT | help | OBJECT (someone) | V1 (base verb) |
| Help (aid) | SUBJECT | help | OBJECT (someone) + to-infinitive | V1 (base verb) |
NOTE 1: The causative form of ‘help’ uses both the “to-infinitive” form and the “bare-infinitive form (base verb).
NOTE 2: The causative form of ‘get’ uses only the “to-infinitive” form.
“get + to-infinitive”
Examples:
- She got her friend to lend her some money.
- They got the children to finish their homework.
- He got the mechanic to fix his car.
