Causative Verbs: HAVE, GET & More for Confident Grammar!

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone always did what we wanted them to do? Sometimes we can get things the way we want, but we have to use money or persuasion to get it. This is where causative verbs help us. Verbs like make, let, have, and get allow us to talk about cause and effect, that is, how one person causes another to do something. In this lesson, you'll get to review basic causative verbs and then strengthen your ability to use more advanced structures for confident, effective English. Make is about using force. We don't give the other person a choice. My parents made me do homework, help a little around the house, and eat dinner at the family table. What did your parents make you do? Remember, we use make, someone, plus the base verb. Don't use the infinitive. Don't say, they made me to do it. Say, they made me do it. Other forms are possible. Take a look. Offices should make their workers take breaks to rest and regain their focus. Why is management making us fill out so much paperwork? Let's put the grammar into practice. Answer this question. Have you ever heard the saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink? What do you think it means? Tell me in the comments. Let is the opposite of make because no force is used. When you let someone do something, you allow them to do that action. You're saying, yes, you can do it. We use let, someone, plus base verb. Letting is about giving permission. Of course, you can refuse or deny permission, so we can use let in the affirmative or the negative. My parents let me watch TV on school nights, but only after dinner. They didn't let me watch TV until my homework was done. Remember that let is an irregular verb. The three forms are let, let, let. Let's put the grammar into practice. Answer this question. Do you think parents should let their kids have screen time on school nights? Share your thoughts in the comments. The next causative verb is have. When we have someone do an action, we're requesting it or paying for it. For example, the teacher had the students form a straight line before they exited the classroom. This means the teacher requested the action or even ordered the children to follow instructions. The teacher is in a position of authority so he or she can do this. The structure is have someone plus base verb. Every fall, I have my landscaper clean up the leaves in my backyard. Does he and his crew do this simply because I ask nicely? No. I have to pay for this service. I have my hairstylist color my hair every three to four months. I have my accountant do my taxes every spring. What professional services do you pay for? Let's put the grammar into practice. Tell me what you have someone do for you. Let's look at another way we can use have. Remember that the passive shifts the focus to what is receiving the action. If I have my hairstylist color my hair every three to four months, I can also say I have my hair colored every three to four months. Have what done by whom? We don't have to mention who provides the service. A by phrase isn't necessary. Use have something plus past participle. Have something done. Look closely at the two structures. Have someone plus base verb. As in, I have my stylist trim my bangs monthly. Have something plus past participle. I have my bangs trimmed monthly. Bangs receives the action. This is passive. Change this sentence for me. Can you make it passive? I have my accountant do my taxes every February. What's receiving the action? My taxes. I have my taxes done every February. Do you know a verb similar to have in this sense? Get. If you use money or persuasion, you can use get. The passive structure is the same. Get something plus past participle. Get it done. I got a new light installed in the dining area. Did I do it myself? No. Did I pay for the service? Yes. So it's possible to say either I got it installed or I had it installed. Who did this service for me? An electrician. At first, I only hired him to change the light fixture. Then I decided I wanted a dimmer. I wanted to be able to dim the lights, not just turn them on and off. I got the electrician to change the light switch to a dimmable one. What did you notice? Did I use the base verb or the infinitive of change? The pattern is get someone to do something. Get someone plus infinitive. I got the electrician to change the light switch. Compare. Have someone do something. Have someone plus base verb. I had the electrician change the light switch. This is an important difference. Again, both have and get can be used for paid services. Get is the better choice when persuasion is involved. If you have to convince someone to do something, use get. Let's put the grammar into practice. Answer this question. Have you ever gotten someone to change their mind about something? Tell me in the comments. Here's my example. I listen to a lot of self-development teachers. Some have gotten me to change my mind about money, relationships, and health. This means they managed to convince me to think differently. Let's review the different patterns and meanings. Can you match the sentence halves? Think logically. You should have someone fix the door if you can't do it yourself. Hire a handyman. You really ought to get the lock fixed because it's a safety issue. The condo association won't let you change the color of the door. They all have to be white. I hope I can find a way to make you change your mind. You're going to regret your decision. I had the electrical work done last month. If you're enjoying the lesson so far, please like, subscribe, and turn on notifications. Thank you. You may wonder if we've covered all the causative verbs. The answer is no. The list is longer if we include all the verbs that help us express how we cause others to act or not act. I'm going to have you listen to a story. See if you can recognize more verbs related to causing an action. They all follow the pattern verb plus object plus infinitive. The library was about to close when a tall, thin stranger came in from the rain. He asked the librarian to keep the library open for just a bit longer. His voice sounded pleasant but oddly robotic. A student volunteer was there to help the librarian close that evening. But at the sight of the unexpected visitor, the young man froze in place. The mysterious stranger warned the librarian and her assistant not to turn on the lights. The visitors have their own lights, he explained. What visitors? thought the librarian and her assistant. The workers were alarmed, but the nameless visitor persuaded them to listen by speaking calmly and smiling strangely. I'm not sure I can make you understand, he said. You'll just have to wait a bit more. He told them to check the different rooms for any remaining people and then urged them to hurry, saying the storm might cause the power to fail. They returned and assured the stranger no one else was present. A cold wind suddenly moved through the whole building. The stranger reminded the two workers to stay quiet. He encouraged them to breathe slowly and convinced them to remain calm. But something important was about to happen. From the darkness, a soft golden light seemed to invite the librarian and her assistant to follow it toward the upstairs loft. The stranger allowed them to move slowly up the stairs. The golden light grew brighter, and out of nowhere a doorway appeared. A doorway to where? The awed visitor turned to the librarian and her assistant and told them that he would like them to step over the threshold. What happens next? I'll have you suggest the ending. If you'd like more practice, interaction, and feedback, consider joining the English with Jennifer community on Patreon where we practice all skills for confident, effective communication. The link is in the video description. That's all for now. Thanks for watching and happy studies!