Examples:

 I had my hair cut last week.

 We had our clothes cleaned the same day.
 The Causative

Language analysis

Meaning in focus:

I had my hair cut last week

caused something to I did not do the action myself. This
happen (maybe by is the action that I caused to
asking, ordering, happen.
encouraging, etc.)

The causative refers to the structure where you cause something to happen or be
done. The form is often used to talk about medical and beauty treatment and about
repairs and improvements.

It has a passive meaning.

Extra examples:

- She is having her house redecorated.

- They are having the wiring looked at.
- I wish I could have my laundry done.

Form:

S + have (correct tense) + object + past participle

NB:

- had cannot be contracted to ‘d. (❌ I’d my hair cut last week)

- in causative constructions, we still need to include the prepositions, even
though it isn’t followed by an object: They are having the wiring looked at.
- it is important to have the correct word order:
❌ I had cut my hair last week.
✅ I had my hair cut last week.

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Pronunciation:

I had my hair cut last week.

/aɪ həd maɪ heə kʌt lɑːst wiːk./

- had: weak form

- had cannot be contracted to ‘d in pronunciation as well.
- stress

Appropriacy:

neutral

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 STUDENT HANDOUTS

Meaning:

I. Choose the correct answer.

1. I had my hair cut last week.

A. B.

2. I cut my hair last week.

A. B.

3
3. We cleaned our clothes the same day.

A. B.

4. We had our clothes cleaned the same day.

A. B.

4
5. She is having her house redecorated.

A. B.

Form:

Exercise 1: Look at the examples. Write the structure of the grammar below.

 I had my hair cut last week.

 She is having her house redecorated.
 I wish I could have my laundry done.

S + ................... (correct tense) + .................. + .......................

Exercise 2: Correct the sentences if necessary.

1. Where can I have repaired my car?

................................................................................................

2. Will you have fixed the car?

...............................................................................................

3. They aren’t having reduced their pay.

...............................................................................................

4. I’d my hair cut.

...............................................................................................

5. They are having the wiring looked at.

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.................................................................................................
adapted from The Causative, EC English, <https://bit.ly/thecausative.>

Pronunciation

I had my hair cut last week.

Exercise 1:

Mark the words which carry the main stress in the sentence.

Exercise 2:

Is “had” pronounced in strong form /hæd/ or weak form /həd/?

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 REFERENCES

 J. Scrivener, Teaching English Grammar: What to Teach and how to Teach it,
Macmillan Education, 2012.
 M. Parrott, Grammar for English Language Teachers, 2nd Edition,
CambridgeUniversity Press, 2000
 M. Swan, Practical English Usage, 3 rd edition, Oxford University Press, 2005.
 Have something done: The causative – BBC English Class. Youtube, BBC
Learning English, Mar 16 2016, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=tY8ch2SdTw8.>
 ToPhonetics, <https://tophonetics.com/>.
 The Causative, EC English 2013, accessed 28 Feb 2022,
<https://bit.ly/thecausative.>

Sources:

- A boy having his hair cut from Stoke – on – Trent Live, accessed 28 Feb 2022,
<https://bit.ly/3Hsh9ek>

- A boy cutting his hair from Today’s Parent, accessed 28 Feb 2022,
< https://bit.ly/3ppiUmt>.

- Kew Dry Cleaners & Launderette, accessed 28 Feb 2022,

< https://www.kewdrycleaners.com/>.

- Irina Griskova 2019, Laundry and dry cleaning clothes service steps illustration.
Vector flat cartoon graphic, accessed 28 Feb, < https://bit.ly/35tCbvX>.

- Habitat for Humanity volunteers paint the exterior of a house from Syracuse NY
Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather, accessed 28 Feb 2022,
<https://bit.ly/3hp5brs>

- A girl painting her house from Two Day Painting, accessed 28 Feb 2022,
<https://bit.ly/3JY5e9S>