UNIT 6 CAUSATIVES

PART A: PREVIEW
How would you survive in a country if you didn’t speak the language?

PART B: Now read the paragraph below and answer the questions by analyzing the underlined
sentences:

Dylan, 22: “I am an international student who studies at a private university in Turkey.

Sometimes even the simplest things get a little bit confusing for me because I don’t know
Turkish. For example, when I go for lunch, I ask one of my friends to translate the things I do not
understand. I mean I have the menu translated most of the time because I am a vegetarian.”

a) Does Dylan translate the menu?

-No he does not.
b) What does he do if he doesn’t understand it?
- He has the menu translated.

How often do you do your homework? What do you do when you don’t want to do
homework?

Barış, 18: “Yesterday, our instructor asked us to write an essay and complete it by the next day.
However, I hate writing essays and also I had a very important date with my girlfriend. My sister
is very good at English so I asked my sister to write the essay for me. At first, she refused, but
then when I offered to clean her room for a week she agreed to do it. Finally, I got my essay
written, but my teacher understood that I hadn’t written the essay myself and she gave me a 0.”

a) Did Barış write the essay?

- No he did not.
b) Who wrote the essay?
 - His sister wrote the essay.

GRAMMAR NOTES:

HAVE SOMETHING DONE

have + object + past participle is used to describe something which is done for the subject by
someone else.

Analyze the examples:

We will have the car fixed next month. (The mechanic will fix the car.)

Students have already had their essays marked. (The teacher has marked them, not the
students.)

The Smiths had their apartments cleaned last week. (The cleaner cleaned the apartment, not
the Smiths.)

As can be seen, ‘have something done’ can be used with all the tenses.

GET SOMETHING DONE

get + object + past participle has the same meaning, but it is less formal. This structure can also
be used with all the tenses.

Martha got the dishes washed. (Somebody else washed the dishes, not Martha.)

I will get my report faxed tomorrow. (Somebody else will fax the report.)
After many robberies, our neighbors decided to get their locks replaced. (Our neighbors didn’t
replace the locks themselves, somebody else did it for them.)

PART C: Read the dialogue and answer the questions.

Andrea: So, how was your first driving lesson?

Leo: Difficult. The teacher was so strict.
Andrea: Really? What did he make you do?
Leo: Well, he made me study all the driver’s training manuals and he made me drive an old car.
But he was a good teacher. Now, I can drive very well.
a) Was Leo happy to study all the driver’s training manuals?
- No he was not.
b) Did the teacher allow him to drive a new car?
- No he did not.
c) Did the teacher politely ask him to drive an old car?
- No he did not.

Pelin: “I usually get on the shuttle to go to school. However, this morning I couldn’t wake up and
missed it. I had a very important lesson at school so I had my brother drive me to school. My
brother is a very kind person. He never refuses to help me when I ask for help.”

a) Did Pelin drive to school this morning?

- No she did not.
b) Who drove her to school?
- Her brother drove her to school.
c) Did she force her brother to drive her to school?
- No she did not.
Nancy: “My husband used to smoke a lot. I asked him to stop smoking but he refused. Then I
told him the negative effects of smoking and showed some examples of people who got serious
diseases because of smoking. I tried to persuade him to stop smoking by talking about the
dangers every day. Finally, I got him to stop smoking. Now, he doesn’t smoke and he is very
happy. He thanks me every day for that.”

a) Did Nancy’s husband want to stop smoking?

- No he did not.
b) What did Nancy do to help him stop smoking?
- She told him the negative effects of smoking and showed some examples of
people who got serious diseases because of smoking.
c) Did Nancy force her husband to stop smoking?
- No she did not.

GRAMMAR NOTES:
MAKE SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING

The meaning of this structure is to force someone to do something.

Although the boy hated vegetables, his mum made him eat them. (Her mother forced him to
eat.)

My boss has made me redo my report because he wasn’t satisfied with it. (I
didn’t want to redo it, but my boss forced me to do so.)

Also, there is another meaning of this structure: cause.

For example: Romantic movies make me cry.

Reading about history makes him bored.
HAVE SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING

The meaning of this structure is to ask someone to do something for you. It is politer than
“make somebody do something”. It means you make a request from a person and he/she says
yes.
I need to have a plumber fix the taps. (I don’t force the plumber, but I kindly ask.)

Before I left on my trip, I had the travel agent book the tickets. (I kindly requested.)

GET SOMEBODY TO DO SOMETHING

The meaning of this structure is to persuade someone to do something. At first, the person
might say no, but you insist and convince him/her to do something for you.

The government TV commercials are focusing on the negative effects of smoking to get people
to stop smoking. (To persuade people to quit smoking)

I can’t get the children to sleep at bed-time.  They never seem to be tired!! (I can’t convince the
kids to go to bed.)

PART D: PRACTICE

1.Read the first sentence of each item. Then circle the letter of the sentence that is closest in
meaning.

1. Ms. Bates got the principal to arrange a class trip to the zoo.
a) Ms. Bates arranged a class trip.
b) Ms. Bates persuaded the principal to arrange a class trip.
2. Mr. Goldberg had us do research about animals.
a) Mr. Goldberg asked us to do research.
b) Mr. Goldberg did research for us.
3. My teacher made me rewrite the report.
a) I wrote the report again, but I wasn’t happy about it.
 b) I didn’t write the report again.
4. She got me to add more information.
a) She persuaded me to add more information.
b) She allowed me to add more information.
5. Ms. Lee had us use our dictionaries and notes during the test.
a) We were asked to use our dictionaries.
b) We had to use our dictionaries.
6. I had my essay written.
a) I wrote my essay.
b) Someone else wrote my essay.
7. She got her house painted.
a) Someone else painted the house.
b) She painted the house.

2. Fill in the blanks with the verbs given. Add any other words that are necessary.
1. I made my son __wash___ the windows before he could go outside to play. (wash)
2. Mrs. Crane had her house __decorated__. (decorate)
3. The teacher had the class __write__ a 3000-word research paper. (write)
4. Don got some kids in the neighborhood _to clean_ out his garage. (clean)
5. I went to the bank to have a cheque _cashed__. (cash)
6. After I had the sleeves _shortened_, the jacket I bought fit me perfectly. (shorten)
7. Tom had a bad headache yesterday, so he got his twin brother Tim _to go_ to class for him.
The teacher didn't know the difference. (go)
8. Alice stopped at the service station to have the tank _filled_. (fill)
9. I got Mary _to lend_ me some money, so I could go to a movie last night. (lend)
10. Mr. Fields went to a doctor to have the wart on his nose _removed_. (remove)
11. Peeling onions always makes me _cry_. (cry)
12. We had a professional photographer _take_ pictures of everyone who participated in our
wedding. (take)
13. I spilled some tomato sauce on my suit coat. Now I need to get my suit __cleaned__. (clean)
3.Complete each sentence by circling the correct verb.
1. The elephant was tired that day, so the trainer didn’t make / get it perform.
2. I didn’t really want to work overtime this week, but my boss made / got me work late
because some of my coworkers were sick.
3. I forgot to turn on my headlights before I left the parking lot a few nights ago. The police
officer made / got me pull over to the side of the road and asked to see my license.
4. At first, we didn’t really want to write in our journals. Our teacher explained that it would
help us. Finally, he had / got us to try it.
5. I needed to get a blood test for my school physical. The doctor got / had me roll up my sleeve
and make a fist.

4.Choose the appropriate option to complete the sentences.

1. The Harrisons __________ the painter ____________their house every year.
a) get/paint b) have/paint c) get/painted d) have/ painted
2. Can somebody ______________ the windows _____________before winter?
a) have / repaired b) has / repaired c) have / repairing d) have / repair
3. We are going to get the mechanic _______________ our car.
a) inspect b) inspected c) to inspect d) inspecting
4. Because of the child’s bad grades, his father _________ him _______ at home all his holiday.
In other words, he wasn’t allowed to go out.
a) had/stay b) made/stay c) got/ to stay d) didn’t make / stay
5. Why haven’t you got your house ____________ before?
a) decorated b) to decorate c) to be decorated d) decorate
6. Instead of buying a new bicycle, why don't you have your old one ____________?
a) fix b) fixed c) to fix d) to be fixed
(The exercises are adapted from www.grammarbank.com)
5.Complete the summaries with “make, have or get” with the correct form of the verb in
parentheses. Some sentences will be affirmative (positive), some will be negative.
1. Maria: Could I work alone? I really don’t like working in a group.
Ms. Allen: You need to work in a group today.
Summary: Ms. Allen __made me work____ in a group.
2. Ms. Allen: Fernando, could you do me a favor and clean the board before you leave?
Fernando: Sure.
Summary: She __got me to clean___ the board.
3. Ms. Allen: Uri, you are good at doing research, please show Greta how to research
orcas on the Internet.
Uri: Sure.
Summary: She _got Uri to show_ Greta how to do research about the orcas on the
Internet.
4. Hector: What does positive reinforcement mean?
Ms. Allen: Why don’t you see if one of your classmates can explain it to you?
Summary: Ms. Allen _had Hector ask_ his classmates for help.

5. Pablo: Ms. Allen, do I have to write this composition on elephants?

Ms. Allen: Only if you want to.
Summary: Ms. Allen __did not made Pablo write_ his composition.
6. Maria: Mom, can I borrow the car?
Mom: Only if you drive your sister to soccer practice.
Summary: Maria’s mother _made Maria drive__ her sister to soccer practice.

6. Imagine that you are going to move to a New House. Prepare a list for the things to be
done and you need to
 get/have something done
 make/have somebody do
 get somebody to do


BEFORE I MOVE TO MY NEW HOUSE…

 I need to get the electricity checked.
 I need to have someone clean the house.
 I need to get someone to paint the house.
 I need to have the internet checked