Causative Verbs: Definition and Examples

 Causative Verbs: Definition and Examples

Definition:
Causative verbs are verbs that are used to indicate that one person causes another person to do something or something to happen.

Common Causative Verbs:

1.      Make – to force someone to do something/compelled

2.      Have – to give someone the responsibility to do something/ paid

3.      Get – to persuade or arrange for someone to do something/convinced

4.      Let – to allow someone to do something

5.      Help – to assist someone in doing something

Examples in Sentences:

1. Make (force):

·         The teacher made the students stay after class.

(The students didn’t choose — they were forced to stay.)

2. Have (give responsibility):

·         I had my brother wash my bike.

(I arranged for him to do it.)

3. Get (persuade/arrange):

·         She got her hair cut by a professional.

(She arranged for someone to cut her hair.)

4. Let (allow):

·         He let me use his laptop.

(He gave me permission.)

5. Help (assist):

·         They helped me finish the homework.

(They gave me assistance.)

 

Structure

Verb	Structure	Example
Make	make + object + base verb	He made her cry.
Have	have + object + base verb	She had him paint the house.
Get	get + object + to + base verb	I got him to fix the car.
Let	let + object + base verb	She let me borrow her pen.
Help	help + object + base verb	They helped us clean the room.

 

 Additional examples

1. MAKE (force someone to do something)

Active:

1.      The coach made the players run five laps.

2.      Her parents made her apologize for her mistake.

Passive:

1.      The players were made to run five laps by the coach.

2.      She was made to apologize by her parents.

2. HAVE (give someone responsibility)

Active:

1.      I had the plumber fix the tap.

2.      She had her assistant schedule the meeting.

Passive:

1.      The tap was had fixed by the plumber. ✅ (Better:) I had the tap fixed by the plumber.

2.      The meeting was had scheduled by her assistant. ✅ (Better:) She had the meeting scheduled.

3. GET (persuade or arrange for someone)

Active:

1.      I got my brother to clean my room.

2.      They got the mechanic to repair the bike.

Passive:

1.      My room got cleaned by my brother.

2.      The bike got repaired by the mechanic.

4. LET (allow someone)

Active:

1.      Mom let me go to the party.

2.      He let his dog sleep on the bed.

Passive:

1.      I was let go to the party by Mom.

2.      The dog was let sleep on the bed. (Rarely used in passive; sounds unnatural)

5. HELP (assist someone)

Active:

1.      They helped me carry the luggage.

2.      She helped her friend complete the assignment.

Passive:

1.      I was helped to carry the luggage by them.

2.      The assignment was helped to be completed by her. (Less common and awkward in passive)

 In detail along with structures 

1. MAKE (force someone to do something)

Active Voice Structure:

Subject+ make + object + base verb (V1)
No “to” before the verb.

Examples:

·         The teacher made the students stay after school.

·         His boss made him work late.

Passive Voice Structure:

Object +be (is/was/are etc.) + made + to + base verb (V1)
“To” is used in the passive form.

Examples:

·         The students were made to stay after school.

·         He was made to work late.

2. HAVE (give responsibility)

Active Voice Structure:

Subject +have + object + base verb (V1)
Used when someone does the task directly.

Examples:

·         I had my friend repair the phone.

·         She had her brother wash the car.

Passive Voice Structure:

Agent+have + object + past participle (V3)
Used when the action is done by someone else, not directly named.

Examples:

·         I had my phone repaired.

·         She had her car washed.

3. GET (arrange or persuade someone)

Active Voice Structure:

Subject+get + object + to + base verb (V1)
“To” is required before the main verb.

Examples:

·         I got him to fix the roof.

·         They got their mother to cook dinner.

Passive Voice Structure:

Agent+get + object + past participle (V3)

Examples:

·         I got the roof fixed.

·         They got dinner cooked by their mother.

4. LET (allow)

Active Voice Structure:

Subject+let + object + base verb (V1)
No “to” before the verb.

Examples:

·         She let me drive her car.

·         They let the dog play in the yard.

Passive Voice Structure:

Rare and awkward in passive
Passive voice is usually avoided with "let."
But grammatically:

Agent+be + let + base verb (or) let + object + be + past participle

Examples:

·         I was let go from the company. (Common idiom)

·         The dog was let out of the cage. (OK in some cases)

5. HELP (assist)

Active Voice Structures (both forms are correct):

1.      help + object + base verb (V1)

2.      help + object + to + base verb (V1)

Note: (Rohit brother asked me this questions)

Examples:

·         He helped me solve the problem.

·         He helped me to solve the problem.

Passive Voice Structure:

Agent +be + helped + to + base verb (V1)
“To” is usually used in passive.

Examples:

·         I was helped to solve the problem.

·         She was helped to carry her bags.

Summary Table

Verb	Active Structure	Passive Structure
Make	make + obj + base verb	be made + to + base verb
Have	have + obj + base verb	have + obj + past participle (V3)
Get	get + obj + to + base verb	get + obj + past participle (V3)
Let	let + obj + base verb	⚠ awkward/passive: be let + base verb
Help	help + obj + (to) + base verb	be helped + to + base verb