Causative Verbs

Today, you’re going to learn a fascinating topic.

First of all, read the following sentences carefully!

1. I don’t let my kids go out after 7 pm.
2. The teacher made all the students stand on the benches as they were creating a lot of noise.
3. I had mike fix my broken bicycle.
4. You’re not allowed to go out.

There’s something familiar or similar in the above four sentences. Can you figure that out?

In all the four sentences, either somebody is causing something to happen or causing another person to do something.

Now’ we’ll discuss each sentence in detail.

1.  In the first one, the subject which is ‘I’ is making kids do something.
2. In the second one, the subject which is ‘the teacher’ made the students do something.
3. In the third one, the subject which is ‘I’ made mike to do something.
4. In the fourth one, the subject which is ‘you’ caused something to happen.

All these things or actions were possible with the help of a verb like let, made, had, and allow in the respective sentences.

These verbs are the reasons those things happened.

These verbs do not indicate something the subject did for themselves but something the issue got someone or something else to do for them. 

Now, these types of verbs are known as Causative Verbs.

We use these type of verbs daily but still don’t know their significance, how funny right!

Now, we’ll understand some of the causative verbs and their uses in our daily life.

• Let, allow and permit

Let means permit something to happen. Allow and permit are synonyms of let so there uses are also similar.

Grammatical structure

Let + person/thing + verb(base form)

With allow/permit we use to + verb.

• My sister allows me to wear her clothes.
• Our teacher doesn’t permit us to take leaves on Mondays.
• My mother won’t let me adopt a cat.

•  Make, force and require

Make means require someone to do an action. Force and require are synonyms of make, so their uses are also similar.

Grammatical structure 

Make + person/thing + verb(base form)

With force/require we use to + verb

• My doctor made me take an injection for stomachache.
• The teacher requires the students to maintain their notebooks.
• Mary forced jerry to come along with her to the party.

• Have

Have means give someone else the responsibility to do something.

Grammatical structure

Have + person + verb(base form)

Have + thing + past participle of the verb

•  I had my dad go to the parent-teacher meeting this time.
• I’m going to have my hair cut tomorrow.

• Get 

Get means to encourage someone to do something.

Grammatical structure

Get + person + to + verb

• My friend got me to try sushi from a famous Japanese restaurant.
• How can we get all the students to behave appropriately?

• Help

Help means to assist someone in doing something.

Grammatical structure

Help + person + verb(base form)

Help + person + to + verb

• Roy helped me carry the book set.
• Meditating in the morning helps me to relax.

These were the most common causative verbs. Some more examples are persuaded, enable, etc.

This topic was interesting, right?