Causative Verbs Lets start what is Causative Verbs?
In this session, we would be discussing all the causative verbs.
As per English Grammar, verbs are generally used to describe the action or occurrence or state which will help in forming the main part of the predicate of the sentence. For example, hear, become, happen.
The English verbs let, make, have, get, and help are called causative verbs because they cause something else to happen.
What are Causative Verbs?
The causative verbs are words that can be used to indicate a person or thing that makes something happen or they are doing something. Some examples of causative verbs are :
- Make
- Cause
- Help
- Allow
- Have
- Enable
- Keep
- Hold
- Let
- Force
- Require
These are also referred to as causal verbs or simple causatives.
Basically, a causative verb can be in any sense and it is followed by an object and also some other verb form. This other verb form can be an infinitive or a participle. They are generally used to describe something that happens because of a person, place, or thing whose actions are bringing the change in another element.
| Note:Interestingly enough, the word “cause” isn’t the prototypical causative verb in English because “cause” has a much more specific and less frequently used definition than “make,” which is used most frequently to indicate someone making something happen. |
If you go by the definition, the causative verbs most often describe the person or thing which are making the action or causing the action. You might have noticed that when you use the causative verb in a sentence, then there are always grammatical ways n which you can structure or organize the sentences. Let look at some of the examples and how to use each of the causative verbs correctly.
1. I wish my dad would let me go to the party.
In the above sentence, the grammatically right way for the causative verb would be using
Let + Person/Thing + Base Verb
Here we can see the verb followed by the person “me”. The word “me” is followed by the base verb “go”. Therefore we can say that the sentence is correctly using the causative verb.
Usage of Causative Verbs – Let, Have, Make
2. Application Of The Word – Make:
‘Make’ is a causative verb that is used to express that a person is being forced by someone or something to do a particular thing. It will make use of the following pattern.
“Make” + Person + Base verb
Let’s have a look at the examples to understand it in a better way.
- My mother made me clean my study desk and bedroom.
- Jerry had made Alex clean the bedroom.
- Robert always made me beat his friend.
- My owner made me wash his car on weekends.
- She tries to make me laugh whenever I am down.
3. Application Of The Word – Have
Subject + have (any tense) + object (usually person) + base form of verb + . . . .
- Mary will have Merinda complete her homework.
In the above example, you can see that the causative verb “have” explains the fact that someone or a person is going to get someone else to do something. In the sentence pattern, you will understand that some action is going to happen to you you are not sure who ( the person) is going to do it.
4. Application Of The Word – Get
Get + person + infinitive
- Jeromy got Maria to clean his study room.
- Meghna will get Asha to complete her homework.
- I got the waitress to bring us some menus.
- I am getting my sister to send me a picture of her new house.
- Zachary got his house cleaned before the party.
Conclusion:
Always remember that the causative verbs are used to explain that a person or thing is causing an action to happen. Yes, you can use different forms of the verb but ensure that you organize the sentences in the grammatically correct order.