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This construction is passive in meaning. It may describe situations where we want someone else to do something for us.

This is a passive (passive) construction. It can describe situations where we want someone else (like a master) to do something for us

Examples Examples

• I must get/have my hair cut.
• I need get a haircut(=for the hairdresser to cut my hair)
  
• When are you going to get that window rendered?
• When will you you'll fix it is this a window? (=not yourself, but call a specialist)
  
• We"re having the house painted.
• We we paint house (=they hired painters and they are painting)
  

If the verb refers to something negative or unwanted, it has the same meaning as a passive sentence:

Moreover, with the same meaning “did for me” the action of the verb can mean something negative or undesirable

• Jim had his car stolen last night.(= Jim's car was stolen)
• Jim's car was stolen last night (= John's car was stolen)
• They had their roof blown off in the storm. (= Their roof was blown off in the storm)
• They're in a storm blew the roof off houses (= The roof of their house was blown off during the storm)

The construction can refer to the completion of an activity, especially if a time expression is used:

This design may indicate completion of an action, especially if indicated circumstance of time:

• We'll get the work done as soon as possible.
• We will do (finish) this work as soon as possible
  
• I"ll get those letters typed before lunchtime.
• I I'll print these letters before lunch
  

In all these sentences, we are more interested in the result of the activity than in the person or object that performs the activity.

In all these sentences (i.e. in the last two examples) there are more of us interested result actions, not who will perform it(maybe we ourselves, maybe we’ll ask someone)

"X" NEEDS DOING "X" needs to be done

In the same way, this construction has a passive meaning. The important thing in our minds is the person or thing that will experience the action, e.g.

This construction, like the previous one, has a passive (passive) meaning. In it we focus on the person/thing that will be affected, for example:

• The ceiling needs painting (= the ceiling needs to be painted)
• Ceiling needs painting(we can do it ourselves, we can hire it)
• My hair needs cutting (= my hair needs to be cut)
• To me need a haircut(I can do it myself, I can go to the hairdresser)

Causative form in English represented by the following designs

• have something done (literally – to have something done for oneself)
• have someone do something (make someone do something for you)

HAVE SMTH DONE

We use the expression have + object + past participle (have something done) to describe a service that was provided to us, or some unpleasant event that happened to us in cases where the action is not performed by us, but it is directed at us or at our property.

For example:

I had my car stolen - My car was stolen.

We had the roof repaired last year. “We had our roof fixed last year.”

Not has had his application turned down - His application was rejected.

My girlfriend has her letter published in the Times - My girlfriend’s letter was published in the Times.

The subject of such a sentence will be the person at whom the action is directed, or the person at whose property the action is directed. This construction is used quite often in English.

Please note in oral speech the expression is often used with get instead of have without change in meaning.

We have our fence pulled down = We get our fence pulled down.

How to use the expression have something done?

The Causative form have something done can be used in any tense. In this case, only the verb to have changes. Let's look at the example of the sentence We have the office cleaned (Our office was cleaned)

	We have the office cleaned
	We had the office cleaned
	We will have the office cleaned
Present Continuous	We are having the office cleaned
	We were having the office cleaned
Future Continuous	We will be having the office cleaned
	We have had the office cleaned
	We had the office cleaned
	We will have the office cleaned
Present Perfect Continuous	We have been having the office cleaned
Past Perfect Continuous	We had been having the office cleaned
Future Perfect Continuous	We will have been having the office cleaned

Of course, all Perfect Continuous forms and Future form Perfect is practically not used in oral speech, as it is too overloaded.

HAVE SMB DO SMTH

The second possible form of Causative is have someone do something. This expression is more typical. It means that you forced/asked someone to do something for you.

For example:

I will have the waiter bring you the menu. – I’ll ask the waiter to bring you a menu.

I had my assistant type the report. — I asked the assistant to print the report.

In Britain we often say get instead of have, as in the expression have / get something done. However, when using get, the expression will be like get someone to do something (the to particle appears).

I will get the waiter to bring you the menu.

I got my assistant to type the report.

Thus, causative in English is represented by the following constructions:

• Have someone do something

• Get someone to do something.

Exercises on Causative form with answers.

Let's practice a little.

Exercise 1. Complete the sentences using the correct form of “to have something done”

1. The Smiths ___________ the roof _______________ last year. (repair)
2. Molly ______________ the room ____________________ next month. (decorate)
3. You should ___________ your eyes ___________ regularly. (test)
4. We ___________ the television _________________ only last year! (repair)
5. ________ you ____________ your car ______________ regularly? (service)
6. How often ___________ you _____________ your windows _____________? (clean)
7. We _________________ the office _________________ every evening. (clean)
8. Our neighbors __________________ a new garage ______________ at the moment (build)

Exercise 2. Write down the sentences using the correct causative form. Use a modal verb where appropriate.

1. Bob must/really/the heating/fix. Winter is coming soon.
2. She / her hair / dye blonde yesterday.
3. They / the rooms / paint at the moment.
4. After Alex / the sleeves / shorten, the blazer fits him perfectly.
5. Instead of buying a new car, why / you / not / your old one / fix / ?
6. What are those workmen doing in your garden? – Oh, we / a garage / build
7. They / not / their TV / fix / yet
8. Her coffee maker was broken. Now it's working again. She/it/repair

Exercise 3. Rewrite the sentences using HAVE SOMETHING DONE

1. Someone cut Kate's hair at 13.30 pm.

Kate……………………………………………………

1. The mechanic is changing Peter’s car battery.

Peter ……………………………………………...

My mother………………………………………...

1. Someone checks Henry’s guitar after every show.

Henry……………………………………………………

I………………………………………………………………………………………

Exercise 3. Rewrite the sentences using HAVE SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING

1. The mechanic changes Peter’s car battery yearly.

Peter ……………………………………………...

1. The hairdresser dyed my mother’s hair last Saturday.

My mother………………………………………...

1. The assistant checks Henry’s guitar after every show.

Henry……………………………………………………

1. The dentist checks my teeth once a year.

I………………………………………………………………………………………

Answers:

1. The Smiths had the roof repaired last year.
2. Molly is going to have/is having the room decorated next month.
3. You should have your eyes tested regularly.
4. We had the television repaired only last year!
5. Do you have your car serviced regularly?
6. How often do you have your windows cleaned?
7. We have the office cleaned every evening.
8. Our neighbors are having a new garage built at the moment.

1. Bob really must have the heating fixed.
2. She had her hair dyed blonde yesterday
3. They are having the rooms painted at the moment
4. After Alex had the sleeves shortened, the blazer fit him perfectly.
5. Instead of buying a new car, why don’t you have your old one fixed?
6. We are having a garage built.
7. They have not had their TV fixed yet.

1. Kate had her hair cut at 13.30 pm.
2. Peter is having his car battery changed.
3. My mother had her hair dyed last Saturday.
4. Henry has his guitar checked after every show.
5. I have my teeth checked once a year.

1. Peter has the mechanic change his car battery yearly.
2. My mother had the hairdresser dye her hair last Saturday.
3. Henry has his assistant check his guitar after every show.
4. I have the dentist check my teeth once a year.

I hope the rules and exercises helped you understand the topic of causative forms.

We often encounter situations where either we ourselves or our things become the object of action. For example, they do our hair, paint our nails, or fix something. You can talk about all these situations in English using one simple expression – have something done.

Using the have something done construction

Let's start by looking at two main cases in which this design is used:

1. We are talking about a service that was provided to you at your request or for money.

   Imagine that you had surgery in a clinic. It was successful, you were satisfied and now you tell your friend about it:

   I had my surgery done in a very good clinic. – I had the operation in a very good clinic.

   Had my surgery done indicates that you did not operate on yourself, but a doctor did it.

   She had her window repaired after the storm. — She fixed the window after the thunderstorm.

   Had her window repaired indicates that she hired someone to do it for her.

2. Something bad happened to you.
   

   She had her store robbed last night. “Her store was robbed last night.”

   We had all our money stolen. - All our money was stolen.

   In spoken English, instead of have possible use of the verb get.

   When will you get your hair done? - When will you get your hair done?

   I have to pay to get this program installed. – I have to pay to have this program installed.

Scheme for forming sentences with the construction have something done

Statement

Subject + have/has ed or V3.

Alice has all her clothes made at the dressmaking shop. – Alice sews all her clothes in the studio.

Frank has his room cleaned twice a week. – Frank’s room is cleaned twice a week.

Negation

Subject + auxiliary verb with particle not + have+ object or person on whom the action is performed + verb ending - ed or V3.

Alice doesn't have all her clothes made at the dressmaking shop. – Alice doesn’t make all her clothes in a tailor shop.

Frank doesn’t have his room cleaned twice a week. Frank’s room is not cleaned twice a week.

Question

Auxiliary verb + subject + have+ object or person on whom the action is performed + verb ending - ed or V3.

Does Alice have all her clothes made at the dressmaking shop? – Does Alice make all her clothes in the studio?

Does Frank have his room cleaned twice a week? – Is Frank’s room cleaned twice a week?

Examples of using the construction have something done

Expression have something done can be used at any time, as well as with turnover going to, modal verbs etc. In all cases, only the verb changes to have. The second part of the turnover remains unchanged.

Time	Statement	Negation	Question
Present Simple	He has his eyes tested once a year. He gets his eyes checked once a year.	He doesn’t have his eyes tested once a year. He doesn't get his eyes checked once a year.	Does he have his eyes tested once a year? Does he get his eyes checked once a year?
Present Continuous	He is having his eyes tested now. He's checking his eyesight now.	He is not having his eyes tested now. He's not checking his eyesight now.	Is he having his eyes tested now? Is he getting his eyes checked now?
Present Perfect	He has already had his eyes tested. He's already had his eyes checked.	He hasn’t had his eyes tested yet. He hasn't had his eyes checked yet.	Has he already had his eyes tested? Has he already had his eyes checked?
Present Perfect Continuous	He has been having his eyes tested for 20 minutes. He tests his vision for 20 minutes.	He hasn’t been having his eyes tested for a few months. He hasn't had his eyes checked in months.	Has he been having his eyes tested for these few months? Does he have his eyes checked during these months?
Past Simple	He had his eyes tested 2 weeks ago. He had his eyes checked 2 weeks ago.	He didn't have his eyes tested 2 weeks ago. He didn't have his eyes checked 2 weeks ago.	Did he have his eyes tested 2 weeks ago? Did he have his eyes checked 2 weeks ago?
Past Continuous	He was having his eyes tested while I was having my blood pressure taken. He checked my vision while they took my blood pressure.	He wasn’t having his eyes tested while I was having my blood pressure taken. He didn't check my vision while they took my blood pressure.	Was he having his eyes tested while I was having my blood pressure taken? Did he check my eyes while they were taking my blood pressure?
Past Perfect	He had had his eyes tested before he bought the glasses. He had his eyes tested before buying glasses.	He hadn't had his eyes tested before he bought the glasses. He didn't have his eyes checked before buying glasses.	Had he had his eyes tested before he bought the glasses? Did he have his eyes checked before buying glasses?
Past Perfect Continuous	He had been having his eyes tested for 20 minutes, when the other doctor came. He had been checking his vision for 20 minutes when another doctor arrived.	When the other doctor came, he hadn’t been having his eyes tested. When another doctor came, he did not check my vision.	Had he been having his eyes tested, when the other doctor came? Was he checking his eyesight when another doctor came in?
Future Simple	He will have his eyes tested. He will check your vision.	He won't have his eyes tested. He won't check your eyesight.	Will he have his eyes tested? Will he have his eyes checked?
Future Continuous	He will be having his eyes tested tomorrow at 7 o’clock. He will have his eyes checked tomorrow at 7 o'clock.	He will not be having his eyes tested tomorrow at 7 o’clock. He won't have his eyes checked at 7 o'clock tomorrow.	Will he be having his eyes tested tomorrow at 7 o’clock? Will he have his eyes checked at 7 o'clock tomorrow?
Future Perfect	He will have had his eyes tested by this time tomorrow. He'll have his eyes checked by this time tomorrow.	He will not have had his eyes tested by this time tomorrow. He won't have his eyes tested by this time tomorrow.	Will he have had his eyes tested by this time tomorrow? Will he have his eyes checked by this time tomorrow?
Future Perfect Continuous	He will have been having his eyes tested for 20 minutes by the time you come tomorrow. He will have been checking your vision for 20 minutes by the time you come in tomorrow.	He will not have been having his eyes tested, when you come tomorrow. He won't be checking your eyes when you come in tomorrow.	Will he have been having his eyes tested, when you come tomorrow? Will he be checking your eyes when you come in tomorrow?
With turnover going to	He is going to have his eyes tested. He's going to have his eyes tested.	He is not going to have his eyes tested. He's not going to have his eyes tested.	Is he going to have his eyes tested? Is he going to have his eyes tested?
With modal verbs	We must have our washing machine repaired. We need to fix the washing machine.	We mustn't have our washing machine repaired. We don't need to fix the washing machine.	Must we have our washing machine repaired? Do we need to fix the washing machine?
With expressions that require a verb ending - ing	It’s worth having your cellphone repaired. Your phone is worth fixing.	It’s not worth having your cellphone repaired. Your phone is not worth fixing.	Is it worth having your cellphone repaired? Is your phone worth repairing?

That's all you need to know to properly use the design. have something done. To repeat new material, watch a video in which a North Carolinian explains this topic in clear English.

Expression have something done used quite often. We hope that now you can easily talk about your new super haircut or good service in a restaurant. To do this, download the cheat sheet.

(*.pdf, 200 Kb)

And in order to consolidate the theory in practice, we suggest taking our test.

​

Test

The expression have something done in English

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You should not limit yourself to Passive Voice alone to form the passive voice. It may well help you out. A sentence with such a phrase will sound more interesting and take on the shade you need. The ease of constructing a phrase and the ability to use it with all tenses (and even with modal verbs) is another tangible advantage of mastering this topic.

Why do we need the have something done construct?

There are only two rules when it comes in handy construction have something done. Most often, this grammatical phenomenon can be found if a person uses some kind of service. This also includes medical care. For example, you went to your favorite hairdresser and got your hair in order. Or they removed a boring tooth. IN English version both situations will be expressed using have something done. Literally it sounds like this: “I have something done.” The English here focus the interlocutor’s attention on the fact that someone, not the speaker, has worked to solve the problem.

Example:

I had my hair cut three days ago. – I cut my hair 3 days ago.

Usually in Russian the active voice is used. Agree, it would be somehow inhumane for us to say “I had my hair cut.” But for English speakers this is normal and you can get used to this type of sentence over time.

The second case of using the construction have something done is associated with unpleasant events. So, if someone was robbed, then this particular design will be needed.

Example:

Have you had all your money stolen? - Was all your money stolen?

As you may have guessed, the construction is very simple to use, just like the verb have itself. It is important not to forget about the main verb - it must be in the 3rd form (see table irregular verbs). Auxiliary words appear in negatives and questions. Their choice depends on the time in which the sentence itself sounds.

The construction have something done in different tenses

	statement	negation	question
simple present	Bob has his flat repaired twice a year. Bob's apartment is renovated twice a year.	Bob doesn't have his flat repaired twice a year. Bob's apartment doesn't get renovated twice a year.	Does Bob have his flat repaired twice a year? Does Bob redecorate his apartment twice a year?
present continuous	Bob is having his flat repaired now. Bob's apartment is currently being renovated.	Bean isn't having his flat repaired now. Bob's apartment is not being renovated right now.	Is Bob having his flat repaired now? Is Bob currently renovating his apartment?
simple future	Bob will have his flat repaired. Bob's apartment will be renovated.	Bob won't have his flat repaired. Bob's apartment won't be renovated.	Will Bob have his flat repaired ? Will Tom's apartment be renovated?
simple past	Yesterday Bob had his flat repaired . Bob's apartment was renovated yesterday.	Yesterday Bob didn't have his flat repaired. Bob's apartment was not being renovated yesterday.	Did Bob have his flat repaired yesterday? Was Bob's apartment renovated yesterday?
past continuous	Bob was having his flat repaired all day. Bob's apartment was being renovated all day.	Bob wasn't having his flat repaired all day. Bob's apartment had not been repaired all day.	Was Bob having his flat repaired all day? Bob's apartment was being renovated all day?
present perfect	Bob has already had his flat repaired. Bob's apartment has already been renovated.	Bob hasn’t had his flat repaired yet. Bob's apartment hasn't been renovated yet.	Has Bob already had his flat repaired ? Has Bob's apartment been renovated yet?
past perfect	Bob had his flat repaired before we came. Bob's apartment had been renovated before we arrived.	Bob hadn't had his flat repaired before we came. Bob's apartment had not been renovated before we arrived.	Had Bob had his flat repaired before we came? Was Bob's apartment renovated before we arrived?
present perfect continuous	Bob has been having his flat repaired since early morning. Bob's apartment had been being renovated since early morning.	Bob hasn’t been having his flat repaired since early morning. Bob's apartment had not been repaired since early morning.	Has Bob been having his flat repaired since early morning? Has Bob's apartment been renovated since early morning?
past perfect continuous	Bob had been having his flat repaired for 2 hours when we came. Bob's apartment was being renovated for 2 hours when we arrived.	Bob hadn't been having his flat repaired for 2 hours when we came. Bob's apartment had not been repaired for 2 hours when we arrived.	Had Bob been having his flat repaired for 2 hours when we came? Bob's apartment had been under renovation for 2 hours when we arrived?
construction to be going to	Bob is going to have his flat repaired. Bob is going to renovate his apartment (with the help of a third party).	Bob isn't going to have his flat repaired. Bob is not going to renovate his apartment.	Is Bob going to have his flat repaired? Is Bob going to renovate his apartment?
modal verbs	Bob should have his flat repaired. Bob should renovate his apartment.	Bob shouldn't have his flat repaired. Bob shouldn't renovate his apartment.	Should Bob have his flat repaired? Bob needs to renovate his apartment?

Of course, everything takes practice. If you are ready to work on this topic with a teacher, sign up for our Skype classes! We offer an introductory lesson for free.

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To understand the meaning of the expression have something done in English, and also to securely fix it in our memory, let's try to see its meaning in the following example. Let's imagine a situation: you need to attend some kind of special event. Accordingly, you need to look beautiful and elegant. You wouldn’t mind putting on a nice dress, but the trouble is that you don’t have one, and you don’t have enough money to buy a new one. What to do? You calculate the amount you can allocate for this item of clothing and go to the studio where they sew a dress to order for you. When you tell someone about the option that made you look great at a party, you say: “I made myself a new dress.” How to correctly translate this sentence? The first thing that comes to mind is I made a new dress. How will your interlocutor understand you? And exactly as you said. “I sewed a new dress” - I bought the fabric, cut it out, sat down at the sewing machine and made it. But this is not so, the dress was sewn in a studio. How to indicate this difference? To indicate that something was done for you or to you, but not by you personally. It is for these purposes that the expression “have something done” in English is necessary. As we see, this expression includes three components: the verb have / has / had (depending on the person, number and time), an object or person (on which the action is performed), a verb in the Past Participle form (correct - in ed, incorrect - special forms). All words are in the exact order as presented in this expression and cannot be changed or rearranged. By using the expression have something done in English, you show that someone else has done something with either you or your things. Here are examples of how to use this expression correctly:

*Present Simple: Every Friday Joe has his car washed. Every Friday Joe washes his car.(but he doesn’t wash it himself, but takes it to the car wash)

*Present Continuous: I am having a swimming pool built now. - I'm building a swimming pool now.(a group of workers is doing this, not me on my own)

* going to: He is going to have his eyes tested. - He's going to have his eyes checked.(will go to the ophthalmology center, where everything will be checked by ophthalmologists)

*Past Simple: I had the new dress made. – I sewed a new dress.(sewn in the studio, not by me)

Jill had the roof repaired. – Jill repaired the roof yesterday. (She didn’t go to repair it herself, but called workers who did everything)

Where did you have your hair cut? -Where did you get your hair cut?(someone was getting a haircut)

Did you have your newspaper delivered? – Did you receive the newspaper? (they delivered it to you, and you didn’t go to the post office and pick it up)

Where did you have your watch repaired? – Where did you get your watch repaired?(which workshop did you take them to)

Why didn’t you have your fur -coat cleaned ? - Why didn’t you clean your fur coat? (I didn’t take it to the dry cleaner)

*Present Perfect: I haven’t had the film developed yet. – I haven't developed the film yet. (in other words, he did not take it to the photo center for development)

*Past Continuous: They were having their new house decorated at that moment. – They were decorating their house at that moment.(a group of workers carried out the finishing, not the owners themselves)

*Future Simple: She will have her new book published. – She will release her new book.

*Future Continuous: I will be having my windows cleaned at that time. – At this time I will wash the windows. (not myself, hired washers)

*Present Perfect Continuous: I have been having my sight tested for an hour already. “I’ve been checking my vision for an hour now.” (not herself, the doctor evaluates him)

*Past Perfect: My mother had her fence painted by the end of the week. — By the end of the week, mom painted the fence.(she did not paint it herself, but hired workers)

*Past Perfect Continuous: They had been having the house tidied for an hour when I visited them. “They had been cleaning their house for an hour when I visited them.

* Modal verbs: We must have our washing machine repaired. - We need to fix the washing machine. (send it in for repairs)

*V-ing form: It’s worth having new sweater knitted. – It’s worth knitting a new sweater.(I won’t knit it myself, but I’ll ask a friend)

Another variant of the expression have something done in English is the get something done construction. In terms of meaning, these are the same thing, but the second one is more common in colloquial speech. For example: Your beard is too long. I think you should get it trimmed. -Your beard is very long, you need to trim it.

I need some copies. Do you know where I can get that made around here? – I need several copies. Do you know where I can make them nearby?

The sole has come off my shoe. I need to get it repaired. “The heel of my shoe came off.” I need my shoes repaired.

Well, and finally, another meaning of the expression have something done is manifested in the following situation: We arrived at the airport to fly to another country and discovered that our bag with money had been stolen. It is in this case that the expression we are considering will be used. Of course, we did not agree to have something stolen from us, nor did we ask anyone to do it. With this expression we simply show that something happened to someone (usually something unpleasant).

Jack had his hand broken in a fight. – Jack broke his arm in the fight.(not myself, of course)

We had all our money stolen. - All our money was stolen.

She had her hat blown off in the wind. - Her hat was blown away by the wind.

The expression have something done is not difficult at all, either to remember or to use. But at the same time, it is very often used, so you need to know it. Take note of the cases of its use and confidently use it in speech.

Relative clauses - which, who, whose, where, when

1.Name the actor ..plays Mr. Bean

2.Name the US city ..Hollywood can be found

3.Name the film…tells the story of a strong character.

4.Name the character…nose grows when he tells lies.

5.Name the year..the first studio was built in Hollywood

6.Name the year…Titanic was released

7. Name the superhero…lives in Gotham City

8.Name the place..the Lion King is set.