The Grammaring Guide to English Grammar with Exercises

Causative structures without an agent

In these causative structures, the agent is usually not mentioned.

HAVE + object + past participle

This structure is generally used when we talk about professional services provided for a customer. It means that we are not doing something ourselves but arranging for someone to do it for us:

I

had my hair cut

this morning.

(A hairdresser cut my hair.)

I'm going to

have my apartment painted

.

(I'm going to ask someone to paint my apartment.)

Compare:

I

cut my hair

this morning.

(I did it myself.)

I

'm going to paint

my apartment.

(I'm going to do it myself.)

Have + object + past participle is different from have/has + past participle (present perfect tense) and had + past participle (past perfect tense):

I

had

my hair

cut

.

(causative:

have

+ object + past participle)

I

had cut

my hair.

(past perfect tense:

had

+ past participle)

In this structure, have is not an auxiliary but a main verb and can be used in the same way as ordinary verbs:

I

'd like to have

my photo taken.

Could

you

have

this jacket cleaned?

When

are

you

having

the heater installed?

Have

you ever

had

your ears pierced?

Have + object + past participle can also have the non-causative meaning "experience something unpleasant". In this case, the subject of the sentence did not initiate the action:

I

had my bike stolen

.

(My bike was stolen.)

He

had his leg broken

in a car crash.

(His leg was broken in a car crash.)

GET + object + past participle

This structure has the same meaning as have + object + past participle, but get is more informal:

I

got my hair cut

this morning.

Could you

get this jacket cleaned

?

They finally

got the car serviced

.

It can also be used to express accidents or misfortunes happening to someone in the same way as have + object + past participle can:

I

got my bike stolen

.

(My bike was stolen.)

He

got his leg broken

in a car crash.

(His leg was broken in a car crash.)