Causative verbs in English are a type of verb that we use when someone or something causes another event or situation. The most common causative verbs in English are let, make, have, and get:
The teacher let the students go to recess early.
I made my friend switch seats.
We’ll have the manager review the report.
I got my brother to share his fries with me.
These aren’t the only causative verbs in English, though! In this post, we’ll look at what’s special about causative verbs, how to use causative verbs, which causatives are followed by a base form of a verb, an infinitive, or a combination, and what each causative verb means.
Read on to learn all about causative verbs in English!
Causative verbs (sometimes called causal verbs, or just causatives) are a specific type of verbs where a person or thing causes something to happen.
Here are some of the most common causative verbs that we use in written and spoken English:
let
help
force
make
require
cause
have
permit
get
allow
Here is the most basic format for using a causative verb:
subject
causative verb
(completed by the subject)
object
verb
(completed by the object)
I will have the doctor call you back.
Lochland made his dog wait for her dinner.
Ethan got Maggie and Sally to buy the tickets.
There are two cases where you do not need to include the second verb in a causative:
When the causative verb is make (or sometimes have or get) and the second verb is be. Here we almost always drop the verb:
❌ The traffic made me be late for work.
✅ The traffic made me late for work.
When the verb is clear from context, you can drop repeated words:
🆗 The toddler didn’t want to go to bed, but his mother made him go to bed.
✅ The toddler didn’t want to go to bed, but his mother made him.
Look at the second verb in each of the examples above. Do you notice something? The form of the verb that follows the causative verb is not always the same! The causative verb you use will determine the form of the second verb. Keep reading to learn more!
As we saw above, a causative verb in English will be followed by an object and then by a second verb.
The chart below shows the form of the verb that can be used after the causative verb. Notice that most causative verbs are either followed by the rootNo definition set for rootLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. form or the infinitiveNo definition set for infinitiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. form, but a few can be followed by a participle as well.
causative verb + root form (e.g. let him go) | let, make, have, help |
|---|---|
causative verb + infinitive (e.g. forced him to go) | require, permit, allow, force, cause, get, help |
causative + participle (e.g. got her caught) | have, get |
Let’s have a closer look at exactly how and when you will use each of these verbs in English.
We use make, force, and require when the object only does the action because the subject acted.
Make is one of the most common causative verbs in English. It is used with an action that the object was not planning to do the action before the subject acted. It is always followed by the root form of the verb.
The bride and groom made everyone turn off their phones before the wedding.
She always makes the children clean their own plates.
The bad traffic made me miss the appointment.
Remember to drop the verb be after make!
❌ She made him be mad. → ✅ She made him mad.
Force has the same meaning but it is stronger and it makes the situation sound more negative. Here, the object actively does not want to do the action. Force is always followed by the infinitive form of the verb:
My parents forced me to drive my little brother to soccer practice.
Flight attendants will force passengers to put their phone in airplane mode.
The weather forced all airplanes to stay grounded.
Require has the same meaning as make, but we use it when the reason the object must do the action is because of a rule, law, or policy. This sounds more formal and official. Require is always followed by the infinitive form of the verb:
The state requires all new drivers to take a test.
The university requires freshmen to live in the dorms.
My job required me to buy a uniform.
The verbs have and get are similar in meaning to make, but their grammar is a little more complicated. Read on to find out more!
We use let, allow, and permit, when the object wants to do the action or does the action naturally, and the subject does not stop the action.
Let is one of the most common causative verbs in English. It is always followed by the root form of the verb.
The cat let us pet it.
I don’t let my children watch scary movies.
Our reservation was at 6 p.m., but the restaurant let us sit early.
Allow is just a more formal version of let. It is always followed by the infinitive form of the verb:
My parents allowed me to go to the concert.
During the meeting, they allowed everyone to eat lunch.
The open door allowed my dog to escape.
Permit is a little bit more formal and is more common when we are discussing formal rules, policies, or regulations:
That park does not permit dogs to be off-leash.
That private school permits students to wear jeans on Fridays.
I permitted my children’s friends to sleep over.
Cause is a neutral causative verb. All that it means is that the subject was responsible for the object’s action. This verb is not used very often, but it is always followed by the infinitive form of a verb.
The late report caused the project to stop.
The high temperatures caused the teams to cancel the baseball game.
My brother always causes us to be late to events.
We use help when you cause an action and provide your assistance, so the subject and the object are both involved in the action.
Help can be followed by the root form:
She helped me write an email.
I often help my neighbors mow their lawn.
The teacher is helping the students find the correct answers.
Help can be followed by an infinitive verb. This sounds a little more formal, but there is no difference in meaning.
I helped her to find the perfect dress.
My dad is helping me to move across the country.
Craig always helps his grandmother to cross the road.
When they are used as causative verbs, have and get imply that you paid someone or persuaded someone. In general have is a little more formal.
In their most basic uses, have is followed by the root form and get is followed by the infinitive form.
I had the doctor look at my sinuses.
Elsa had her coworker lead the meeting.
Peter always has his mom cut his hair.
I got my mom to cut my hair.
We got the kids to put away their toys.
They got their manager to extend the deadline.
Using have in this way can be a little confusing, because the same sentence can mean two different things:
I had someone help me find a new job.
There is usually more context to help you figure out which meaning is being used, but you can always ask for clarification!
You can also use have and get before the past participle (root + -ed / irregular) of a verb.
Yesterday I had my hair cut.
I had the house cleaned.
Mary got her car washed last week.
I will get my lawn mown by a landscaping company.
Notice that in this type of sentence the object undergoes the caused action: it does not perform the action! This type of sentence comes about when the subject causes a passive verb. After the verbs have and get we drop the auxiliary verbNo definition set for auxiliary verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. be.
❌ We had the car be towed (by the mechanic).
✅ We had the car towed (by the mechanic).
❌ We got the lawn to be mown (by a landscaping company).
✅ We got the lawn mown (by a landscaping company).
We can also use have (or, rarely, get) before the present participle (root + -ing), but only when describing someone’s reaction to something:
✅ The movie had the audience crying by the end.
✅ That TV show always gets us laughing.
✅ My mom is baking cookies and the smell has everyone drooling.
❌ I had my son cleaning his room.
Sometimes you can use get before a prepositionNo definition set for prepositionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or a prepositional phraseNo definition set for prepositional phraseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., when the preposition is the second part of a phrasal verbNo definition set for phrasal verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with get. For example.
get up = to waken:
I got him to get up. (rare)
I got him up. (common)
get into = become interested in:
I got her to get into Pickleball. (rare)
I got her into Pickleball. (common)
Have and get are not always causative verbs! If you want to learn all about these verbs, check out our post on to have or check out this list of all the uses of get in English to learn more about get.
There are many other verbs in English that can be used as causative verbs. For example:
Verbs for hiring or paying someone for work: pay, hire, employ, enlist, …
Verbs for commanding or requesting: ask, tell, order, command, ...
Verbs for persuasion: persuade, convince, advise, coax, …
In general, these other verbs are followed by the infinitive form, but you can read more about how to report commands, requests, and other acts of speech from our post on reported speech in English!
In this post we learned all about causative verbs in English and what makes them special! Let’s do a quick review:
Causative verbs are always followed by an object, and usually by a second verb that describes an action the object completes.
Some causative verbs are followed by the base form of a verb, and these include let, make, help, and have.
Some causative verbs are followed by the infinitive form of a verb, and these include require, permit, allow, force, cause, help, and get.
Have and get can be followed by past participles and a few other phrases.
Now that you know all that, you’re ready to get some practice using causative verbs. Check out these causative verb activities to help you become an expert at using causative verbs!
