Causative Structure
A good grammar lessons from Adam. If you see a lot of verbs in one sentence you should think about Causative Structure. I made a table based on the video.
Rules
Active causative structure
| Subject | Causative Verb | Agent | Action Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| have = delegate make = force get = ask let = permit --- ask, allow, help, enable, force, require |
should be able to do requiring action | base form (with have) base form (with make) to verb (with get) base form (with let) base form or to verb (with other) |
|
| Most CEO | have | their assistants | take care of bookings and itineraries. |
| Parents who | allow | their children | to play video games at night risk their children's future eye health. |
| Teachers | do not make | students | complete assignments in order to be mean but rather to reinforce the lessons taught in class. |
| The boss | had | the secretary | take notes. |
| The intern | had | the copier | print 100 copies. |
| The mechanic finally | got | the car | to idle at a stable RPM. |
Passive causative structure
| Subject | Causative Verb | Object | Past Participle Action Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| without "make" | no be verb (with have, get) base be or infinitive be verb (with let, allow, ask) |
||
| The student | had | his application | delivered directly to the university's dean. |
| The bride-to-be | got | her dress | altered before the wedding. |
| The Director | would not let | his deputy | be interviewed by CNN. |
| The Director | would not allow | his deputy | to be interviewed CNN. |
| Bill | was asked to have | his transcripts | delivered by courier to the school. |
| Bill | was asked to have | his parents | bring his transcripts. |
Causative structure in combination
| Subject | Causative Verb | Object | Action Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| no subject at all in some phrases | |||
| If you are thinking of | having | your computer | looked at by a technician, make sure you are there with him at the time. |
| Just because some companies | make | their employees | work on weekends does not mean that it is legal. |
| Should the Board | decide to have | its members | commit to this policy they may risk a mutiny. |
| Parents who | let | their children | play video games at night risk their children's future eye health. |
Video
