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The Passive Causative

February 20, 2014

The students had the grammar explained to them by their teacher…

Do your students understand the passive voice? Sure. Have they mastered causative verbs? Yep. But do they realize that causative verbs can be passive too? What?

Don’t let the passive causative cause your students any angst. Try presenting it using the method below, and wait for that Aha moment!

What Is the Passive Causative?

Causative verbs (have, let, make) are used when one person is causing another to do something. The passive is used when the focus is on the thing instead of the person. When you combine them together, you are essentially saying someone caused something to be done (by someone).

Passive Causative Resource

The Passive Causative – Grammar & Usage Resources

Why “Get”?

Since the causative verbs are have, let, and make, students might be wondering why the passive causative is formed with have or get. Get is possible for two reasons:

  1. Get is the casual passive form. Instead of the problem was solved, you can say the problem got solved.
  2. Get also has a causative meaning. You can say I got someone to do something, with the meaning of cause or force. However, because it’s not a true causative verb, the base verb is not used, and an infinitive verb is used instead (which is the normal case for a second verb in a sentence after an object). See our Causative Verbs post for more information.

One More Example…

I got my hair cut is probably one of the most commonly used passive causative sentences around. But because cut is an irregular verb that has the same form for the past participle as it does for the base verb, it’s a good idea to give students another example with a verb that changes forms. Try showing them these sentences:

Causative: The manager had the assistant write the report.
Passive: The report was/got written (by the assistant).
Passive Causative: The manager had/got the report written (by the assistant).

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Comments (82)

David Ullieth Blandford(Guest)

I´m glad I have found a site with a lot of ideas for my students. Thanks a lot.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

We're happy to hear that, David! Thanks. :)

Masoud (Guest)

Hi,how about the ommissiin of by phrase?

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Masoud,

The 'by' phrase is often omitted in a passive or passive causative sentence, but it doesn't have to be. We usually include it when it's not obvious. Here are some examples:

  • My hair was cut. (passive, 'by a hairdresser' is omitted because it's obvious)
  • My hair was cut by my mother. (passive, 'by my mother' is included because it's not obvious)
  • I got my hair cut. (passive causative, 'by a hairdresser' is omitted because it's obvious)
  • I got my hair cut by my mother. (passive causative, 'by my mother' is included because it's not obvious)

Hope that helps!

AKSIL imane(Guest)

How about ing geround

Reply to Comment

siavash (Guest)

hello
thanks a million
im iranian
thanks for teaching me

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

You're welcome! Thanks for your comment.

Rafael (Guest)

You really saved me ! I had to do alot of hw & I found it here, thanks a million.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

I'm glad this post helped you, Rafael!

Payman (Guest)

Thanks a lot
You solved our problems I am from Afghanistan

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Great! Thanks for commenting.

Cynthia (Guest)

Hi Tanya,
I was wondering about the following example: 'He got a piece of paper stuck to his arm.'
In this case, I suppose it means that the piece of paper ended up on his arm and he doesn't know how it got there...am I right? Would you say that this is an agentive or a non-agentive expression? I am asking because I have to classify the sentence. Thank you in advance :)

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Cynthia,

Good question! I would say this is non-agentive. You can't say 'He got a piece of paper stuck to his arm by someone' or change it back to 'Someone stuck a piece of paper to his arm.' I believe it is still the passive causative because it follows the pattern, and the subject didn't stick the paper to his arm himself. But unlike most passive causative sentences, we don't know WHO did the second action (we don't know who stuck the piece of paper to his arm), so I think it's safe to say it's non-agentive in this case. Thanks for bringing up this interesting example!

Zahra Ali(Guest)

Thanks billions you saved me alot today we have exam about this causative verb

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Fantastic! Thanks for commenting, Zahra.

R Watandost(Guest)

Hi dear how can we change the following sentence from active to passive?
Would you mind closing the door?

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi R Watandost, because we know the subject is "you," we can't change this question into the passive with the same meaning. But we could say this: "Would you mind if the door is closed?" Just note the meaning is that the door will be closed by someone else, not by "you." Here's my blog post on the passive voice in case it's helpful: https://ellii.com/blog/the-passive-voice

reyhaneh (Guest)

thank you so much . it was realy usefull

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Happy to hear it!

Sadiq (Guest)

Hi. I have another question , if it is possible please answer to!!
How can I change this sentence to passive form.' She works hard to earn money or he works to bring water.
Please change these sentences to the passive form. Thanks

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Sadiq, these two sentences can't really be changed into the passive form with the same meaning. Not all sentences work in the passive. The best you could do would be to say something like 'The money was earned by her hard work' and 'The water was brought by him'.

Mohammad E.(Member)

Hello I'm Mohammad Ejaz and my question is about the causative passive I have some confusion in this patten suppose I have to say this. I have to go to get my hair cut. Or I get my hair cut. Which one correct
Ple tell me

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Mohammad,

There are many ways to form a sentence like this. Let me tell you the most common ways and what the difference in meaning is.

  • I got my hair cut. (= Someone already cut my hair in the past.)
  • I'm going to get my hair cut. (= Someone will cut my hair in the future.)
  • I'm getting my hair cut. (= Someone is cutting my hair right now.)
  • I have to get my hair cut. (= It's necessary for me to get a haircut, probably because it's too long.)

All the sentences above contain the passive causative. The last one also contains a modal expression of necessity ("have to," which means "must"). Note that there are a few ways to say this sentence with "have to." "Have to get" and "have to go get" are both very common. We can use "go + verb" (go get) to emphasize we have to go somewhere to perform an action. "Go + verb" is short for "go + to + verb" (go to get) or "go + and + verb" (go and get). We usually drop the "to" or "and" in casual, fast speech.

For more practice with modals of necessity like "have to," see this blog post: https://ellii.com/blog/suggestions-with-modals-of-advice-and-necessity-2 or ask your teacher to assign you some practice tasks from this lesson: https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2019

Prof. Richard J. Cadena(Guest)

I am looking for diagrammed sentences using the passive causative form (have + noun or pronoun + past participle verb). I am writing a high level grammar based business writing course for senior executives in a Spanish speaking country. I have not found any diagrammed examples of the passive causative. Here is an example:
Multinational companies must - have + a transfer pricing study + performed - for income tax purposes every year.
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Unfortunately I'm unable to diagram sentences in a comment box like this. However, I think you could easily write your example sentence using the patterns in the PDF above. This would help your students see the different parts and understand how the passive causative was formed. Best of luck to you!

satari (Guest)

thank you madam it's so well for study

Tanya Trusler(Author)

You're welcome, Satari!

Munawar (Guest)

Dear teacher,
having you is really blessing for us, I was reading your answer then I got one thing that I could not understand that why ” She works hard to earn money or he works to bring water. is can not be converted into passive voice.
Is it due to transitive or intransitive verb or something else, please reply.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Munawar,

The passive voice works best when their is an object who received the action. Your sentences don't have that exactly, but you could get a similar meaning by saying 'The money was earned (by her) due to her hard work' and 'The water was brought (by him)'. Find out more about the passive in this post: https://blog.ellii.com/2016/08/25/the-passive-voice/

Shahla Naghiyeva(Guest)

Dear teacher I've a question about Passive causiteve should we change negative modals to positive ones in this situation 'Ann can't clean her room '

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Shahla, you can use a positive or negative modal in a passive sentence ('The room can/can't be cleaned by Ann'). But I don't think we would ever use 'can' or 'can't' with the passive causative.

HEM (Guest)

Dear teacher, please help me making passive of the following sentencs.
1. Jimy got him her house to paint green.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi there, your sentence as it stands is not correct. A correct passive causative sentence would be: Jimy got her house painted green (by him). (In this case, Jimy is a girl.) Hope that helps!

Grand (Guest)

“I had my car stolen.”

Causative? Passive?

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Grand,

'I had my car stolen' is causative. It means you arranged for someone to steal your car, which is strange unless you wanted to fraudulently collect the insurance or something.

It sounds much more natural to use the passive causative and say 'My car was stolen' or 'My car got stolen.' This means that someone stole your car (and you don't know who stole it).

omid (Guest)

(I need a pen ) can this sentence be changed into the passive

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Omid, the passive form is 'A pen was needed.' It's possible to use this, but it sounds much more natural in the active voice.

sadiq (Guest)

Hi Tanya.
I am wondering to know the passive form of this sentence' she does make her friend wash the dishes'. I want to know if we use emphatic ' do' with causative verbs, is ti possible to change to passive or know?

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Sadiq,

Good question. Yes, you can use 'do' for emphasis with both causative and passive causative sentences. You could say 'She does get her dishes washed by her friend.' Some other examples that sound a bit more natural are 'She does get her hair cut every three weeks' or 'She does have her house cleaned once a week.'

sadiq (Guest)

Hi. Tonya.
How can I change this sentence to passive ' she killed herself'?

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Sadiq,

It doesn't really sound natural to change a sentence that uses a reflexive pronoun to a passive sentence. The main reasons to use the passive voice are that we don't know who did the action or the doer is not important. You could get fancy and say something like 'She was killed by her own hand' but there's really no need.

Talib J.(Teacher)

She was killed by herself.

Tanya Trusler(Author)

We can't say 'She was killed by herself.' The correct sentence is 'She killed herself.' This is called reflexive pronouns. For more info and examples about them, check out this blog post:
https://blog.ellii.com/2013/04/25/reflexive-vs-intensive-pronouns/

Elaheh (Guest)

Hi there.

What about these two sentences? Can they be changed into passive?
she made her mother buy a car.
and
Her mother let her buy a car.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Elaheh, I'd say that these sentences wouldn't sound very natural as passive causative sentences. Sentence 1 would be 'She had a car bought (by her mother)'—the meaning isn't very clear (who is the car for?) and it doesn't sound very natural. For sentence 2, 'Her mother got a car bought'—the meaning isn't clear at all, the meaning of 'let' is lost, and it sounds incorrect.

Diana (Guest)

Hello, could I ask you the passive causitive verb in the main clause? For example, the sentence 'He made me revise the article.' is transformed into the passive form: 'I was made to revise the article by him.' or 'I was made him to revise the article.' Which the passive form is correct?

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Diana,

The passive causative isn't the same thing as simply making a causative verb passive. So your sentence, 'I was made to revise the article (by him),' uses the passive form of the causative verb 'make,' but it's not the passive causative. The passive causative would be 'He had the article revised (by me)' or 'He got the article revised (by me).'

The passive causative almost always follows this pattern: S + have/got + object (thing) + p.p. [+ object (person)].

Your version and the true passive causative version are both correct. It just depends where you want the emphasis (on you or on him) because the subject of an English sentence is more important than an object.

FYI, 'I was made him to revise the article' is not correct.

Hope that helps!

Mahmood Akbarzada(Guest)

Hello,Tanya I'm Mahmood from Afghanistan.I have some problems with tenses.Could you help me?

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Mahmood,

Most of my blog posts on verb tenses are in this list. Hope it helps!
https://blog.ellii.com/2018/02/28/grammar-day-roundup-2018/

Kukito (Guest)

I am wondering if a statement that is using the passive causative structure (such as 'We had arrangements made') is considered to be in the passive voice as a whole or if it's still considered active, since the subject is in fact performing an action (having someone else do something). Also, is the causative verb or the past participle the main verb? Thanks so much for your time!

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Kukito,

Great question. With the passive causative, the whole sentence is not considered passive. The main verb is 'had' in your example, and it is active (and causative). The second verb, 'made (by someone)' is what gives this structure the passive element, but only that second verb is passive. Now, if you said 'We had gotten arrangements made,' meaning that we caused person A to get person B to make the arrangements, then the whole sentence would be passive. I guess we could call that a passive passive causative sentence! Luckily it's not common, otherwise our poor students would be mighty confused.

Ali (Guest)

Hi how we can change this sentence to passive : I had had Ali to have a cap of tea

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Ali, that sentence doesn't work well as a passive causative. 'I had a cup of tea had by Ali' is not correct. Also, as a causative sentence, it would be better to say 'I made Ali have a cup of tea' or 'I let Ali have a cup of tea.' The main verb 'have' doesn't really make sense in your sentence, and it definitely doesn't need to be in the past perfect tense (had had). Hope that helps!

Deniz duzgun(Guest)

I washed my shirt
My jacket have been washed by a dry cleaner guy
I have my sweetshirt to my mother washed
I got my mother to wash my pants
Please correct them for me in passive or causative way. Do not forget give us passive causative in the last for compare other structures please. Thanks

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Deniz, here are some examples of the passive, causative, and passive causative based on your sentences above:
- I washed my shirt. (active)
- My jacket has been cleaned at the dry cleaner's. (passive)

  • My sweatshirt was washed by my mother. (passive)
  • I had my mother wash my sweatshirt. (causative)
  • I had my sweatshirt washed by my mother. (passive causative)

  • My pants were washed by my mother. (passive)

  • I had my mother wash my pants. (causative)

  • I got my pants washed by my mother. (passive causative)

Wasim R.(Teacher)

Kindly let me know how can i make Interrogative causative

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Wasim,

It's fairly easy to form interrogatives using causatives or the passive causative. Basically, you just add an auxiliary verb (do, did, will, etc. depending on your tense). Here are some examples:

Causative statement: The man had the mechanic fix his car.
Causative question: Did the man have the mechanic fix his car?

Passive causative statement: The man had his car fixed by the mechanic.
Passive causative question: Did the man have his car fixed by the mechanic?

Rama Dhodari (Guest)

I'm confused with the sentence" They made him do all what she wanted." What is its passive form. One of my friend asked me this question.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Rama, first of all, you need to change "what" to "that" in your sentence. Let's look at the four forms your sentence could take:

Active: He did all that she wanted.
Passive: All that she wanted was done by him.
Causative: They made him do all that she wanted.
Passive Causative: They had all that she wanted done by him.

In your sentence, the active and causative sentences sound very natural, but the passive and passive causative sentences don't sound good and the meaning isn't clear. I'd avoid using the passive with such a "complicated" object (where "all" is modified by an adjective clause "that she wanted").

Nasrat H.(Member)

As for causative in passive:
I have Ali wash my car.
I have my car washed.
Is it right to say?
Ali is had wash my car.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Nasrat,

Unless Ali is washing your car every day, it's more natural to use the simple past for the causative verb.
- I had Ali wash my car. (causative)
- I had my car washed. (passive causative)
- Ali washed my car. (active)

If it is an everyday occurrence, you could say:
- I have Ali wash my car every day. (causative)
- I have my car washed every day. (passive causative)
- Ali washes my car every day. (active)

Hope that helps!

Nasrat H.(Member)

Feel excited to be with you!

Reply to Comment

Lei Kayanuma(Author)

Thanks for your comment, Nasrat!

Mr.fakhry K.(Teacher)

I had my wallet stolen while I was doing shopping.
Is right or wrong ?
If it is right how can we apply the rule of passive causitiver ?
waiting vfor your reply .
Thanks in advance .

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Mr. Fakhry,

In the US and Canada, "I had my wallet stolen" does mean that you arranged to have or caused your wallet to be stolen. I'm not 100% sure about British English, but I expect the meaning would be similar there too, or it would at least be ambiguous. If you want to say that someone stole your wallet, I recommend the passive voice and not the passive causative for clarity:

  • My wallet was stolen while I was doing the shopping.

Manjesh S.(Teacher)

I was so confused about Causative verbs. But after reading this post I understood everything. Do u have any blog/post on conditional sentences? By the way nice explanation.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Manjesh, thank you for your kind words! I blogged about conditionals here: https://ellii.com/blog/an-easy-way-to-teach-conditionals
Hope it helps!

oogii gogi(Guest)

Thanks

Reply to Comment

Lei Kayanuma(Author)

Hello, Oogii! You're welcome! Thanks for your comment. :)

Sonia Mayrinck(Guest)

This lesson is of the utmost importance to
non-native English students, like me.
I thank you immensely.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2022.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Sonia, I'm so happy to hear that this post was helpful to you. Best of luck with your English studies!

Vishal C.(Member)

Ma'am I have a one question,can you help me?

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Vishal, I can help you. What's your question?

Abu Bakkar (Guest)

It is a nice website

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Abu, we're happy you think so! Thanks for stopping by!

Bryan F.(Teacher)

It's odd how the "get/make" and "have/let" PDFs are titled "worksheets", yet there are no activities for students to do in either document. It would be good to have some content there, and not just rules/examples.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Bryan,

This blog post was written before I wrote the complete Passive Causative lesson. I'll add the link in here and I'll also update the Related section of this post. Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention!

In summary, the complete Passive Causative lesson with grammar notes and practice exercises can be found here: https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2834-passive-causative

The Passive Causative chart (seen in the post above) is in our Grammar & Resources section. It's the same chart that pulled from the complete lesson—it's available in this other spot for easy reference. Here's the link: https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2324-the-passive-causative-have-get

You can also find other Causative and Passive materials by using Ellii's search tool in the upper right-hand corner. Hope that helps!

mufti riaz(Guest)

hi..can we make progressive sentence of causative verbs in active and passive voice?

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Mufti, yes, it's possible, but note that only the main verb can be in a progressive tense—not the second verb in the sentence. The second verb must be in the base form (causative) or past participle form (passive causative). Also note that the main verb would probably never be passive since it includes an agent (usually a person) causing the action. Here are some examples:

  • Our teacher has been making us study every night because we have a quiz every morning. (causative sentence, main verb in the present perfect progressive tense, second verb in the base form)
  • She is getting her car fixed today. (passive causative sentence, main verb in the present progressive tense, second verb in the past participle form)

Jannatul Inaya(Guest)

He let me use his shirt. What's the passive voice of this sentence?

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Jannatul, we aren't able to directly put that passive causative sentence into the passive because the meaning of "let" or "allow" gets lost. This is the closest and most natural sentence I can think of: "His shirt was worn by me with his permission."

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