1. Causative Passive

2. Causatives in the active
voice:

3. The bad weather caused
him to have an accident.
=
The bad weather make him
have an accident.

4. When I was a teenager, my
parents didn’t allow me to
smoke.
=
When I was a teenager, my
parents didn’t let me smoke.

5. I asked him to get me some
coffee =
I had him get me some
coffee.

6. “help” can take either the
base form or the infinitive—
both are correct:
My friend helped me move
last weekend.
My friend helped me to
move last weekend.

7. (active) I had the dentist pull
my tooth.

I had the tooth pulled.

8. I took the computer to the
repair shop, and paid them
to fix it 
I had my computer repaired.

9. I paid somebody to prepare
my taxes for me 
I had my taxes prepared.

10. I went to the hairdresser and
paid them to cut my hair 
I had my hair cut.

11. When you use “have”
causative, you can also use
“get”:
I got the tooth pulled.
I got my computer prepared.
I got my taxes prepared.
I got my hair got.

12. I got the tooth pulled.
I got my computer prepared.
I got my taxes prepared.
I got my hair got.
In these sentences, “got” is
more informal than “have.”

13. BE CAREFUL!
The causative passive with
“had” looks a lot like the past
perfect, which has a
different meaning!

14. I had my hair cut = I paid
somebody else to cut it.
The hairdresser had already
cut my hair when I changed
my mind about the style I
wanted.
(Active voice, past perfect =
The hairdresser cut my hair,
and then I changed my mind.)

15. I had my hair cut.
had + noun + past participle
The hairdresser had cut my
hair
had + past participle + noun

16. Causative passive or past
perfect?
I had sold my car before I
moved here.
I had my car sold . (I asked or
paid another person to sell
my car for me.)

17. I had my car sold by my
sister. (I asked my sister to
sell my car for me.)

18. It is possible to have a past
perfect and an causative passive
in the same sentence!
I had just had my car fixed when
I had the accident.
(I had my car fixed, and a short
time after that, I had the
accident.)

19. • When do we choose to use
a causative passive?
It’s the same reasons for
using any passives—the
active agent is
obvious
unimportant
something I don’t want to
tell you

20. I had my car fixed. (Who fixed
my car? A mechanic,
obviously.)

21. With a passive causative, this
is the most likely reason.

22. The Obama administration
had a website designed.
(Who actually designed it?
I’m telling you.)

23. The Obama administration
had a website designed.
(Who actually designed it?
I’m telling you.)

24. We use a passive either
because we don’t know or
because everybody knows so
we don’t have to say who did
it.