Mastering the Causative Have Structure

Causative Have Practice Exercises

• They had arranged for their house to be cleaned by the end of the week. Now it is clean. What had they done? (They had had their house cleaned.)
• The grass has grown too much. What should they have done? (They should have had the grass cut.)
• His tooth was filled yesterday. What happened to him? (He had his tooth filled yesterday.)
• No one has informed them of the meeting. What should he have done for them? (He should have had them informed of the meeting.)

Examples of Daily Tasks and Changes

• We are having the furniture rearranged (furniture/rearrange). We got tired of having it in the same place for so long.
• That’s a good idea. We are going to have our furniture replaced (our furniture/replace) next week. I’m sick of it altogether!
• We are having new curtains put up (new curtains/put up) tomorrow and we are having the windows cleaned (the windows/clean) on Monday.
• Oh, we had ours done (ours/done) last week.
• Last week we had our new carpets delivered (our new carpets/deliver), but I didn’t have the windows cleaned (not/the windows/clean).

The Structure: Have Something Done

• Our house is small. We need to build an extension. What should we do? (We should have an extension built.)
• Liz is at the beauty parlor. The beautician is painting her nails. What is she doing? (She is having her nails painted.)
• Wilf has written a novel and it’s going to be published. What is Wilf going to do? (Wilf is going to have the novel published.)
• A jeweler has made a special wedding ring for Ann. What has Ann done? (Ann has had a special wedding ring made.)
• Simon’s suits are all made by a tailor. What does Simon do? (Simon has all his suits made by a tailor.)
• They have been burgled three times. Putting in a burglar alarm would help. What should they do? (They should have a burglar alarm put in.)
• Tina’s boots have a hole in them. She can’t wear them until they are mended. What should she have done? (Tina should have had her boots mended.)
• Sonia is going to the optician for an eye test tomorrow. What is she going to do? (Sonia is going to have her eyes tested.)
• Trevor has paid a technician to install his computer. What has he done? (Trevor has had his computer installed.)