CAUSATIVE FORM
| HAVE / GET SOMETHING DONE |
Form:
Have/Get + something+ past participle
Function:
The causative means that someone other than ourselves does something for us. Therefore, we usually make an arrangement with a professional to do it. Maybe it is difficult, impossible or we simply don’t want to do it.
e.g.
- She asked someone to paint her house.
She had her house painted.
- We have asked someone to clean the carpets.
We've had the carpets cleaned.
- They will not serve their dinner themselves.
They'll have their dinner served at half-past eight.
- We are not cleaning our garden ourselves.
We are having our garden cleaned.
- If we want to know who did the action, we can use the by agent.
e.g.
He's having his program done by one of the best experts in the city.
Every Saturday we have our house cleaned by a local cleaning company.
Explaining possibilities
We use the modal verbs: must, can't, and might to explain possible truths.
- We use must + infinitive or must have + past participle to talk about things that we are almost sure they are true:
I am sure that these people are foreigners.
They must be foreigners.
He must earn quite a lot of money to be able to afford that car.
I am certain that they came from somewhere hot like Africa.
They must have come from somewhere hot like
- We use can't + infinitive or can't have + past participle to talk about things that we are almost sure are not true:
Designing and building bridges can't be easy - they're complicated structures.
They can't have finished their lunch already - they only started eating five minutes ago.
- We use might + infinitive or might have + past participle when we are unsure whether something is true or not:
- It's possible that Ali will win the race.
Ali might win the race.
- She might be French - she has a strange accent.
He's not usually this late - he might have got stuck in heavy traffic.
|
|
Present |
Past |
|
|
True |
Sure Certain Definite
|
Must + V1 |
Must have + V3 |
|
Not true |
Sure…not Certain…not |
Can't + V1 |
Can't have + V3 |
|
unsure whether |
Maybe Perhaps Think Possible Probable Uncertain Not sure
|
Might + V1 |
Might have + V3 |
Exercise: Choose the correct answer:
1. Sami always scores high marks. He.......................be clever.
( might, must, can't)
2. He always scores high marks. He..................be lazy.
( might, must, can't )
3. Susan usually wears expensive clothes. She.................be rich.
( might, must, can't)
4. She usually wears expensive clothes. She.................be poor.
( might, must, can't)
5. A boy has a broken arm. He.....................down.
( may fall, might have fallen, must fall)
Conditional sentences
| Type zero: (Facts) |
Form:
If/when + subject +V(1) ..........., Subject + V(1)
If a city recycles everything and doesn't throw anything away, it is zero waste.
If you freeze water, it turns into ice.
| Type One: (possible future) |
Form:
If + subject +V(1) ..........., Subject + will+ base verb
If you leave early, you will arrive on time.
Maha will get the job if she proves to be qualified.
Form:
If + subject +V(2) ..........., Subject + would/should+ base verb
If he offered me the job, I would take it.
If I were you, I would say sorry. (advice)
Notice the use of were in type 2 when giving advice using If I were you.
Exercise: Complete each of the following items so that the new item has a similar meaning to the one before it
1. I think you should see a doctor.
If I were you, I would see a doctor.
2. Heat the cheese to make it melt.
If you heat the cheese, it melts.
3. He doesn't have his own computer so he has to use his brother's.
If he had his own computer, he wouldn't use his brother's.
4. Why don't you ask the teacher to explain the text again?
If I were you, I would ask the teacher to repeat the text again.
5. The bus is late.
If the bus doesn't arrive soon, we will take a taxi.