 Causative verbs in English, let, make, have, get, and help, from espressoenglish.net. The English verbs let, make, have, get, and help are called causative verbs because they cause something else to happen. Here are some examples of how causative verbs work in English sentences. Let's start with the word let. It means to permit something to happen. The grammatical structure is let plus the person or thing plus the base form of the verb. We do not use to with let. For example, I don't let my kids watch violent movies. Again, the correct structure is let my kids watch. Don't say let my kids to watch. That's incorrect. Mary's father won't let her adopt a puppy because he's allergic to dogs. Our boss doesn't let us eat lunch at our desks. We have to eat in the cafeteria. Oops! I wasn't paying attention while cooking and I let the food burn. Don't let the advertising expenses surpass a thousand dollars. Remember that the past tense of let is also let. There is no change. The verbs allow and permit are more formal ways to say let. However, with allow and permit, we use to plus the verb. For example, I don't allow my kids to watch violent movies. Our boss doesn't permit us to eat lunch at our desks. Now let's look at the verb make. This means to force or require someone to take an action. The grammatical structure is make plus the person plus the base form of the verb. Again, we don't use the word to. For example, after Billy broke the neighbor's window, his parents made him pay for it. Remember, we use the base form pay and not to pay. My ex-boyfriend loved sci-fi and made me watch every episode of his favorite show. The teacher made all the students rewrite their papers because the first drafts were not acceptable. When using the verbs force and require as an alternative to make, then we must use to plus the verb. For example, the school requires the students to wear uniforms. The word require often implies that there is a rule. The hijacker forced the pilots to take the plane in a different direction. The word force often implies violence, threats, or extremely strong pressure. Our next causative verb is have. This means to give someone else the responsibility to do something. There are two possible grammatical structures, have plus the person plus the base form of the verb, or have plus the thing plus the past participle. Here are some examples of grammatical structure number one. I'll have my assistant call you to reschedule the appointment. The businessman had his secretary make copies of the report. And here are some examples of grammatical structure number two. I'm going to have my hair cut tomorrow. In this structure we don't say who cuts the hair, but the hair will be cut by somebody. We're having our house painted this weekend. Again, we don't say who does the action. We focus more on the object, the receiver of the action, our house, which will receive the action of being painted. Bob had his teeth whitened, his smile looks great. My washing machine is broken, I need to have it repaired. In informal speech we often use get in these cases. For example, I'm going to get my hair cut tomorrow. We're getting our house painted this weekend. Bob got his teeth whitened, his smile looks great. My washing machine is broken, I need to get it repaired. We can also use the verb get to mean convince or encourage someone to do something. And the grammatical structure is get plus the person plus to plus the verb. For example, how can we get all the employees to arrive on time? In this sentence the word get means to convince or encourage the employees to arrive on time. My husband hates housework, I can never get him to wash the dishes. I was nervous about eating sushi, but my brother got me to try it at a Japanese restaurant. The non-profit got a professional photographer to take photos at the event for free. Finally we have the word help meaning to assist someone in doing something. With help we can have two possible grammatical structures. Help plus the person plus the base form of the verb or help plus the person plus to plus the verb. After help you can use to or not both ways are correct. In general the form without to is more common. For example, he helped me carry the boxes or he helped me to carry the boxes. Reading before bed helps me relax or reading before bed helps me to relax. Again both are correct but the form without the word to is more common in everyday English. If you want to learn advanced English grammar check out the advanced English grammar course at espressoenglish.net. This course has 45 lessons that will help you master the advanced details of the English language. And it also includes personal feedback on your written English. Visit espressoenglish.net for the advanced English grammar course. Take your English from good to great.