What are Causative Verbs? - Meaning, Rules, Top 40+ Examples

In English, when the master performs an action independently, it is referred to as a simple verb.

However, when the master directs or influences someone to do something, such as showing, teaching, feeding, etc., we use causative verbs.

Causative verbs include words like let, make, have, get, and help because they make something else occur.

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Causative Verbs Explanation

Explanation #1

Simple Verb: “clean”
Causative Verb: “get (something) cleaned”

Sentence 1: Tom cleaned the car.
Sentence 2: Tom got the car cleaned at the car wash.

Explanation: The first sentence uses the simple verb “clean” to describe Tom’s action of cleaning the car. In the second sentence, the causative verb “get (something) cleaned” suggests that Tom arranged for someone else (car wash) to clean the car.

Explanation #2

Simple Verb: “cook”
Causative Verb: “have (something) cooked”

Sentence 1: Lisa cooked dinner.
Sentence 2: Lisa had dinner cooked by a professional chef.

Explanation: In the first sentence, the simple verb “cook” describes Lisa’s action of preparing dinner. In the second sentence, the causative verb “have (something) cooked” implies that Lisa arranged for a professional chef to perform the cooking.

Examples of Causative Verbs

Examples of Causative Verbs Type #1

Here are some more Causative Verbs Examples, where the Simple Verb is used in the first part of every pair of sentences and the Causative Verb, is used in the second part:

She painted the room.
- The homeowner had the room painted by professionals.
They cooked dinner.
- The chef cooked a delicious meal for the guests.
He fixed the computer.
- The IT technician was called to fix the computer.
We cleaned the house.
- They hired a cleaning service to clean the house.
She cut her hair.
- The hairdresser cut her hair into a stylish bob.
They built a house.
- The construction workers built a beautiful house.
He opened the jar.
- She asked him to open the stubborn jar for her.
We washed the car.
- They took the car to the car wash to get it washed.
She taught the class.
- The professor taught an advanced physics class.
He repaired the bike.
- The mechanic repaired the broken bike.

In these examples, you can see that the causative verbs are used to indicate that someone else is responsible for or performs the action described by the simple verb.

Examples of Causative Verbs Type #2

Following are examples of simple verbs and their corresponding causative verbs formed by adding ‘le’ after the simple verb. From the following sentences, it can be seen that in many cases the forms of Simple Verbs and Causative Verbs are quite different.

read – riddle (He reads books. – He riddles his friends with questions.)
speak – speckle (She speaks English. – She speckles her speech with jokes.)
write – wittle (I write stories. – I wittle ideas into my students’ minds.)
sing – single (They sing a song. – They single out their favorite singer.)
dance – dandle (She dances ballet. – She dandles her baby sister in her arms.)
cook – coddle (He cooks dinner. – He coddles his guests with delicious meals.)
swim – swaddle (They swim in the pool. – They swaddle their newborn in a towel.)
paint – paddle (She paints a picture. – She paddles her brush on the canvas.)
play – poodle (He plays soccer. – He poodles his dog in the park.)
sleep – slumber (I sleep peacefully. – I slumber my worries away.)

Examples of Causative Verbs Type #3

Here are examples of creating causative forms using other verbs. In these examples, the causative forms are created by using phrases like “had someone + base form of verb” or “helped someone + base form of verb.”

The chef cooked a delicious meal.
- The chef had the sous chef prepare a delicious meal.
Maria cleaned the house.
- Maria had her sister clean the house.
The mechanic repaired the car.
- The owner had the mechanic fix the car.
Jack opened the door.
- Jill helped Jack open the door.
Sarah painted a beautiful picture.
- Sarah had her friend paint a beautiful picture.
The doctor examined the patient.
- The nurse helped the doctor examine the patient.
John wrote a letter.
- John had his secretary write a letter.
Lisa mowed the lawn.
- Lisa had her brother mow the lawn.
The homeowner built a fence.
- The contractor helped the homeowner build a fence.
James planted flowers in the garden.
- James had his daughter plant flowers in the garden.

Examples of Causative Verbs Type #4

Following are examples of using verbs like “make,” “get,” “cause,” “have,” and “help” to create a causative sense for verbs that do not have a direct causative form:

The music moved her to tears.
- The music made her cry.
The storm destroyed the house.
- The storm caused the house to be destroyed.
The smell of the food made my mouth water.
- The smell of the food caused my mouth to water.
The loud noise startled the dog.
- The loud noise caused the dog to be startled.
The sudden downpour soaked the pedestrians.
- The sudden downpour caused the pedestrians to get soaked.
The earthquake left the city in ruins.
- The earthquake caused the city to be reduced to ruins.
The unexpected loud bang frightened the children.
- The unexpected loud bang caused the children to become frightened.
The news of their favorite band’s reunion filled them with excitement.
- The news of their favorite band’s reunion caused them to be filled with excitement.
The fire engulfed the building.
- The fire caused the building to be engulfed.
The strong wind toppled the trees.
- The strong wind caused the trees to be toppled.