Causative Verbs Examples

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 letmakehaveget, and help because they make something else occur.

In this post, you will find the top 50+ important Causative Verbs Examples.

Daily Grammar Test - Attempt Now
Causative Verbs Examples

Causative Verbs Examples



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.



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.)


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.
  • The teacher taught the students.
    • The teacher had the assistant teach the students.
  • Sarah baked a cake.
    • Sarah had her friend bake the cake.
  • The tailor sewed the dress.
    • The customer had the tailor stitch the dress.
  • Alex painted the picture.
    • Alex had the artist paint the picture.
  • The doctor examined the patient.
    • The nurse had the doctor check the patient.
  • John mowed the lawn.
    • John had his neighbor mow the lawn.
  • The architect designed the building.
    • The client had the architect create the building design.
  • Lisa fixed the leaky faucet.
    • Lisa had the plumber repair the leaky faucet.
  • The photographer took the portrait.
    • The family had the photographer capture the portrait.
  • The author wrote the book.
    • The publisher had the author pen the book.


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.
  • The virus spread rapidly throughout the community.
    • The virus caused rapid spread within the community.
  • The breathtaking painting left me speechless.
    • The breathtaking painting caused me to be speechless.
  • The unexpected news startled everyone in the room.
    • The unexpected news caused everyone in the room to be startled.
  • The news of their victory filled them with pride.
    • The news of their victory caused them to feel proud.
  • The thunderous applause startled the performer.
    • The thunderous applause caused the performer to be startled.

You Asked, We Listened – List of All Grammar Chapters Updated 😍😍


Also, Read


Main Verbs and Helping Verbs

Main and Helping Verbs

24 Auxiliary Verbs List

24 Auxiliary Verbs List

Illative Conjunctions

Illative Conjunctions

Examples of Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions


Daily Grammar Test - Attempt Now