World Folktales

Causative VerbsPlay Audio

The verbs in the following chart are called causative verbs because they express causality. These verbs are followed by two part objects: a noun or a pronoun and a verbal construction after the noun or pronoun. Study the examples in the following chart and note the verbal construction after the noun/pronoun object: Is the base form, the infinitive, or the past participle used?

	Examples	Notes
let allow permit	Galinka's mother let her lie around the house all day. She allowed her to sleep all morning. She permitted her to sleep all morning.	Let and allow are synonyms. Use let + (pro)noun + base form. Use allow/permit + (pro)noun + infinitive [to + base form].
make force	Her parents never made Galinka work at home. They never forced her to do anything.	Make and force have similar meanings but force is much stronger. Use make + (pro)noun + base form but use force + infinitive.
help	Galinka never helped her mother clean the house. She didn't help her mother-in-law to prepare dinner.	Help can be followed by either the base form or the full infinitive form.
have	Galinka had her mother comb her hair every morning. She had her hair combed every morning. She never even lifted a spoon. She had her mother feed her. She had her breakfast fed to her.	Have is similar to arrange for or ask that something be done. Use Have + (pro)noun + the base form for active meaning. Use Have + (pro)noun + the past participle for passive meaning.

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