Causative Verbs

 

The causatives are verbs that are used to indicate that one person causes another person to do something for the first person. One can cause somebody to do something for him/her by asking, requesting or forcing the person.

These are the causative verbs: Have, Get, Make and Let.

 

Have: Structures and uses

Structure 1:

Sub + have (any tense) + object (usually person) + v1 + other words.

Examples:

1. Bill had Lisa clean the house.

2. James always has me do his work.

3. Ronnie will have John prepare food.

 

Structure 2:

Sub + have (any tense) + object (usually thing) + v3 (past participle) + other words.

Examples:

1. Mary had her car washed.

2. She always had her work done.

3. Ronnie will have her food prepared.

 

Get: Structures and uses

Structure 1:

Sub + get (any tense) + + obj (usually person) + infinitive with to + other words.

Examples:

1. John got Alex to clean the house.

2. She always gets me to do her work.

3. Ronnie will get me to prepare food.

 

Structure 2:

Sub + get (any tense) + obj (usually thing) + v3 (past participle) + other words.

Examples:

1. John got his house cleaned.

2. She always gets her work done.

3. Ronnie will get her food prepared.

 

Make: Structure and uses

Make is stronger than “have” and “get.” It constitutes only one structure as it does not take anything passive as its object.

Structure:

Sub + make (any tense) + obj (always person) + v1 + other words.

Examples:

1. James made me carry his bag.

2. Ronnie will make me prepare food.

3. I made him clean the house.

4. He always makes me laugh.

 

5. Don’t make her cry.

 

Let: Structure and uses

Structure:

Sub + let (any tense) + obj + v1 + other words.

Examples:

1. He lets his wife focus on her career.

2. Will you let me use your computer?

3. The trainer let me drink some water after the workout.

 

Other causative verbs: Help, cause, allow, enable, force, require, persuade etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past Modal Verbs

 

Modal verbs in the past are used to:

1. Talk about a possibility

2. Express a regret

3. Express disbelief

4. Make a recommendation or criticism.

The most frequent use of modal verbs in the past is to talk about past situations that were possible but did not happen. In other words, they tell us what could have, would have and should have happened.

Let’s learn how “must”, “could”, “would’, “should’, “may” and “might” are used in the past.

These modal verbs are used with “have’ + past participle (v3) to talk about supposition or speculation regarding a past event.

 

Must have:

We use must have + past participle (v3) when we feel sure about what happened.

Examples:

1. The dog has escaped – I must have left the door open by mistake.

2. Lisa has left her handbag here – she must have left in a hurry.

3. It must have been difficult for him to live alone for so many years.

 

To form the negative, use “not” between “must” and “have”.

Examples:

1. It must not have been difficult for him.

2. She must not have done the dishes.

 

 

Could have:

We use could have + past participle (v3) to express that something was possible in the past but it did not happen.

Examples:

1. I could have gone directly to the college, but I decided to travel for a year.

2. He could have helped me, but he didn’t.

3. We could have left the party earlier.

 

To form the negative, use “not” between “could” and “have”.

Examples:

1. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

2. I couldn’t have done it without you.

 

Would have:

We use would have + past participle (v3) to show that you wanted to do something, but you could not.

Examples:

1. I would have called, but there was no phone service.

2. I would have lent you the money, but I didn’t have any myself.

3. I would have gone to the party, but I was tired.

 

The negative “would not have’ is part of the third conditional sentence.

Example: If I had not studied hard, I wouldn’t have passed the examination.

 

 

Should Have:

We use should have + past participle (v3) to mean that something did not happen, but we wish it had happened.

Examples:

1. I should have woken up earlier.

2. You should have helped her.

3. They should have come on time.

 

To form the negative, use “not” between “should” and “have”.

Examples:

1. You should not have slapped him.

2. He should not have done it.

 

May Have / Might Have:

We use “may have” or “might have” when we think it’s possible that something happened.

Examples:

1. I think I may have left the air conditioning on.

2. Police think the suspect may have left the country using a fake passport.

3. The car came around the corner so fast that I might have been killed.

 

Note: “May have” is more formal than “might have”.

 

 

 

 

To form the negative, use “not” between “may/might” and “have”.

Examples:

1. He may not have eaten the apples.

2. They might not have understood the message.

 

Modal Perfect Continuous:

We use the modal perfect continuous tense for speculations about a continuous action in the past.

Example: No one knows why he crashed the car. He may have been drinking and driving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noun Clause

 

A noun clause is a clause that plays the role of a noun.

 

Noun clauses are dependent clauses that can replace a noun in the sentence.

 

A noun clause is a dependent clause that takes the place of any noun in the sentence, whether they are subjects, objects, or subject complements.

 

A noun clause functions as a noun in a sentence. It follows a linking or copular verb to describe or modify the subject of the sentence. Unlike noun phrases, noun clauses contain both a subject and a verb.

 

A noun clause can be a subject, an object, or a complement.

 

Noun clauses function to add more details to a sentence.

 

If you are not sure whether a clause is a noun clause, try replacing it with other nouns or pronouns.

 

Noun clauses almost always start with one of these words:

How, that, what, whatever, when, where, whether, which, whichever, who, whoever, whom, whomever, why.

 

Lots of noun clauses start with “that”, “how” or with a “wh” word (i.e., “what”, “who”, “which”, “when”, “where” or “why”).

Examples:

1.     I know that it happened.

 

2. I know how it happened.

3. I know why it happened.

4. John encouraged Leela to remember who she was. (The noun clause is an indirect object of the verb, encouraged.)

5. Do you know what time it is?

6. Bob can invite whomever he chooses.

7. I don’t understand what you’re talking about.

8. Whether Tom accepts the job or not is his business.

A great way to check whether a phrase or clause is functioning as a noun is to have a go at replacing it with a pronoun. If you can, your phrase or clause is functioning as a noun.

 

Easy examples:

1. I know that the story is true.

2. I saw how the accident happened.

3. I understand why it was necessary.

4. I know who said that.

 

More examples:

1. Whoever smelt it dealt it. (The noun clause is a subject.)

2. My command is whatever you wish. (The noun clause is a subject complement.)

3. I will give what you said some thought. (The noun clause is an indirect object.)