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Make, have, or get
Make is pressure on someone, have is arranging a job for someone, and get is talking someone into it or getting a task done.
Quick rule
Forcing someone? Make + verb. Arranging a job? Have + verb. Persuading someone? Get + to + verb.
To force or cause someone to do something: make + person + verb, with no to. She made me wait.
To arrange for someone to do a job: have someone do it, or have something done: I had my hair cut.
To persuade someone: get + person + to + verb. Also get something done, like have something done.
How to choose
| Question | make | have | get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does to come before the verb (___ him to call)? | SometimesSometimes | No | Yes |
| Does the person do it even if they don't want to? | Yes | No | No |
| Can it take something + past participle (___ my hair cut)? | No | Yes | Yes |
Why it trips people up
All three are causative verbs, but they say how the result came about. Make is pressure, have is arranging a job, and get is persuading. The grammar differs too: make and have take a bare verb, get takes to.
How each one works
Make
Forcing someone
My mom made me clean my room.
Causing a reaction
That movie made me cry.
Passive: be made to + verb
We were made to wait for an hour.
Have
Have + thing + past participle
I had my hair cut yesterday.
Have + person + verb, no to
I'll have my assistant send you the file.
Telling someone to do it
Have the kids wash their hands before lunch.
Get
Get + person + to: persuading
I finally got my brother to help me.
Get + thing + past participle
I need to get my car repaired.
Making a thing work
I can't get the printer to work.
What comes next
make plus person plus verb
Don't make me say it again.
be made plus to plus verb
He was made to apologize.
have plus person plus verb
I'll have the hotel call you a taxi.
have plus thing plus past participle
We're having the kitchen painted.
get plus person plus to plus verb
Try to get her to stay for dinner.
get plus thing plus past participle
I got my phone fixed at the mall.
Almost the same
I made him fix the door.
He had no choice.
I had him fix the door.
You arranged it, like a job.
I got him to fix the door.
You persuaded him.
In a conversation
- A:
Your car looks great!
- B:
Thanks. I had it painted last week.
- A:
Did you get your brother to pay for half?
- B:
Yes. My mom made him pay. He wasn't happy!
Common mistakes
Wrong: She was made apologize in front of everyone.
Right: She was made to apologize in front of everyone.
In the passive, make takes to: was made to apologize.
Wrong: I'll have him to call you back.
Right: I'll have him call you back.
Have + person takes the verb with no to.
Memory trick
Make and have skip the to (make me laugh, have him call); get needs it (get him to call). Forcing is make, arranging is have, persuading is get.
It depends
- Have something done by accident
- The same pattern can describe something bad that happened to you: He had his bike stolen. Nobody arranged it (Oxford, have, sense 22).
- Let, allow, and force
- Let works like make, with no to: let me go. Allow and force work like get: allow me to go, force him to leave.
FAQ
Have someone do something or have someone to do something?
No to: have someone do something (I'll have him call you). Get is the one that takes to: get someone to do something.
Make someone do or make someone to do?
Make someone do: no to in the active (They made me wait). In the passive the to returns: I was made to wait.