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Which one to use?Advancedstructurestructure
MakevsLet
Causative verbs have fixed structures: 'make/let' + bare infinitive; 'get/allow' + 'to' + infinitive.
Side-by-side comparison
Make
structure"Make" compels: there is no choice. "Let" gives permission informally and directly. "Allow" and "permit" also give permission but more formally.
The loud music made everyone leave the party earlier than expected.
My parents made me eat vegetables every night when I was young.
The sudden noise made her drop her phone on the floor.
Let
structureKey structural difference: "make/let" are followed by the bare infinitive (no "to"); "allow/permit" are followed by "to" + infinitive.
The teacher let us use our notes during the test, it was a big relief.
My parents did not allow me to stay out late when I was in secondary school.
The cinema does not permit people to bring their own food into the screening room.
Common mistake
"Let me to go" and "Allow him go" are the two most common errors. The rule: make/let/have take bare infinitive. Get/allow/permit take to. And in the passive: "he was made TO resign", the passive of make brings back the to.
Trick to remember it
- •The VIP no-TO group: MAKE, LET, HAVE. The boss (MAKE: commands), the parent (LET: allows), the manager (HAVE: assigns). These three skip the TO. Every other causative uses it.
- •Exam trap: in the passive, MAKE rejoins the TO group: "was made TO resign".
Quick rule
No to: make/let/have. With to: get/allow/permit. Nuances: make = compel, let = permit (informal), allow = permit (formal), have = commission, get = persuade.
Did you know?
The presence or absence of TO in these causative verbs is not arbitrary, it reflects the degree of direct control the subject exercises over the action. No-TO verbs (MAKE, LET, HAVE) are pure causatives where the causer exercises direct and immediate control: "make him do it" (no TO = total control). With-TO verbs (GET, ALLOW, PERMIT) imply that the causee retains some autonomy or choice, there is more distance between the causer and the action: "get him to do it" (with TO = persuasion, the other retains some agency). This distinction, bare infinitive vs TO-infinitive as a marker of causal distance, is one of the most fascinating phenomena in English grammar and is studied in cognitive linguistics.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Smoking is not _____ ed inside the building.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She wouldn't _____ her children stay up past 9pm on school nights.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
Have something donevsGet something done
'Have something done' and 'get something done' mean someone else does something for you; 'get' is more informal.
Make a decisionvsTake a decision
'Make a decision' is the standard American collocation; 'take a decision' is more common in formal British English.
SuggestvsRecommend
'Suggest' and 'recommend' never take 'to' + infinitive; they use a gerund or a 'that' clause.
AvsAn
'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy