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Causative

The term 'causative' refers to a grammatical structure that indicates the action of one participant causing another participant to perform an action or to undergo a change of state. In linguistics, causative constructions often involve verbs that imply an act of causing, such as 'make,' 'have,' and 'allow.'

Causative meaning with examples

  • In the sentence 'She had him cleaned the car,' 'had' operates as a causative verb, indicating that she caused him to perform the action of cleaning, highlighting her influence in the situation.
  • The phrase 'I made her cry' exemplifies a causative relationship, where 'made' is a causative verb signifying that the speaker directly caused the emotional reaction in the other person, showcasing the power of one's actions.
  • In linguistics, a causative form can be observed in 'They let him leave early,' where 'let' serves as the causative verb, demonstrating that the subjects granted permission for the action of leaving to occur, emphasizing the relational dynamics of authority.
  • An example of causative structure can be found in the sentence 'He got his hair cut,' where 'got' functions as the causative verb, indicating that he caused the barber to perform the action of cutting, which illustrates an indirect involvement in the action.
  • The causative verb 'help' can be seen in the sentence 'She helped him finish his homework,' which indicates that she caused or assisted him in completing the task, thus illustrating the collaborative nature of action and influence among participants.

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