Make, let, get someone to

  • B2 · Upper-intermediate
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min
  • make someone do

Causatives with people: make someone do (force), let someone do (allow), have someone do (give a task) and get someone to do (persuade): He made me run in the rain, but he let me rest on Sundays. The student hears a month with a strict personal trainer, chooses the verb from its meaning, fixes the usual form errors, and plans a first month as the new manager of a struggling restaurant.

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make himlet meget him to

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Listen: my month with a personal trainerListening comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find make, let, have and getGrammar exercise
  6. 6make, let, have, get + someoneGrammar rule
  7. 7Which verb?Grammar exercise
  8. 8Grandma's kitchenGrammar exercise
  9. 9Find the mistakeGrammar exercise
  10. 10Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
  11. 11Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  12. 12Under new managementSpeaking practice
  13. 13About youGrammar exercise
  14. 14Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: a week on a farmGrammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: what does it mean?Grammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: build the sentencesGrammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: a teacher, a coach or a bossDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

  1. Have you ever worked with a personal trainer, or would you like to? Why?
  2. Have you ever paid for a gym, a class or an app and then stopped using it?
  3. Who in your life is good at persuading people to do things?

Grammar rule

make, let, have, get + someone

VerbPatternMeaningExample
makemake + someone + verbforce: they have no choiceThe referee made him leave the field.
makemake + someone + verbcause a feeling or a reactionSpicy food makes my nose run.
letlet + someone + verballowThe hotel let us check in early.
havehave + someone + verbgive someone a task (their job, or you are in charge)The receptionist had me fill out a form.
getget + someone + to + verbpersuade: it takes some effortShe got the bank to cancel the late fee.

Any tense, questions, instructions

  • Are they making you wear a uniform now? · My parents have never let me dye my hair. · I'll have the tech team fix it.
  • Instructions: Let me help you with that. Have them wait in the lobby. Don't let anyone see this!

Watch out

  • No to after make, let and have: They made us to sing → They made us sing.
  • get needs to: We got the neighbors stop → We got the neighbors to stop.
  • After the person, the base verb, with no -s and no past form: She let him went → She let him go.
  • In the passive, make takes to: The players were made to apologize. let has no passive: The students were allowed to leave early.
  • allow, force, tell, ask and want take to (you know these): The hotel allowed us to check in early.
  • have + someone + verb (they do the task) is not have + something + past participle (B1: someone does it for you): The receptionist had me fill out a form. · I had the form checked.

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