have (get) something done – get somebody to do something

* Read the following pairs of sentences. Inwhich sentence are you saying that…

a) you have done/did/will do something by yourself,b) you (have) employed/will employ someone to do

something for you.

1.a. I had the roof repaired.

1.b. I have repaired the roof.

2.a. She had Tom feed the dogs.

2.b. She has fed the dogs.

3.a. Brenda has cleaned the windows.

3.b. Brenda got him to clean the windows.

4.a. They will probably get the house redecorated.

4.b. They will probably redecorate their house next week.

* Choose the structures that are used when yousay that you employed / employ / will employsomebody to do something for you. Choose thecorresponding example from exercise 1.

1. be + object + past tense2. be + object + past participle3. have + object + bare infinitive (without to)4. have + object + past participle5. have + object + present participle6. get + object + infinitive7. get + object + bare infinitive8. get + object + past participle

* Read the examples below. What is the function of the structure have something done in theseexamples? Choose two statements out of five.

a. It replaces the passive voice when describing anaccident or misfortune.

b. It shows that we employed somebody to do something.c. It focuses on the object, not on the subject.d. It indicates that the subject suffers as a result of the

action.e. It replaces people with things.

1. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to give you a ride as he had his car stolen.

2. She had two of her ribs broken in the accident.3. The cars had their roofs ripped off by the hurricane.

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Read the information and the story. What disaster is being described?

A tornado hit Sacramento, California on Thursday during a second day of storms blanketing the state. The tornadoripped a chain-link fence away from a construction site, dropping it on about 30 cars a few hundred feet away. Noinjuries were reported.The weather forecasters warned that more rains and high winds were likely, as another big storm moved towardsthe region.

A true storyAbout 20 min before school finished it rained and hailed really hard. I thought it was just another rain shower. WhenI went to pick up my children from school the roads were flooded and I couldn’t get to the school. They said that itwould probably be 3 hours before we could get our kids. Well, after about an hour of sitting in the car and waitingeveryone started leaving. When I was finally able to get to the school, it only took an hour and a half for one of theother roads to become clear enough to get through; the teacher informed me that a tornado had hit the school. Itwas not a big one but it did hit the playground. Nobody was hurt, thank goodness. The kids were all playing gamesin the classroom laughing and carrying on as it nothing happened. But the worst was still to come. When we gothome I saw that my house was completely destroyed…Luckily my husband wasn’t at home at the time. All in tears and with petrified children on the back seat, I calledhim on his mobile and told him what had happened. He was there in no time…It all ended well because we were well compensated for our loss. After this nightmare we were able to buy morethings than we used to have.

* a. Look at the pictures and write what has happened in them (use have + object + pastparticiple as a form of the passive voice).

b. What did they have done?

First we had the roof repaired…

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1. They _____________ their room _____________ now.(redecorate)

2. She _____________ her hair _____________ recently.(do)

3. Mrs Wallace had to _____________ a famousarchitect _____________ the interior of the house.(design)

4. Linda _____________ her clothes _____________ byone of the fashion houses. (make)

5. _____________ you _____________ the trees_____________ down or did you cut them downyourself? (cut)

6. Next year I think I _____________ the gardener_____________ roses in the garden. (plant)

7. How often _____________ you _____________ youreyes _____________? (test)

8. He went to hospital to _____________ his arm_____________ as it was broken. (set)

I never thought it could happen to meGP

* Complete the sentences with the appropriate form of have (get) something done – getsomebody to do something.

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