THE PASSIVE CAUSATIVE

 

THE PASSIVE CAUSATIVE

The passive causative is a grammatical structure used to show that someone or something is caused to do something by another person or thing, but with the focus on the receiver of the action rather than the doer. It is formed using the structure "have/get + object + past participle".

For example:

• I had my car repaired. (The focus is on the car being repaired, not on who repaired it.)
• He got his leg broken in the accident. (The focus is on the leg being broken, not on who caused the accident.)

In both of these examples, the subject (I or he) is causing someone else (a mechanic or an accident) to perform an action (repair the car or break the leg). The causative verb (had or got) is followed by the object (my car or his leg) and the past participle of the main verb (repaired or broken).

The passive causative can also be used to describe situations where someone is causing something to happen without taking an active role. For example:

• The concert got cancelled due to bad weather. (The concert was cancelled because of bad weather, not because anyone actively cancelled it.)
• The movie got postponed until next month. (The movie was postponed, but it's not clear who made that decision.)

In both of these examples, the subject (the concert or the movie) is being affected by something (bad weather or a decision to postpone), but the causative verb (got) suggests that there is a cause behind the action.

Overall, the passive causative is a useful grammatical structure in English for describing situations where someone or something is affected by an action caused by another person or thing. By using the structure "have/get + object + past participle", speakers can convey complex relationships between people and actions, and shift the focus to the receiver of the action rather than the doer.