Verb patterns · CEFR B2 · Confident
have somebody do it — English verb patterns
When the person is named rather than the thing, "have" takes a plain verb and "get" takes "to".
The shape
have + person + plain verb · get + person + to + verb
Say you arranged for a person to do something.
In Hindi
जब व्यक्ति का नाम लिया जाए, तो have के बाद सादी क्रिया और get के बाद "to" आता है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
I will have the electrician to check it. | I will have the electrician check it. After "have somebody", the verb takes no "to" — but "get the electrician to check" is right. |
Learn these first
These come first. The rest of this makes more sense once they are automatic.
Questions people ask
- What is the have somebody do it used for?
- When the person is named rather than the thing, "have" takes a plain verb and "get" takes "to". In practice: say you arranged for a person to do something.
- How do you form the have somebody do it?
- have + person + plain verb · get + person + to + verb.
- What is the most common mistake with the have somebody do it?
- Saying “I will have the electrician to check it.” instead of “I will have the electrician check it.”. After "have somebody", the verb takes no "to" — but "get the electrician to check" is right.
Where have somebody do it fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
have somebody do it is a CEFR B2 structure — the confident band — and it belongs to verb patterns. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
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