Causative Negative Experiences Exercises

The "have/get something done" structure usually describes a service you arrange, but it has a second important meaning: experiencing something negative that you did not plan or want. "I had my wallet stolen" does not mean you asked someone to steal it — it means theft happened to you. Similarly, "She got her phone broken at the concert" describes accidental damage. The structure is identical (subject + have/get + object + past participle), but the meaning changes completely based on context.

Context makes the difference clear. "I had my car repaired" (positive — I arranged a service) vs "I had my car stolen" (negative — someone stole it). This second meaning is common with words like stolen, broken, damaged, cancelled, and hacked. Both "have" and "get" work for negative experiences, though "get" is slightly more informal: "He got his identity stolen through a phishing email." This pattern appears regularly in Cambridge B2 First and IELTS speaking tests when candidates describe personal experiences, unfortunate events, or crime.