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Causative Tenses — Extended Exercises

B1-B2 Level

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The "have/get something done" structure can be used in perfect and continuous tenses for more precise time references. In the present perfect, "I have had my car serviced" means the service happened recently or has current relevance. In the present continuous, "She is having her portrait painted" means the service is happening right now or is arranged for the near future. These extended forms give you more control over exactly when the service takes place.

The past perfect form "We had had the roof repaired before the storm" uses a double "had" — the first shows past perfect tense, the second is part of the "have something done" structure. The past continuous "He was having his suit altered when I called" describes a service that was in progress at a specific past moment. These forms follow the same principle: change "have" to the required tense while keeping the object and past participle unchanged. Recognising these forms is essential for Cambridge B2 First reading and use-of-English papers.

Quick Rule

subject + have (perfect / continuous tense) + object + past participle

1.I have had my laptop serviced three times this year. (present perfect — repeated recent service)
2.She was having her hair coloured when the fire alarm went off. (past continuous — interrupted service)
3.We had had the windows replaced before winter arrived. (past perfect — service before past event)
4.He hasn't had his car inspected since last year. (present perfect negative — overdue service)
5.By Friday, they will have had the entire office repainted. (future perfect — deadline)

All 20 questions

Write the complete causative structure using the words provided. Pay attention to the tense indicated.

A mechanic has serviced my car three times this year. (have/get + car + service - present perfect)
An artist is painting her portrait right now. (have/get + portrait + paint - present continuous)
A builder had repaired the roof before the storm hit. (have/get + roof + repair - past perfect)
Builders were renovating their kitchen when the lockdown started. (have/get + kitchen + renovate - past continuous)
A dentist has whitened his teeth recently. (have/get + teeth + whiten - present perfect)
A technician is upgrading my laptop at the moment. (have/get + laptop + upgrade - present continuous)
A proofreader had checked her essay before she submitted it. (have/get + essay + check - past perfect)
Workers are installing new windows this week. (have/get + windows + install - present continuous)
A designer has redesigned their website twice. (have/get + website + redesign - present perfect)
A tailor was altering his suit when I called. (have/get + suit + alter - past continuous)
A doctor has renewed my prescription already. (have/get + prescription + renew - present perfect)
A hairdresser is colouring her hair at the salon. (have/get + hair + colour - present continuous)
Lawyers had signed the contracts before the meeting. (have/get + contracts + sign - past perfect)
A landscaper is working on their garden right now. (have/get + garden + landscape - present continuous)
The committee has rejected his application three times. (have/get + application + reject - present perfect)
A mechanic was fixing my bike when it started raining. (have/get + bike + fix - past continuous)
A publisher has published her book at last. (have/get + book + publish - present perfect)
Decorators are redecorating the office this month. (have/get + office + redecorate - present continuous)
Security had checked all their luggage before boarding. (have/get + luggage + check - past perfect)
Officials are processing his visa at the embassy. (have/get + visa + process - present continuous)