Easy Causative Transformation Exercises

When someone else does a job or service for you, English uses a special structure: have or get + object + past participle. Instead of saying "A hairdresser cut my hair," you say "I had my hair cut" or "I got my hair cut." The focus moves from the person who did the work to the person who received the service. This is one of the most useful patterns in everyday English because we often talk about services — getting a haircut, having a car repaired, or getting clothes cleaned.

To change a sentence, follow three steps. First, find the person who receives the service — that person becomes the new subject. Second, use have or get in the correct tense. Third, add the object and the past participle of the main verb: "A mechanic repaired her car" becomes "She had her car repaired." A common mistake is using the wrong verb form — always use the past participle (repaired, cut, cleaned), not the base form or the -ing form. This structure is regularly tested in Cambridge B1 Preliminary exams.