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Causative and similar structures with have

Have can be followed by object + infinitive (without to), object + -ing, and object + past participle.

Causative: have somebody do/doing something​

Have + object + infinitive can mean ‘cause somebody to do something’. This is mostly used in American English, to talk about giving instructions or orders.

  • I’m ready to see Mr Smith. Have him come in, please.
  • The manager had everybody fill out a form.

The structure with an -ing form can mean ‘cause somebody to be doing something’ (BrE and AmE).

  • He had us laughing all through the meal.

For get + object + infinitive (meaning ‘persuade somebody/something to do something’), (see here).

Causative: have something done​

Have + object + past participle can mean ‘cause something to be done by somebody else’. The past participle has a passive meaning.

  • I must have my watch repaired. (= I want my watch to be repaired.)
  • I’m going to have my hair cut this afternoon. (= I want my hair to be cut.)
  • If you don’t get out of my house I’ll have you arrested.

Get is used in a similar structure, (see here).

Experience: have something happen/happening​

In the structure have + object + infinitive/…ing, have can mean ‘experience’.

  • I had a very strange thing happen to me when I was fourteen.
  • We had a tax inspector come to the office yesterday.
  • It’s lovely to have children playing in the garden again.
  • I looked up and found we had water dripping through the ceiling.

Note the difference between the infinitive in the first two examples (for things that happened), and the -ing form in the last two (for things that are/were happening). This is like the difference between simple and progressive tenses (see here).

Experience: We had our roof blown off.​

Have + object + past participle can also be used in the sense of ‘experience’. Again, the past participle has a passive meaning.

  • We had our roof blown off in the storm.
  • I had my car stolen last week.

I won’t have …​

I won’t have + object + verb form can mean ‘I won’t allow …’

  • I won’t have you telling me what to do.
  • I won’t have my house turned into a hotel.