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#2 (permalink) Mon Feb 02, 2009 16:57 pm have sb doing sth vs have sb to do sth |
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Hi,
Let's get this construction clear. 'Have someone do something' suggests that you don't do it yourself but you pay/ask someone to do something for you. For this use you need the infinitive without the preposition 'to'. If you use the 'ing' form, you suggest that the activity is continuing. Again 'make someone do something' again has no preposition 'to' and suggests that you are telling someone to do something and there is no choice here.
Alan _________________ English as a Second Language You can read my ESL story If you vote |
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Alan Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 9914 Location: UK
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#3 (permalink) Mon Feb 02, 2009 21:43 pm have sb doing sth vs have sb to do sth |
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Hi Alan,
Thanks very much for your reply!
But seems that I didn't express myself clearly.
Actually I'd like to know what's the difference between " have sb. do sth."(bare-infinitive) and " have sb. to do sth."(to-infinitive).
ex. 1. I have the family chauffeur drive me to school. - Does it mean that whenever I wanna go to school, the family chauffeur will drive me there.
2. I have the family chauffeur to drive me to school. - Does it mean that it's just an option, I may ask the family chauffeur to drive me to school, or I may not and walk to school.
ex. 1. They made the systems produce new sounds. - Can I suppose that they actually did it.
2. They made the systems produce new sounds. - It's their desire.
Thanks!
Song |
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Bebechinois New Member

Joined: 02 Feb 2009 Posts: 4 Location: Qubebc City, Canada, Shanghai, China
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#4 (permalink) Tue Feb 03, 2009 20:40 pm have sb doing sth vs have sb to do sth |
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| Bebechinois wrote: |
| ...They made the systems produce new sounds. - Can I suppose that they actually did it... |
Hi, Bebechinois
During reading your post, I recalled some sentence, very popular form:
He made me cry. - Saying that way I express my convince that 'He' did something that had led me to tears.
In case of the difference between the sentences with 'family chauffeur' I'd prefer the first one: "I have the family chauffeur drive me to school". Expressing this way I mean that my family (so, me and other members of my family) have employed a chauffeur, who drives us wherever we need, including driving me to school. The second one with 'to' is not very clear for me. I'd write rather: I have the family chauffeur for driving me to school
Best wishes :) |
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Lea1966 You can meet me at english-test.net
Joined: 28 Oct 2008 Posts: 77 Location: Poland
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#5 (permalink) Tue Feb 03, 2009 20:49 pm have sb doing sth vs have sb to do sth |
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Hi Bebechinois,
The point I wanted to make is that you don't use the preposition 'to' with this construction. It is simply: You have someone do something for you' - there is no 'to'.
Alan _________________ English as a Foreign Language You can read my EFL story Phrasal Verbs/take |
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Alan Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 9914 Location: UK
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#6 (permalink) Tue Feb 03, 2009 22:42 pm have sb doing sth vs have sb to do sth |
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Hello Song,
| Bebechinois wrote: |
| Actually I'd like to know what's the difference between " have sb. do sth."(bare-infinitive) and " have sb. to do sth."(to-infinitive). |
| Bebechinois wrote: |
| ex. 1. I have the family chauffeur drive me to school. - Does it mean that whenever I wanna go to school, the family chauffeur will drive me there. |
Sentence 1 suggests that you regularly ask/tell the family chauffeur to drive you to school. "Have sb. do sth" is a commonly used format.
| Bebechinois wrote: |
| 2. I have the family chauffeur to drive me to school. - Does it mean that it's just an option, I may ask the family chauffeur to drive me to school, or I may not and walk to school. |
Basically, yes. The addition of the word "to" suggests that the family chauffeur is available to you -- an available option. You can ask the family chauffeur to drive you to school if needed or desired. "Have sb. to do sth" refers only to the availability of an option. You have someone available for a particular purpose. There is another example of this sort of wording here: Idiom "Have someone to sound off to"
| Bebechinois wrote: |
| ex. 1. They made the systems produce new sounds. - Can I suppose that they actually did it. |
Yes, this basically means that the system made new sounds and they caused that to happen.
| Bebechinois wrote: |
| 2. They made the systems to produce new sounds. - It's their desire. |
They made the system in order to produce new sounds. With the addition of the word "to", the sentence basically tells you the reason they made the system.
_________________ "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." — Abraham Lincoln |
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Esl_Expert I'm here quite often ;-)

Joined: 26 Dec 2008 Posts: 359 Location: USA
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#7 (permalink) Wed Feb 04, 2009 21:38 pm have sb doing sth vs have sb to do sth |
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Hi Alan, Lea and Esl Expert,
Thanks a lot! I really appreciate your helps!
And Mr. Esl Expert, could you do me one more favour and expand the following sentences so as to clarify the difference in meaning between the two members of pair?
1. a. I have the family chauffeur drive me to school. b. I have the family chauffeur to drive me to school.
2. a. They made the systems produce new sounds. b. They made the systems to produce new sounds.
Thanks in advance! Song |
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Bebechinois New Member

Joined: 02 Feb 2009 Posts: 4 Location: Qubebc City, Canada, Shanghai, China
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#8 (permalink) Sun Feb 08, 2009 21:24 pm have sb doing sth vs have sb to do sth |
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Hello Song,
| Quote: |
1. a. I have the family chauffeur drive me to school. b. I have the family chauffeur to drive me to school. |
The first sentence is a causative use of the verb "have" and the second is not. Therefore, sentence 1a basically indicates that you cause the chauffeur to drive you to school, and that you cause this to happen with some regularity. Sentence 1b basically only says that you "possess" someone (the chauffeur) who is available for a certain purpose. It does not actually say whether you make use of that availability or not.
| Quote: |
2. a. They made the systems produce new sounds. b. They made the systems to produce new sounds. |
Again, the first sentence is a causative use of the verb, and the second is not. Sentence 2a indicates that they caused the system to produce new sounds. In other words, something that they did to the system was the cause of new sounds. Sentence 2b tells you the reason why they made the system.
_________________ "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." — Abraham Lincoln |
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Esl_Expert I'm here quite often ;-)

Joined: 26 Dec 2008 Posts: 359 Location: USA
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| 'gaze into' vs. 'gaze at' | I get confused sometimes with ME and I. |