He had me laugh/ laughing...

[Tom]

Hello everybody

Is there any difference between the given sentences?

1- He had me laugh all through the meal.
2- He had me laughing all through the meal.

Thanks in advance

Tom

[Yankee]

[Tom]

Dear Amy

Further to you explanation I have few questions to ask. I am aware that:

Make/ Have somebody do something means cause somebody to do something.

I want to know if it always implies force? Please see below:

1- He had me laugh all through the meal.
2- He made me laugh all through the meal.

( Maybe his jokes forced me to laugh and I did not want to.Would it still be unlikely??)

Tom

[Steve]

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

"He had me do something" ---> He told me to do it and so I did it. (There may or may not be force involved)

"He had me laugh all through dinner" means he told me I had to laugh. Or he arranged to have me laugh. It is entirely possible that I laughed although I found absolutely nothing funny. The laughing has no connection to jokes. And that's why I said it's an extremely unlikely sentence!!!!!

"He made me laugh all through dinner." --> This sentence could in fact be interpreted two different ways. The most likely and logical interpretation is that "his jokes forced me to laugh".
The other interpretation would be similar to what I wrote about "He had me laugh" and would be just as unlikely.

Unlikely interpretations such as these could be used by comedians, for example, for comic effect.

Amy