Passive Advanced & The Causative (have/get something done)

B2 Grammar

1. Simple explanation

A participle is the third form of a verb — done, built, stolen, repaired. This lesson adds three advanced tools to the passive you already know. (1) Stronger passives: modals and perfects (must be done, has been stolen, to be done). (2) The reporting passive, used for news and beliefs: 'It is said that…' or 'He is believed to be…'. (3) The causative: have/get + object + participle, when you arrange for someone else to do a job — 'I had my car repaired.'

2. Detailed explanation

This lesson grows out of the basic passive (be + participle). A participle is the third form of a verb — done, built, stolen, repaired. A passive sentence puts the thing that receives the action first, because the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious. You will add three advanced tools: stronger passives with modals and perfect forms ('must be done,' 'has been stolen'), the reporting passive for news and beliefs ('It is said that…,' 'He is believed to…'), and the causative, where someone else does a job for you ('I had my car repaired').

The passive changes its helpers to carry time and obligation: 'The form must be signed' (obligation now), 'Your bike has been stolen' (result matters now), 'The decision will have been made by Friday' (a future deadline beaten). After verbs like want, need, hope, and expect, English uses a passive infinitive: an infinitive is the verb with 'to,' and the passive form is 'to be' + participle for the same time — 'The work needs to be done today' — and 'to have been' + participle for an earlier time: 'The letter was supposed to have been sent last week.'

News and formal writing avoid naming who believes something; they use the reporting passive in two patterns. Pattern one starts with 'It': 'It is said that the president is ill' — the frame is 'It is said / believed / reported / thought / known that…' Pattern two starts with the person or thing itself, followed by the infinitive: 'The president is said to be ill.' Take it apart: The president (the topic) + is said (people say) + to be ill (the claim). For a past claim, use 'to have' + participle: 'The thieves are believed to have escaped.' The reporting verbs form a small set: say, believe, think, report, know, expect, consider, understand.

The causative answers a different question: who does the work? With have or get + object + participle, someone else does it: 'I had my car repaired' means a mechanic repaired it — I arranged and paid. Take it apart: I (the arranger) + had (arranged) + my car (the object) + repaired (the job, done by someone else). 'Get' is the informal twin: 'She got her hair cut.' The same get-pattern reports events that happened to you, good or bad: 'He got fired,' 'Two hikers got hurt,' 'She got promoted twice.' Compare 'I repaired my car' — same result, but there YOU did the work.

3. Formula / structure

Step by step — how to build a sentence:

causative (have — neutral):

causative (get — informal):

passive infinitive:

passive with modals & perfects:

reporting passive (It-pattern):

reporting passive (subject pattern):

4. When to use it

• Passive with modals for rules and requirements: 'Visitors must be registered at the front desk.'
• Perfect passive for results that matter now: 'The road has been closed since the accident.'
• Passive infinitive after need/want/expect: 'The battery needs to be replaced.'
• Reporting passive for news, rumors, and formal beliefs: 'The minister is expected to resign.'
• Causative for services you pay for or arrange: haircuts, repairs, cleaning, printing, photos.
• Get + participle for events that happen to a person: 'He got hurt.' / 'They got married in June.'

5. When NOT to use it

• Don't use the causative when you did the work yourself: ✗ 'I had my essay written last night' (if you wrote it) → ✓ 'I wrote my essay last night.' The causative claims someone else did it — using it for your own work can sound dishonest.
• Don't mix the two reporting patterns: ✗ 'He is said that he is tall' → ✓ 'He is said to be tall' or 'It is said that he is tall.' Pick one frame.
• Don't use 'have + object + infinitive': ✗ 'I had my car to repair' → ✓ 'I had my car repaired.' After the object, only the participle works.
• Don't drop 'been' in perfect passives: ✗ 'The window has broken by someone' → ✓ 'The window has been broken.' Perfect passive = has/have + been + participle.

6. Positive examples

• The final report must be submitted before 5 p.m. today.
• My bike has been stolen — the lock was cut in the night.
• He is believed to own half the buildings on this street.
• It is reported that the storm caused serious damage along the coast.
• We're having our kitchen remodeled next month.
• She got her driver's license renewed online in ten minutes.
• The documents were supposed to have been signed yesterday.
• The new bridge is expected to be completed ahead of schedule.
• Two employees got promoted after the project succeeded.
• I need to get my phone screen replaced — it cracked yesterday.
• The singer is thought to have written the song in a single night.
• All applications will have been reviewed by the end of the week.

7. Negative examples

• The package hasn't been delivered yet, so we'll have to wait.
• This form cannot be signed without your manager's approval.
• He didn't get invited to the wedding, which surprised everyone.
• The house wasn't built to last — look at those cracks.
• It isn't known who started the fire.
• We didn't have the locks changed, and now we regret it.

8. Questions

• Has the car been repaired yet?
• When will the results be announced?
• Is he really believed to be a billionaire?
• Did you have your suit cleaned before the wedding?
• Why hasn't the road been fixed yet?
• Are you getting your hair done for the party?

9. Short answers

• Yes, it has. / No, it hasn't.
• Yes, I did — I had it cut. / No, I cut it myself.
• Yes, he is. / No, he isn't.
• Yes, they will have been. / No, they won't have been.
• Yes, she did. / No, she didn't.

10. Common mistakes

11. American English notes

12. Similar grammar — comparison

13. Natural spoken English

• 'I gotta get my car inspected this week.'
• 'She got her nails done for the wedding.'
• 'He got fired for being late again.'
• 'We're having the whole house painted in June.'
• 'It is what it is — the flight's been delayed again.'
• 'You should get that tooth looked at.'

14. Real-life examples

• Home services: 'We're having the roof inspected before winter.' / 'Get the plumbing checked.'
• Bad luck: 'He had his phone stolen on the subway.' / 'She got locked out of her account.'
• Work: 'All expense reports must be approved by Finance.' / 'The update will have been installed by Monday.'
• News: 'The actor is said to be in talks for a new film.' / 'It is understood that talks are continuing.'
• Beauty & health: 'I'm getting my teeth cleaned on Saturday.'

15. Mini dialogue

16. Summary

17. Practice exercises

Warm up with the first questions, then take the full quiz — every answer has a detailed explanation (parts 19–20 of this lesson: answer key + explanations live inside the quiz feedback).

18. The full quiz

50 questions, mixed formats, in difficulty order: easy → medium → intermediate → challenging → advanced.

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