Causative

Question

Hi,1.Get your motors running.2.Get your motors run.Why do we need to say 1 instead of 2; or 2 instead of 1? As far as I know, 2 is a structure that goes "get+sth+past participle" such as "get the job done". Is that right? If so, what about 1?Thank you..

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Anonymous1.Get your motors running.
2.Get your motors run.

Only 1 is correct. You can't use 2 because that pattern (get st pp) is passive and therefore only possible with transitive verbs. run is not transitive.

CJ

Clive · Answer

Hi,

You might perhaps also like to consider it in terms of meaning.

Here are two very simple examples for you to think about.

Mary got Tom painting. She asked Tom to start painting, and he did.

Mary got Tom painted. She arranged for someone else to paint Tom.

Clive

Johner · Answer

Hi,

As I understood from your posts, 1 has the same meaning with "get sb to verb" such as "get the man to fix the car".

At this point I'll have a question:

3.Get your motors running. or Get the man fixing the car.

4.Get your motors to run. or Get the man to fix the car.

Would you find it strange if I always used the first pattern? or always the second one? I mean could you easily answer this question as "you defintely can't do this. there are situations you must use the first pattern and there are situations you must use the second pattern. Like what?

Thank you.

CalifJim · Answer

There are three separate patterns.

1 get somebody doing something - get them started on an activity; get them habituated to doing something

(This is the most informal expression of the three.)

Karen got them all dancing.

Get your motors running. - This is a variant. get something doing something.

2 get somebody to do something - get them to complete a task; hire them to do something;

coax them into doing it; persuade them to do it

We got a mechanic to repair the car.

Mrs. Jones finally got her son to clean his room.

I'll get them to sign these papers tomorrow.

Get your motors to run. - This is a variant. get something to do something.

This particular sentence means Do whatever is necessary to make

the motors run. It might be addressed to the students in a

training course for mechanics.

3 get something done - get a task done (by someone);

make arrangements for a task to be done

I got my hair cut yesterday.

Lucy is going to get her house painted.

Paul got his teeth cleaned.

CJ

Dimsumexpress · Answer

This is my opinion. Causative sentences exist in a couple of forms.

Anonymous1.Get your motors running.
2.Get your motors run.

# 1, to me is almost good, but it is not a complete sentence. This is how I would imagine the context: " It's hard to get your car's engine running smoothly (if you don't keep up with scheduled maintenance)". Running is a key component making up the participle phrase " running smoothly".

Another form will be the infinitive, to run. i.e. It's hard to get your engine to start / run in frigid weather.

But it's not correct to say "it's hard to get your motor run."

Johner · Answer

I got almost everything I need on this topic. Thanks to CJ. Cheers!

Johner · Answer

dimsumexpressBut it's not correct to say "it's hard to get your motor run."

Hmmm.. how about "it's hard to get your mother running." Please say this is a proper sentence

otherwise it would mean I didn't get the point.

Thanks for the contribution dimsumexpress..

CalifJim · Answer

johnerit's hard to get your mother running.

We switched from motor to mother! How interesting! What in particular do you do to get your mother running?

(The sentence is fine, though a bit bizarre in meaning!)

CJ

Dimsumexpress · Answer

OMG! What I have I done? Sorry about my sticky finger?

Johner · Answer

CalifJimWe switched from motor to mother! How interesting!

Don't get angry with me CJ, dimsumexpress started it . How could I know it was a typo?

Anyway it helped me understand better. Thanks to both of you..

Causative

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions