have/get something done

Question

Ex. Dean had/got his room cleaned.In this causative construction, is this example interpreted as being ambiguous?(1. Dean arranged somebody to clean his room. 2. Dean himself cleaned his room.)

GPY · Accepted Answer

It implies that someone else cleaned it. It doesn't mean that he cleaned it himself.

Cho7712 · Answer

Thank you for the answer!

CalifJim · Answer

cho7712Dean had his room cleaned.

I'd say this was ambiguous. In isolation it seems that Dean arranged for someone else to clean his room, but you can also have:

Dean worked for hours to clean his room, and by the time his mother came to inspect it, he had it cleaned.

cho7712Dean got his room cleaned.

Also ambiguous, but even in isolation this one can easily be interpreted to mean that Dean, perhaps after much work, finally finished cleaning his room (himself). The idea that he had someone else do it does not come to mind so easily as when "had" is used.

These are my personal reactions to the sentences. (American English)

CJ

have/get something done

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