He makes them do it
He makes them do it.
Does the causative "makes" indicate a repeated requirement (continual forcing) to take action by "them" in the sentence above? Or, is it a requirement of taking a one-off action?
Top answer
Normally it would refer to repeated action. It could refer to a single action in a present-tense narrative, but present-tense narratives are fairly unusual.
- Normally it would refer to repeated action.
- It could refer to a single action in a present-tense narrative, but present-tense narratives are fairly unusual.
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Normally it would refer to repeated action.
It could refer to a single action in a present-tense narrative, but present-tense narratives are fairly unusual.
0tkacka15Does the causative "makes" indicate a repeated requirement
You can call it repeated, regular, or habitual, yes. You can add adverbs like 'always' or 'usually', and these will be consistent with the meaning.
It's not different from the meaning of any other simple present tense that involves an action.
CJ
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