How rto use the word "made" in a sentence?

Question

Hi,I know that the word made is not an auxillary verb but why do people use it like "this story made me laugh" instead of "this story made me laughed"?? I am very confuse about this.Also, another question I have is that this sentence "I didn't know this store sold furniture" I know this sentenced is correct but the word "sold" sounds weird to me. Anyone care to explain? Thanks!

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Khai TranI know that the word made is not an auxillary verb but why do people use it like "this story made me laugh" instead of "this story made me laughed"?? I am very confused about this.

The verbs make, have, let and a few others are sometimes used in a special way. We call them "causative" verbs because they cause another action to happen.

The bare infinitive expresses the action that is caused.
In most other verbs that cause another action, the to-infinitive is used:

The policeman forced him to lie down. (to-infinitive)
The teacher asked him to answer the question.
My friend got me to tell a lie.

Bare infinitive:
This story made me ~~(to)~~ laugh.
I had the barber ~~(to)~~ cut my hair just like I wanted.
The policeman let the thief ~~(to)~~ escape.
I helped her to carry the heavy suitcase. (Here the to is optional. )

Khai Tran · Answer

Thanks Alphecca! so in my sentence "this made me laugh" the verb "made"  implies "to laugh" in the sentence? Would it be wrong if I said "this made me laughed"?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Khai Tran"I didn't know this store sold furniture" I know this sentenced is correct but the word "sold" sounds weird to me. Anyone care to explain? Thanks!

It is the combination of tenses in the main clause and the dependent clause:

For example, at the time of speaking (present), the possibilities are these:
I know that the store sells furniture. (present - present)
I know that the store sold (used to sell) furniture. (present - past) Implies that it does not sell furniture now, but it did in the past.
I know that the store will sell furniture. (present - future) Implies that it does not sell furniture now, but will in the future.

When you are talking about what you knew in the past, the possibilities are these:
I didn't know (that) the store sold furniture. (past - past) (The store is selling furniture, but at that time you did not realize it.)
I knew that the store sold furniture. (past - past). (The store is selling furniture at the time you knew about it.)
I knew that the store will sell furniture. (past - future) Implies that it did not sell furniture then, but will sometime in the future.
I knew that the store had sold furniture. (past - past perfect). Implies that it did not sell furniture then, but did much earlier in the past.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Khai TranThanks Alphecca! so in my sentence "this made me laugh" the verb "made" implies "to laugh" in the sentence?

Yes, that's right. We have dropped the "to" in modern English.
In an older form of English, the "to" was there. For example, in the King James Bible (1611), Psalm 23 says "The Lord is my shepherd. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures."
But we don't talk that way any more.

Khai TranWould it be wrong if I said "this made me laughed"?

Yes. It is not correct.

Anonymous · Answer

hello there , would like to ask a simple question of which the better to say more thank you for mading my days or thank you for making my days ..

AlpheccaStars · Answer

The idiom "make my day" came from a famous movie, Dirty Harry with Clint Eastwood.

The correct usage would be
"thank you for making my day."

How rto use the word "made" in a sentence?

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