I have it ready.

I don't think I'm knowledgable enough to give you a grammatical analysis, but I would take this to mean that the speaker started the car and it's now running, ready to be driven away. "Started" would be an adjective."I have started the car" has the same meaning, more or less. (Now I'm confused

Hi, Del.Thanks for the reply. There seems to be something left-handed about the way the verb works. I just can't get my head around it.

If I say, "I have started the car," the action is completed. It may have stalled. If I say, "I have the car started," there's the sense that I'm maintaining the status.

"I have your pizzas ready." (maintained status)

"Well, I

Can I say something about your sentence?

"I have the car started." (have something + past participle = passive causative form)
That means you didn't start the car yourself but you asked someone else to start it.

Just like this one " I had my hair styled yesterday." You didn't do the styling but the hairstylist did.

NT[F]

started is an object-oriented depictive (or object complement)

Is that what you mean?

(I'm assuming the non-causative reading.)
CJ

Hi Avangi

As others have mentioned, the structure to have something done is used in your sentence. Have is the finite verb (= verb showing tense), the car is the grammatical object of have and started is a past participle, which in your sentence is adjectival in character because the sentence refers to the state the car is in.

If we add a

ngoc_tuyet77's comment reminds me of what my high school teacher taught me, which is exactly the same as she said. But in this case it's seemingly the car is actually started by the subject, so does that mean this same form can have two meanings-it can be done by the subject, and it can also be done by another person, like the stylist mentioned?
Thanks in advance, Best Wishes.

CalifJimstarted is an object-oriented depictive (or object complement)

Is that what you mean?

(I'm assuming the non-causative reading.)

Hi, CJ, thanks for the input. I'll need to study the terminology to decide if that's "what I mean." I only know "object oriented" as C++, and I'm not too sure about it even in that c

ngoc_tuyet77That means you didn't start the car yourself but you asked someone else to start it.

Thanks, ngoc. Actually, I did start the car myself. - A.

ecopsy But in this case it's seemingly the car is actually started by the subject

Right on, ecopsy! If the pizza chef calls you on the phone about a big order, and he says, "I have your pizzas ready," there's the implication that he personally caused them to be ready, but on the other hand, it may be only the manager who is calling you.

I suppose

Hi Avangi
I think CB gave a great explanation.

As to your original sentence, I would say that without additional context, it's not possible to say for sure whether you started the car yourself or whether you caused someone else to start it. To me, it's ambiguous as a free-standing sentence.