Have Something Done — Exercises on had it repaired
Practice have/get something done: had my car serviced, get your eyes tested, had her bag stolen — plus the informal get-passive (got fired).
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My car's running much better now — I ___ at the garage on Monday.
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had it serviced
A mechanic did the job for me → 'have' + object + past participle: 'had it serviced'. 'Had serviced it' is past perfect and means I did it myself; 'I was serviced' says the mechanic worked on me.
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You've had headaches every day this week — you should get your eyes ___.
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tested
An optician will test your eyes, not you → 'get' + object + past participle: 'get your eyes tested'.
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Lucy ___ while she was on the beach, so she had to cancel all her cards.
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had her bag stolen
'Have' + object + past participle can also describe something bad that someone did to you: 'she had her bag stolen'. 'Had stolen her bag' is past perfect and would make Lucy the thief.
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We're having the living room ___ next week, so the house will smell of paint.
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painted
Decorators will do the work for us → 'have' + object + past participle: 'having the living room painted'.
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Be careful with your phone on the metro — mine ___ last month.
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got stolen
'Get' + past participle is an informal passive for things that happen to us, often bad ones: 'got stolen' = was stolen. 'Stole' and 'had stolen' make the phone the thief.
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The windows look amazing! ___ them cleaned, or did you do it yourself?
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Did you have
In questions, 'have' in 'have something done' is a normal verb, so it needs 'did': 'Did you have them cleaned?' 'Have you them cleaned' is not English.
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A bad start to the holiday
Mia: How was Lisbon? Did you have a good time?
Sam: In the end, yes, but the first day was awful. My bag {1} on the train from the airport.
Mia: Oh no! How?
Sam: I put it on the rack while my ticket {2}, and when I turned round, it was gone.
Mia: Did you go to the police?
Sam: Yes, straight away. I {3} a form to fill in. Apparently, the area round the station {4} to be the worst in the city for pickpockets.
Mia: What about your money?
Sam: That was the worst part. By the time I phoned the bank, my card {5} twice. So I had all my cards {6} and borrowed some cash from a friend.
Mia: Poor you! Did the hotel help?
Sam: They were amazing — I was really well {7} there. And guess what? Yesterday my bag {8} at the police station. Someone found it in a bin, with my passport still inside!Show answer
1. got stolen — Something bad happened to the bag → informal passive with 'get': 'got stolen' = was stolen.
2. was being checked — The ticket check was in progress when the bag went → past continuous passive 'was being checked'. A ticket can't check anything, so 'was checking' is wrong.
3. was given — The police gave Sam a form → with 'give' the person can be the subject: 'I was given a form'.
4. is said — People in general say this about the area → 'is said to be'.
5. had already been used — The card was used before Sam phoned → past perfect passive 'had been used'. 'Had used' would mean the card used something.
6. cancelled — The bank cancelled the cards for Sam → 'have' + object + past participle: 'had all my cards cancelled'.
7. looked after — The staff looked after Sam → passive 'was looked after'; the preposition 'after' stays with the verb.
8. was handed in — Someone took the bag to the police → 'hand in' in the past simple passive: 'was handed in', with 'in' kept at the end.
Have Something Done, Get Something Done and the Get-Passive
The causative have + object + past participle means that someone else does a job for you, usually a service: I had my car serviced on Monday, We're having the living room painted next week. Get + object + past participle means the same and is slightly more informal: You should get your eyes tested. The pattern can also describe something bad that someone did to you: Lucy had her bag stolen while she was on the beach. Word order is the whole meaning: I had my car repaired (a mechanic did it) is a different sentence from I had repaired my car (past perfect — I did it myself). In questions and negatives have behaves like an ordinary verb and needs did: Did you have the windows cleaned? Without an object, get + participle is the informal get-passive, typical of conversation and of sudden or unwelcome events: My phone got stolen on the metro, He got fired.
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