One More Causative Verb...Help

HELP = assist someone in doing something

This is a natural and one we use every day.

Grammatical structure:

• HELP + PERSON + VERB (base form)
• HELP + PERSON + TO + VERB

After “help,” you can use “to” or not – both ways are correct. In general, the form without “to” is more common:

• He helped me carry the boxes.
• He helped me to carry the boxes.
• Reading before bed helps me relax.
• Reading before bed helps me to relax.

Other causative verbs include:
allow, enable, keep, hold, force, require, persuade
 

Here’s a quick quiz for your students:

Choose the appropriate options to complete the sentences

Top of Form

1. Sally made me ---- my shoes before I went into her house. She said she wanted to keep the carpet clean.

take off
to take off

2. I see that you have no time to clean the house on your own so you had better get somebody ---- it for you.

done
to do

3. What you should do before an emergency occurs is to get your fire alarm ---- that will also make you feel safer.

to fix
fixed

4. She had to have her phone number ---- because she was receiving obscene calls from a stranger.

change
changed

5. Her dress was too long, so she had it ----.

shorten
shortened

6. You'd better have a plumber ---- the leak in the bathroom.

repair
repaired

7. Instead of buying a new pair of shoes, I had my old ones ----.

repair
repaired

8. I got everyone in the family ---- Mary's birthday card before I sent it to her.

sign
to sign

9. I didn't have any time so I had my sister ---- my paper last night.

type
to type

10. The teacher got the students ---- the first quatrain of the poem to make it easy to memorize.

write
to write

11. Regular repetition makes one ---- new words easily.

learn
to learn