have / get something done 8.4
When do we use have / get something done ? We had our house painted last week. My parents don’t like baking, so they got my birthday cake made by a cake shop in town. How often do you get your eyes tested ? We use have / get something done to talk about things that we don’t do ourselves and that somebody else (usually a professional) does for us. Copyright © 2 020 by Pearson Education Wider World 3
She’s already had her dress made and her shoes repaired. What things has Beth already had done in preparation for the party? What is she going to have done soon ? I’m really excited about the end-of-year party. I’ve already had my dress made. It’s red, so I’m going to wear my red shoes with it. I had them repaired last week. I don’t have to have my hair cut, as it’s already the length that I like. I’m only going to have it styled before the party. And I’m not going to have my nails painted. I’ll paint them myself. Copyright © 2 020 by Pearson Education Wider World 3 She’s going to have her hair styled soon.
How do we make sentences with have / get something done ? Copyright © 2 020 by Pearson Education Wider World 3 I had my costume made. We use have / get something done to talk about things that we don’t do ourselves and that somebody else (usually a professional) does for us. (= Someone else made it for me.) (= I made it myself.) I made my costume. He’s getting his laptop fixed. (= Someone else is doing the work for him.) (= He’s doing the work himself.) He’s fixing his laptop. Get is more informal and is used more often in spoken English. We have the flat cleaned every week. (= Someone else cleans it for us.) (= We clean it ourselves.) We clean our flat every week. have / get something done
Where _________________________________ (have / your hair / cut) this morning? Have you ever _________________________________ (have / your bike / repair)? I sometimes _________________________________ (get / my photos / print), but I usually jus t keep them on my computer. She’s going to _________________________________ (have / her hair / dye) blue or green. Do you want to _________________________________ (get / a tattoo / do) in the future? I don’t think people should _________________________________ (have / their houses / clean) – they should clean them themselves! Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in brackets. had your bike repaired Practice Time get my photos printed have her hair dyed get a tattoo done have their houses cleaned Copyright © 2 020 by Pearson Education Wider World 3 did you have your hair cut
