Intermediate Grammar
Master English grammar one unit at a time. Clear notes, then 40+ interactive exercises with instant feedback — based on the topics in English Grammar in Use (Intermediate).
Have something done — get something done“have/get + object + past participle: arrange for someone to do it for you (I had my hair cut) · or something happened to you (He had his car stolen)” — 44 interactive questions
📖 Grammar Reference — Have something done — get something done
Study the notes, then work through the six exercises.
A have something done
We use have + object + past participle when we arrange for someone else to do something for us — we don’t do it ourselves:
💡 Word order: the object goes between have and the past participle — have + the car + repaired, never have repaired the car (with this meaning).
B have in any tense
Only the verb have changes for the tense. The object + past participle never changes:
| present simple | I have my car serviced every year. |
| present continuous | We are having the roof repaired now. |
| past simple | She had her photo taken yesterday. |
| present perfect | I have just had my hair cut. |
| will / going to | We’re going to have a garage built. |
| after a modal | You should have that tooth checked. |
💡 In questions and negatives use do/does/did: Where do you have your car serviced? · I didn’t have the photos printed.
C get something done
In informal, spoken English we often use get instead of have — the meaning is the same:
💡 have = neutral, suitable for writing; get = more informal / conversational.
D something happened to you
The same pattern can also describe something that happened to someone — often something bad that they did not arrange:
💡 Same words, two meanings — the context tells you whether it was arranged or just happened.
Made with care for English learners · allenglish4u.com
Original practice material inspired by the English Grammar in Use syllabus (Cambridge University Press). Example sentences and exercises are written by All English 4U.