Causative 1 – Generalities

to have/make/let sb do sth

to get/force/allow sb to do sth

to help sb do/to do sth

Causative is used when one person somehow makes another person do sth. There are two participants: the causer and the doer.

There are 7 causative patterns in English:

make, have, let    (without ‘to’)

force, get, allow  (with ‘to’)

and help  (with or without ‘to’)

He made/had/let me do it.	The boss made me stay until 10. David had the barber cut his hair. My mother let me go fishing.
He forced/got/allowed me to do it.	They forced us to open our cases. They got them to drive them to the hospital. She allowed me to read my notes.
He helped me do/to do it.	The waiter helped us choose/to choose a meal.

Difference in meaning

A makes/forces B  = B does not want or does not choose to do sth and A decides = obligar

A gets/has B = B does not care, but A must ask = conseguir, lograr

A lets/allows B = B wants to, but needs permission from A = dejar, permitir

A helps B = B can't without A

Words like "motivate", "lead" and "inspire" are used like causatives too.

Examples:

The story inspired me to learn guitar.

The data lead us to believe that our experiment was a success.

My mother motivated me to study hard.

They follow the same grammar pattern as "force", "get" and "allow" but the nuance is much more positive, or gentle. 

Here is a list of some other causative words (same pattern as "force", "get" and "allow"):

ask

permit

persuade

convince

bribe

encourage

pay