causative

Everyday

1. Causing something, acting as its cause («a causative factor», «the causative virus»). tree →
2. (grammar) A form of a verb or sentence that shows someone makes something happen or has it done, like «I had my hair cut» or «She made him laugh». tree →

In the lessons

In science and health it names the cause of a disease or effect — «the causative agent». In grammar lessons, «causative» describes patterns with have/get/make/let: «We got the car fixed». It tells the reader who or what makes something happen. It is a formal word.

Examples

• Scientists found the causative virus of the illness. tree →
• Smoking is a causative factor in many lung diseases. tree →
• "I had my bike repaired" is a causative sentence. tree →
• In the causative, the person doing the work is often not named. tree →
• "Make" is a causative verb in "Mum made me tidy my room". tree →
• The doctor explained the causative link between sugar and tooth decay. tree →
• We practised causatives: "I got my hair cut", "She had her eyes tested". tree →

Note

Formal word. In grammar: «have/get + thing + past participle» (have it fixed) and «make/let + person + verb» (make him wait). Trap: a cause found together with an effect is not always causative — things can happen together by chance (correlation is not causation).