V1	V2	V3	V4	V5	V3	V4	O	V3
I get You get He gets	I got You got He got	| | | |	| | | |	| | | |	| | | |	| | | |	the letters the letters the letters	typed typed typed
­They have He has	had had	got got	| | |	| | |	| | |	| | |	the letters the letters	typed typed
They are He is I am	were was was		getting getting getting	| | | |	| | | |	| | | |	the letters the letters the letters	typed typed typed
They have He has	had had	been been	getting getting	| | | |	| | | |	| | | |	the letters the letters	typed typed
I will I shall I can I may I must I need to I ought to	would should could might had to needed to			(to)get (to)get (to)get (to)get (to)get (to)get (to)get	| | | | | | | |	| | | | | | | |	the letters the letters the letters the letters the letters the letters the letters	typed typed typed typed typed typed typed
I will I shall I can I may I must I need to I ought to	would should could might had to needed to			(to)have (to)have (to)have (to)have (to)have (to)have (to)have	got got got got got got got	| | | | | | | |	the letters the letters the letters the letters the letters the letters the letters	typed typed typed typed typed typed typed
I will I shall I can I may I must I need to I ought to	would should could might had to needed to			(to)have (to)have (to)have (to)have (to)have (to)have (to)have	been been been been been been been	getting getting getting getting getting getting getting	the letters the letters the letters the letters the letters the letters the letters	typed typed typed typed typed typed typed
I don’t You don’t He doesn’t	didn’t I didn’t I didn’t			(to)get (to)get (to)get			the letters the letters the letters	typed typed typed

We sometimes cause somebody to do something for us. Causing somebody to do something for us is expressed by using a sentence pattern with ‘GET’ or ‘HAVE’. When you use this sentence pattern special care should be taken in breaking the parts of the sentence properly or else it might cause difficulty in understanding what is expressed.

When you read the sentences in the speech bubbles in the picture given below, you will realize this better.

 

‘I am having a cup of tea.’ means ‘I am drinking a cup of tea.’
‘I am getting a cup of tea.’ means ‘I am taking a cup of tea.’
‘I am getting ….. a cup of tea prepared.’ gives the idea that you are getting somebody else to do something for you.

Read the following examples, too.

He is getting       his car repaired by the mechanic.√
He is getting his car       repaired by the mechanic. ×
I got         my hair cut last Sunday.√
I got my hair       cut last Sunday.×
We get             our clothes washed.√
We get our clothes            washed.×
They are getting          their house painted.√
They are getting their house          painted.×
I will get          the broken chair mended tomorrow.√
I will get the broken chair       mended tomorrow.×

The verb ‘GET’ is commonly used and ‘HAVE’ is formal. But the idea is the same.

e.g.
He is having his car repaired.
I had my hair cut last Sunday.
We have our clothes washed
They are having their house painted.
I will have the broken chair mended tomorrow.

The agent is not always needed. If you get something done by a particular person,  you are expected to give the agent.

e.g.

I got my bad tooth taken out by Dr. White.

The following expressions are worth noticing.

get / have hair cut
get / have a tooth extracted
get / have something fixed
get / have something made
get / have something mended
get / have something overhauled
get / have ears pierced
get / have something printed
get / have a house painted
get / have a house rewired
get / have a building air-conditioned
get / have a car reconditioned
get / have a car serviced
get / have blood tested
get / have a boil lanced
get / have oneself vaccinated
get / have a tooth taken out

The picture given below will also help you to understand the deference between active, passive and causative sentences