Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

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539 Glossary for any unfamiliar terms

The passive | 801

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✪

The meaning of the have-pseudo-passive is not the same as the perfect aspect

form of the verb:

Oh, you

’ve had your hair cut. It looks nice.

(someone, a hairdresser, cut your hair; ‘Oh, you’ve cut your hair’ would

mean you did it yourself)

GET- AND HAVE-PSEUDO-PASSIVES

485

Get

-pseudo-passives and have-pseudo-passives can often both be used to express

causative and non-causative meanings. The have-passive is more formal than the

get

-passive:

We 

got our car radio stolen twice on holiday. 

(or: We had our car radio stolen twice on holiday.)

They

’ll have had the phone connected by now.

(or: They’ll have got the phone connected by now.)

I 

have my hair done about once a month.

(or: I get my hair done about once a month.)