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have / got sth done

 
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yck



Joined: 25 Nov 2006
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:30 pm    Post subject: have / got sth done Reply with quote
I saw these sentences in the dictionary and the grammar textbook.

I had my wallet stolen.
I got my left my arm injured.


then, do these sentences make sence?

I had my computer broken by my brother.

or

I got my cake eaten by my sister.

I want to know not only these sentences are grammatically O.K. or not but also whether it is natural for native English speakers to use these sentences in conversation.
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myprofe



Joined: 29 Jun 2004
Posts: 425
Location: Madrid, Spain - Native Boston, USA
PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 12:23 am    Post subject: Re: have / got sth done Reply with quote
1. I had my wallet stolen.
2. I got my left my arm injured.
3. I had my computer broken by my brother.
4. I got my cake eaten by my sister.

The only one that makes sense to me is number 2.

In this sentence the injury to my arm was, in some way, the result of my actions.

He stole something from the store and got himself arrested.

To have someone do or get someone to do something means to order or ask that someone do something for you rather than do it yourself.
I don't wash my car myself. I have it washed (by my son).
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Mary W. Ng



Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
PostPosted: Mon Nov 27, 2006 5:02 pm    Post subject: Re: have / got sth done Reply with quote
Quote:
1. I had my wallet stolen.
2. I got my left my arm injured.
3. I had my computer broken by my brother.
4. I got my cake eaten by my sister.

All four sentences are fine in British English. Both get and have means 'to experience'.
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Mary W. Ng
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myprofe



Joined: 29 Jun 2004
Posts: 425
Location: Madrid, Spain - Native Boston, USA
PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 1:54 am    Post subject: Re: have / got sth done Reply with quote
Mary W. Ng wrote:
All four sentences are fine in British English.

I want to make a couple of observations.

Does the above statement mean that all of the sentences would be readily understood by a British English speaker?

Or does it mean that the British English speaker would use these same sentences in a normal conversation?

How much of what is understood comes from the statement itself and how much comes from the context in which the statement is used?

Are all four sentences "fine" in American English? I'm not sure.

One last observation.

If the objective of a language is to communicate then perhaps we should consider correct use of a languagae that which is used when an exchange is successful; with parties understanding each other, and incorrect when the exchange is not successful.
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Mary W. Ng



Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 8:38 am    Post subject: Re: have / got sth done Reply with quote
Hi myprofe,

To find out the anwers to your questions, we need input from both native speakers of British English and native speakers of American English.

Hi teachers, please help.
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2006



Joined: 27 Nov 2006
Posts: 610
PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I don't like the four sentences. They are needlessly complicated and they can have more than one meaning, depending on context.

If the intended meanings are what l think they are, the sentences should be as follows.
My wallet was stolen.
My left arm (was) (got) injured. or I injured my left arm.
My brother broke my computer.
My sister ate my cake.

I will use the fourth sentence to illlustrate another possible meaning.

"I got my cake eaten by my sister." can mean, 'I didn't want to eat my cake but it had to be eaten; so I made my sister eat it for me'.

Using "got" or "had" can mean that you wanted something to happen so you made that thing happen.
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