This is a classic ELT question, phrased in a style typical to a
foreign language learner honestly and openly seeking understanding. Do
you honestly believe, Miss Eos, that Jacek would or should understand
what "the interrogative" is? Why not just call it the accusatory or the
erotimatic form and get the torture over with before it begins? Jacek,
could you please tell us what the form is formally called in your first
language, if character sets allow?
What's wrong with putting it as painlessly as possible? Is "question
form" somehow a questionable term?
This form of the passive voice is typically called, in modern ELT
grammars "the causative." We cause someone to do something.
Have sby doing sth (you'll pardon my "y," but I'm old school) is the
present progressive (excuse me, the present continuous) form of "have
sby do sth." The auxiliary (excuse me, helping) verb in this particular
structure can be tricky.
Enough grammarbabble! On to the examples!
Where's John?
Oh, he's outside. I just had him wash my car. (Past Simple - He's
done.)
Where's John?
Oh, he's outside. I have him washing my car. (Present Continuous - He's
doing it now.)
I" is the subject. "Him" is the complement of the sentence (usually
mistaken for an
indirect object by anyone other than a hardcore grammar addict or
someone who has to deal with foreign learners and copular, excuse me,
stative, excuse me, state or linking verbs).
The causative is rarely taught in a form other than in the aorist past
(excuse me, past simple), which makes good sense, as in real usage, 90%
of all passive verbs are
in the past simple. However, learners tend to panic when they see
different verb forms used with the causative, mostly because, as in all
passive verb forms, it's not clear what the verb should agree with.
The matter is further complicated by the fact that we very often
substitute "have got sby doing sth" for "have sby do something." The
substitution of "had got" for "had" is dated in contemporary English
and is almost unknown in the causative. Anyone without both a degree in
English literature and a penchant for Chaucer would never, in point of
fact, see it used in the causative. In point of fact, except in the
primary aspect of the pluperfect (or past perfect simple) "had got"
does not appear (I'd got my wallet stolen, and was miserable.), in
language input a foreign language learner is likely to study
intensively.
Where's John?
Oh, he's outside. I've got him washing my car. I've never seen anyone
work like that boy!
I'm sick and tired of my job. I'll tell you, they've got me going
through old files, checking out dull, boring statistics, that kind of
stuff.
Good luck, Jacek
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