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English grammar

Make, Let, Allow, Help (Causatives Intro)

Updated 27 Oct 2026 5 min read LingoLadder Editorial Team
Cover: make, let, allow, help — one person asking another to do something, showing permission and obligation
Short answer

Make and let are followed by an object and the base verb with no 'to': 'She made me wait', 'They let me go'. Allow and get take an object and the to-infinitive: 'They allowed me to go'. Help takes either form.

On this page11 sections · tap to jump
  1. 01The rule
  2. 02The patterns
  3. 03The passive changes “make”
  4. 04Example sentences
  5. 05Common mistakes
  6. 06A short conversation
  7. 07Usage notes
  8. 08Compared with…
  9. 09Practice
  10. 10Quiz
  11. 11Recap cheat-sheet

Level: B1. Make, let, allow and help all describe one person causing or permitting another to do something. The hard part is small but constant: some take the base verb with no to, and some take the to-infinitive. Get that split right and these verbs become easy.

The rule

A causative verb says that someone causes or permits an action by another person. The pattern is always verb + object + second verb, but the shape of the second verb changes.

Base verb (no to) after make and let:

  • make = force or cause someone to do something: The teacher made us repeat it.
  • let = allow or permit (informal): My parents let me stay out late.

To-infinitive after allow and get:

  • allow = permit (more formal than let): They allowed us to leave early.
  • get = persuade or arrange for someone to do something: I got my brother to help me.

Either form after help: both are correct, and the bare form is more common, especially in American English: She helped me (to) carry the bags.

So the single most useful fact is: make and let take the bare verb; allow and get take to; help takes either.

The patterns

Verb Pattern Meaning Example
make make + object + base verb force / cause She made me wait.
let let + object + base verb allow (informal) They let me go.
allow allow + object + to-infinitive permit (formal) They allowed me to go.
get get + object + to-infinitive persuade / arrange I got him to help.
help help + object + (to) + base verb assist She helped me (to) pack.

The passive changes “make”

In the passive, make gets its to back: They made him wait. → He was made to wait. This surprises learners, because the active form had no to.

Let is not used in the passive; use be allowed to instead: They let us leave. → We were allowed to leave (not we were let to leave).

Example sentences

  1. My boss made me work late.
    make + object + base verb (force).
  2. Don't make me laugh!
    make + base verb, no 'to'.
  3. The film made her cry.
    A thing can also 'make' someone feel something.
  4. They let me borrow the car.
    let + object + base verb (allow).
  5. My parents never let me stay out late.
    let + base verb, no 'to'.
  6. Let me help you with that.
    let + base verb in an offer.
  7. The teacher allowed us to use a dictionary.
    allow + object + to-infinitive (formal).
  8. They don't allow people to smoke here.
    allow + to-infinitive.
  9. Are we allowed to take photos?
    Passive of allow: be allowed to.
  10. I got my sister to proofread my essay.
    get + object + to-infinitive (persuade).
  11. How did you get him to agree?
    get someone to do = persuade.
  12. She helped me carry the boxes.
    help + bare verb (more common).
  13. He helped me to understand the rules.
    help + to-infinitive is also correct.
  14. Can you help me wash the dishes?
    help + bare verb.
  15. The coach made the team run extra laps.
    make + base verb (obligation).
  16. Our hotel let us check in early.
    let + base verb (permission).
  17. The new rules allow students to work from home.
    allow + to-infinitive.
  18. I was made to apologise.
    Passive 'make' takes 'to': was made to.
  19. We were allowed to leave early.
    Passive for permission, not 'were let'.
  20. My friend got me to try sushi.
    get + object + to-infinitive.

Common mistakes

  • ❌ They let me to go. → ✅ They let me go. Let takes the base verb, with no to.
  • ❌ She made me to wait. → ✅ She made me wait. Make takes the base verb, with no to.
  • ❌ They allowed us leave. → ✅ They allowed us to leave. Allow always needs to.
  • ❌ I got him help me. → ✅ I got him to help me. Get someone to do keeps to.
  • ❌ We were let to leave. → ✅ We were allowed to leave. Let has no passive; use be allowed to.
  • ❌ He was made wait. → ✅ He was made to wait. In the passive, make takes to.

A short conversation

A: Did your parents let you travel alone when you were young? B: No — they made me take my brother everywhere! A: Strict! My mum allowed me to go, but she got my uncle to drive me to the station. B: That’s kind. Let me know if you ever need a lift.

Usage notes

  • make = obligation, let = permission. Make often carries a sense of force or no choice (The rules make us wear a badge). Let is relaxed permission (Let the kids play).
  • let vs allow register. They mean almost the same, but allow is more formal and common in rules and signs (Visitors are not allowed to…). Let is everyday speech. Only allow can go into the passive.
  • make = cause a feeling. Make also works when a thing causes an emotion: The news made me sad, That song makes me happy. Still the bare verb.
  • help is flexible. Help me (to) do it is both correct. The bare infinitive is now the usual choice, especially in American English; to sounds a touch more formal.

Compared with…

  • Have / get something done is a different causative: it describes arranging a service, with the focus on the thing, not the person doing it: I had my car repaired, She got her hair cut. Here the verb is a past participle, not a base verb. Compare get him to do it (persuade a person) with get it done (arrange a job). See Have/Get Something Done.
  • If the choice between to + verb and the bare verb still feels slippery across other verbs, review Gerunds and Infinitives (Full Guide).

Recap card for make, let, allow and help showing which take the bare verb and which take to with examples

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Practice

Make, let, allow, help practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 Choose the correct form: 'My parents let me ___ out late.'
Show answer

stay — Let takes the base verb with no 'to': let me stay.

Hint: Allow always needs 'to'

Show answer

to leave — Allow takes the to-infinitive: allowed us to leave.

3 Which sentence is correct?
Show answer

She made me wait. — Make takes the base verb with no 'to': made me wait.

4 Put the words in order (persuade = get ... to).

Show answer

I got him to help me — Get someone to do something keeps 'to': got him to help.

5 Match each verb to the form it takes.

  • make
  • let
  • allow
  • get
Show answer
  • make → base verb (no to)
  • let → base verb (no to)
  • allow → to-infinitive
  • get → to-infinitive

Make and let take the bare verb; allow and get take 'to'.

Hint: In the passive, make takes 'to' again

Show answer

was made to — The passive of make adds 'to': he was made to wait.

Quiz

Check yourself

Make, let, allow, help quiz

12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/12 0 answered
  1. 1Choose: 'The teacher made us ___ the test again.'
    Show answer

    take — Make takes the base verb with no 'to': made us take.

  2. 2Choose: 'They don't allow people ___ here.'
    Show answer

    to smoke — Allow takes the to-infinitive: allow people to smoke.

  3. 3Choose: 'My boss let me ___ home early.'
    Show answer

    go — Let takes the base verb with no 'to': let me go.

  4. 4Choose: 'I got my friend ___ me move house.'
    Show answer

    to help — Get someone to do something keeps 'to': got my friend to help.

  5. 5Which sentence is WRONG?
    Show answer

    They let me to go. — Let takes the bare verb; 'let me to go' is wrong.

  6. 6Choose the passive: 'They made him apologise.' -> 'He was ___ apologise.'
    Show answer

    made to — In the passive, make takes 'to': was made to apologise.

  7. 7Choose: 'She helped me ___ the bags.' (most common form)
    Show answer

    carry — Help takes the bare verb (or 'to'); the bare form is more common: help me carry.

  8. 8Which is the formal, passive-friendly verb?
    Show answer

    allow — Allow is more formal and is the one used in the passive (be allowed to).

  9. 9Choose: 'We ___ to leave early.' (permission, passive)
    Show answer

    were allowed — Let has no passive; use 'were allowed to' for permission.

  10. Show answer

    laugh — Make takes the base verb with no 'to': make me laugh.

  11. 11Choose: 'How did you ___ him to change his mind?'
    Show answer

    get — 'Get someone to do' means persuade: how did you get him to...?

  12. 12Which sentence is correct?
    Show answer

    The news made me feel sad. — Make + base verb, also for feelings: made me feel sad.

Recap cheat-sheet

Verb Form Example
make + base verb made me wait
let + base verb let me go
allow + to + verb allowed me to go
get + to + verb got him to help
help + (to) + verb helped me (to) pack

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A1 30 topics · 30 ready
  1. 01 Verb 'To Be' in the Present (am, is, are)
  2. 02 Subject Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, They
  3. 03 Present Simple: Affirmative and the -s Ending
  4. 04 Present Simple: Negatives and Questions (do/does)
  5. 05 Articles: a / an and When to Use Each
  6. 06 The Definite Article 'The': When to Use It
  7. 07 Zero Article: When to Use No Article
  8. 08 Plural Nouns: Regular and Irregular Forms
  9. 09 This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)
  10. 10 Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her
  11. 11 Possessive 's and s' (Showing Belonging)
  12. 12 There Is / There Are (Saying What Exists)
  13. 13 Have Got: Talking About Possession
  14. 14 Can and Can't for Ability
  15. 15 Present Continuous (am/is/are + -ing)
  16. 16 Imperatives: Giving Orders and Instructions
  17. 17 Adjectives: Position and Basic Use
  18. 18 Prepositions of Place: in, on, at
  19. 19 Prepositions of Time: in, on, at
  20. 20 Question Words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How
  21. 21 How Much vs How Many
  22. 22 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
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  24. 24 Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, us, them
  25. 25 Adverbs of Frequency and Their Position
  26. 26 Like, Love, Hate + -ing (Expressing Preferences)
  27. 27 Would Like: Polite Wants and Offers
  28. 28 Making Requests: Can, Could, May I
  29. 29 Past Simple of 'To Be' (was / were)
  30. 30 Let's and Shall We: Making Suggestions
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  1. 31 Past Simple: Regular Verbs and -ed Spelling
  2. 32 Past Simple: Irregular Verbs (go, see, have)
  3. 33 Past Simple: Negatives and Questions (did)
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  6. 36 Going To: Plans and Predictions
  7. 37 Will: Predictions, Decisions and Offers
  8. 38 Present Continuous for Future Arrangements
  9. 39 Present Perfect for Experience (ever / never)
  10. 40 Present Perfect with just, already, yet
  11. 41 Present Perfect vs Past Simple
  12. 42 Have To and Don't Have To (Obligation)
  13. 43 Should and Shouldn't for Advice
  14. 44 Could: Past Ability and Polite Use
  15. 45 Much, Many, A Lot Of
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  17. 47 Adverbs of Manner (quickly, well, hard)
  18. 48 Verb + -ing or Verb + to (Introduction)
  19. 49 Zero Conditional (Facts and Rules)
  20. 50 First Conditional (Real Future Possibility)
  21. 51 Prepositions of Movement (to, into, through)
  22. 52 Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, hers
  23. 53 Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
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  25. 55 Order of Adjectives Before a Noun
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  1. 56 Past Continuous vs Past Simple
  2. 57 Used To and Would for Past Habits
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  4. 59 Present Perfect: Simple vs Continuous
  5. 60 Past Perfect (had + past participle)
  6. 61 Second Conditional (Unreal Present/Future)
  7. 62 Third Conditional (Unreal Past)
  8. 63 Reported Speech: Statements (Backshift)
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  10. 65 Reported Commands and Requests
  11. 66 Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple
  12. 67 Must and Mustn't (Strong Obligation)
  13. 68 May, Might, Could for Possibility
  14. 69 Defining Relative Clauses (who, which, that)
  15. 70 Non-Defining Relative Clauses (with commas)
  16. 71 Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns
  17. 72 Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning
  18. 73 Future Continuous (will be -ing)
  19. 74 So and Such (Emphasis)
  20. 75 As...As Comparisons (equality)
  21. 76 Question Tags (isn't it? do you?)
  22. 77 Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable
  23. 78 Linking Words: because, so, although, but
  24. 79 Infinitive of Purpose (to / in order to)
  25. 80 Indirect Questions (Can you tell me...)
  26. 81 Make, Let, Allow, Help (Causatives Intro) You are here
  27. 82 Be Used To and Get Used To (+ -ing)
B2 25 topics · 25 ready
  1. 83 Narrative Tenses for Storytelling
  2. 84 Past Perfect Continuous (had been -ing)
  3. 85 Mixed Conditionals
  4. 86 Wish and If Only (Regrets and Wishes)
  5. 87 Wish/If Only + would (Complaints)
  6. 88 Passive Voice: All Tenses and Modals
  7. 89 Reporting Passive (It is said that / is said to)
  8. 90 Causative: Have/Get Something Done
  9. 91 Reduced Relative Clauses (Participles)
  10. 92 Modals of Deduction: Present and Past
  11. 93 Needn't Have vs Didn't Need To
  12. 94 Future Perfect (will have done)
  13. 95 Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / having done)
  14. 96 Advanced Comparatives (far/much + er, the more)
  15. 97 Conditional Alternatives: unless, as long as, provided
  16. 98 Advanced Determiners: each, every, either, neither
  17. 99 Intensifiers and Adverbs of Degree
  18. 100 Advanced Contrast: despite, in spite of, however
  19. 101 Advanced Linkers: therefore, moreover, consequently
  20. 102 Advanced Article Use (generalisations, names)
  21. 103 Verb + Preposition and Adjective + Preposition
  22. 104 Relative Clauses: whose, where, when, quantifier + whom
  23. 105 Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases
  24. 106 Emphatic Do (I do like it)
  25. 107 Would for Past Habits (Formal Narrative)
C1 18 topics · 18 ready
  1. 108 Inversion with Negative Adverbials
  2. 109 Inversion in Conditionals (Had I known)
  3. 110 Cleft Sentences (It was... / What I need is...)
  4. 111 Fronting and Emphasis (Word Order)
  5. 112 Subjunctive and Mandative (I suggest he be)
  6. 113 Ellipsis and Substitution (so, do, one)
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  9. 116 Advanced Discourse Markers (Spoken & Written)
  10. 117 Advanced Passive (passive + infinitive, get-passive)
  11. 118 Advanced Comparative Structures (no sooner...than)
  12. 119 Future in the Past (was going to / would)
  13. 120 Advanced Modals (may well, might as well, would rather)
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  15. 122 Advanced and Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs
  16. 123 Collocation and Colligation (Natural Combinations)
  17. 124 Advanced Concession (much as, whatever, however + adj)
  18. 125 Absolute and Non-Finite Clauses (Formal)