Let’s look at the active voice of two typical causative verbs:
(MAKE) to force or cause someone to do something (often they do not want to do it)
(LET) to allow, make something possible or give permission
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 30 in the category of VERBs/patterns is defined as:
‘MAKE’, ‘LET’ + INFINITIVE WITHOUT ‘TO’
*An infinitive without ‘TO’ is also known as a bare infinitive.
*It is interesting that there is no mention of the object between the verbs. All the examples in the EGP contain a pronoun:
- Let_VV0 me know_VVI = A2 in the English Vocabulary Profile.
- makes_VVZ me smile
_NN1(CLAWS 7 tagger makes errors with ‘smile’ and ‘laugh’, these are verbs!) - makes_VVZ me laugh
_NN1 - let_VVI you do_VDI
- make_VVI them understand_VVI
- afraid of letting_VVG you go_VVI
* There are for sure many other noun phrases that can fit between the main verb and the infinitive. For example:
Astronomers also had all kinds of tricks that they would use to make the plates respond to light a little faster.
He would not let his work be so easily undone.
A search in iWeb corpus for:
let|make _A _N _V*I
1 LET THE WORLD KNOW 2288
2 LET YOUR DOCTOR KNOW 1420
3 LET YOUR IMAGINATION RUN 1294
4 MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME 890
5 LET THE NAME FOOL 770
6 LET YOUR CHILD KNOW 745
7 LET THE FUN BEGIN 742
8 LET YOUR CUSTOMERS KNOW 723
9 MAKE A PERSON FEEL 676
10 LET THE GAMES BEGIN 669
11 LET THE CHIPS FALL 668
12 LET YOUR VOICE BE 625
13 LET YOUR FRIENDS KNOW 621
14 MAKE THE WORLD GO 551
15 LET YOUR MIND WANDER 549
16 LET THE PAINT DRY 512
17 MAKE THE ROOM FEEL 500
18 MAKE YOUR SKIN LOOK 473
19 LET THE GLUE DRY 470
20 LET THE MIXTURE SIT 431
21 MAKE THE SPACE FEEL 428
22 MAKE YOUR LEGS LOOK 424
23 LET THE BUYER BEWARE 423
24 MAKE A ROOM FEEL 419
25 LET THE PERSON KNOW 415
26 LET THE PUBLIC KNOW 411
27 LET YOUR PERSONALITY SHINE 398
28 LET THE USER KNOW 390
29 LET THE DOUGH RISE 385
30 MAKE THE MAGIC HAPPEN 385
31 MAKE THEIR DREAMS COME 383
32 LET YOUR GUESTS KNOW 367
33 MAKE THE GAME FEEL 360
34 LET THE MIXTURE COOL 355
35 MAKE YOUR HAIR LOOK 352
36 MAKE A WOMAN FEEL 335
37 MAKE YOUR HAIR GROW 334
38 LET YOUR PARTNER KNOW 333
39 MAKE YOUR EYES LOOK 327
40 MAKE YOUR HOME LOOK 320
41 LET THE KIDS PLAY 315
42 MAKE THE PROBLEM GO 312
43 MAKE THE PROCESS GO 311
44 LET THE DOUGH REST 307
45 MAKE MY SKIN FEEL 302
46 MAKE YOUR GUESTS FEEL 282
47 LET THE SUN SHINE 275
48 LET THE CUSTOMER KNOW 269
49 MAKE THE PAIN GO 267
50 LET THE SOIL DRY 266
51 MAKE YOUR HOME FEEL 262
52 MAKE YOUR MONEY GO 255
53 MAKE YOUR CHILD FEEL 244
54 LET THE READER KNOW 237
55 LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE 236
56 LET THE COMMUNITY KNOW 236
57 MAKE YOUR SKIN FEEL 233
58 LET THEIR IMAGINATIONS RUN 232
59 LET THE WATER RUN 228
60 MAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS FEEL 226
61 LET YOUR IMAGINATION GO 225
62 MAKE THE NUMBERS WORK 222
63 MAKE A WILL SAVE 219
64 MAKE YOUR EYES POP 215
65 LET THE CAKE COOL 213
66 LET THE RECORD SHOW 212
67 LET THE STAFF KNOW 208
68 LET MY PEOPLE GO 205
69 MAKE YOUR DREAM COME 205
70 LET THE COOKIES COOL 203
71 LET THE KIDS RUN 203
72 MAKE YOUR FACE LOOK 201
73 MAKE MY DREAMS COME 191
74 MAKE YOUR PHOTOS LOOK 188
75 MAKE A ROOM LOOK 187
76 LET THE PEOPLE GO 186
77 LET YOUR CREATIVITY RUN 184
78 MAKE YOUR SITE LOOK 184
79 LET THE KIDS HAVE 183
80 MAKE YOUR BUSINESS STAND 180
81 MAKE THE ROOM LOOK 177
82 MAKE THE READER FEEL 176
83 MAKE YOUR RESUME STAND 175
84 LET THE DUST SETTLE 174
85 LET THE SIZE FOOL 170
86 MAKE THE PERSON FEEL 170
87 MAKE THE CUSTOMER FEEL 164
88 LET THE SUN GO 163
89 MAKE THE HEART GROW 160
90 MAKE A FORTITUDE SAVE 155
91 MAKE MY DREAM COME 155
92 MAKE YOUR APPLICATION STAND 154
93 LET ITS SIZE FOOL 152
94 MAKE THE PLAYER FEEL 151
95 LET YOUR READERS KNOW 150
96 LET THE REST GO 150
97 LET THE CAR SIT 149
98 LET THE FACTS GET 148
99 MAKE A SPACE FEEL 147
100 LET THE MACHINE DO 146
B1 vocabulary in the above:
application, buyer, dust, fool, imagination, imaginations, kids, public, reader, readers, rise, shine, skin, user, voice
MAKE + pronoun + bare infinitive
MAKE _P _VVI
1 MAKE YOU FEEL 69401
2 MAKE IT WORK 43378
3 MAKE IT LOOK 37679
4 MAKES YOU FEEL 36675
5 MAKE IT HAPPEN 34260
6 MAKE THEM FEEL 17083
7 MAKE YOU LOOK 15701
8 MAKES ME WANT 15656
9 MAKES IT LOOK 11978
10 MAKE IT SEEM 11191
11 MAKES YOU THINK 11140
12 MAKE THEM LOOK 10840
13 MAKE YOU WANT 10782
14 MAKE YOU THINK 10493
15 MAKES THEM FEEL 8884
16 MAKE US FEEL 8668
First of all, we enjoy music because we want to listen to something that makes us feel better.
Korean, Female, Level 3, Writing Class.
17 MAKES YOU WANT 8304
18 MAKE IT FEEL 8185
19 MADE ME WANT 8158
20 MADE ME REALIZE 7838
21 MAKING IT LOOK 7730
22 MAKES YOU LOOK 7627
23 MAKING YOU FEEL 7245
24 MAKES IT SEEM 6781
25 MAKES US FEEL 6684
26 MAKE IT APPEAR 6676
27 MAKE ME WANT 6400
28 MADE US FEEL 6253
29 MAKES YOU WONDER 6051
30 MADE IT LOOK 6039
31 MAKES IT SOUND 5797
32 MAKE IT GO 5783
33 MAKES IT FEEL 5578
34 MAKE THEM WORK 5404
35 MAKE YOU LAUGH 5234
36 MAKE IT SOUND 5217
37 MADE YOU FEEL 4634
38 MAKE HIM FEEL 4453
39 MAKE YOU SMILE 4411
40 MADE IT SEEM 4213
41 MAKES THEM LOOK 4039
42 MAKING THEM FEEL 4002
43 MAKE IT STAND 3921
44 MAKING IT WORK 3900
45 MAKING IT HAPPEN 3895
46 MADE IT WORK 3792
47 MADE IT HAPPEN 3678
48 MAKES ME THINK 3662
49 MADE HIM FEEL 3400
50 MAKE YOU STAND 3370
1 LET ME KNOW 207489
2 LET US KNOW 195077
3 LET YOU KNOW 109002
4 LET THEM KNOW 46071
5 LET ME TELL 38360
6 LET IT GO 25344
7 LET IT SIT 21320
8 LET ME EXPLAIN 16038
9 LET ME GIVE 12789
10 LET HIM KNOW 11030
11 LET US HELP 9769
12 LETTING YOU KNOW 9576
13 LET HIM GO 9488
14 LET THEM GO 9443
15 LET ME GET 9067
16 LET ME ASK 9056
17 LET US TAKE 9039
18 LETTING ME KNOW 8911
19 LET ME SEE 8318
20 LET EVERYONE KNOW 8129
21 LET HER KNOW 7561
22 LET ME SAY 7092
23 LETTING THEM KNOW 6904
24 LETTING US KNOW 6900
25 LET US SEE 5889
26 LET YOU GO 5790
27 LET ME START 5784
28 LET US LOOK 5777
29 LET US GO 5767
30 LET IT GET 5470
31 LET ME TAKE 5429
32 LET THEM GET 5016
33 LET HER GO 4803
34 LET YOU GET 4766
35 LET YOU SEE 4704
36 LET US CONSIDER 4521
37 LET ME SHOW 4512
38 LET YOU USE 4315
39 LET ME MAKE 4269
40 LET US SAY 4082
41 LET IT HAPPEN 3714
42 LET THEM SIT 3711
43 LET IT DRY 3598
44 LET US MAKE 3429
45 LET ME INTRODUCE 3417
PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE:
Let me introduce my own habits.
Korean, Male, Level 3, Writing Class.
46 LET YOU TAKE 3332
47 LET IT REST 3229
48 LET ME ADD 3118
49 LET IT SOAK 3035
50 LET US PRAY 3033
A2 vocabulary:
add, dry, everyone, explain, happen, laugh, let, letting, pray, rest, sound, stand
B1:
appear, consider, introduce, realize, seem, smile, wonder
B2:
soak