LET | MAKE + object + verb – English Grammar Profiler
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