Not My Job (have something done)

Not My Job

I have them ironed.

B1 · 60 minutes

Jobs at home

Task In pairs. Answer the questions.

Name three jobs at home you hate doing.

1

Name three jobs at home you don't mind doing.

2

Compare your lists. Is there a job one of you hates and the other doesn't mind?

3

Would you pay?

Task Would you pay someone to do these jobs? Choose yes or no. Tell your partner why for two of them.

1

ironing shirts

yes

no

2

cooking dinner

yes

no

3

cleaning the flat

yes

no

4

walking the dog

yes

no

5

bringing the weekly shopping to the door

yes

no

6

washing the car

yes

no

Worth paying for?

Task Which job from Would you pay? does nobody in the article pay for?

Dog walkers, cleaners, ironing services, shopping at your door: plenty of people pay someone else to do the jobs they used to do themselves. Is it worth the money? I asked three of them, and then I asked myself.

Sofia

Sofia and her partner both work long days. "We're getting our shopping delivered now: it saves us about three hours a week." She still cooks every night, though. "I'd never pay anyone to cook. That's the fun part."

Me, first

For years I ironed my own shirts, badly, on Sunday nights. Now I have them ironed at the dry cleaner's round the corner. It isn't cheap, but my Sunday evenings are mine again.

Hamid

Hamid has his dog walked every weekday while he's at work. "Friends ask me, 'Do you really have your dog walked?' Yes, I do. It's the best money I spend." But he doesn't have his car washed. "I like doing it myself. It's relaxing."

Daniel

Daniel is a chef and works six evenings a week. Last month he had his flat cleaned and his car washed for the first time. "I felt a bit guilty," he says, "but for once my Saturday was free. I slept through most of it."

Me again

I've never had my windows cleaned. I do them myself twice a year, standing on a kitchen chair. But I'm going to get them cleaned before winter: the chair wobbles, and so do my knees. So, is it worth it? For the shirts, definitely. For everything else, it depends on your week.

Daniel, Sofia or Hamid?

Task Read again. Who is it: Daniel, Sofia or Hamid?

1

This person saves about three hours a week.

Daniel

Sofia

Hamid

2

This person pays for a job every weekday.

Daniel

Sofia

Hamid

3

This person finds washing the car relaxing.

Daniel

Sofia

Hamid

4

This person paid for two jobs for the first time last month.

Daniel

Sofia

Hamid

5

This person cooks dinner at home every night.

Daniel

Sofia

Hamid

6

This person spent a free day asleep.

Daniel

Sofia

Hamid

Talk about it

Task In pairs. Answer the questions, then tell the class.

Which person in the article are you most like: Daniel, Sofia or Hamid? Why?

1

Daniel felt a bit guilty about paying for a cleaner. Why do you think he felt that? Would you?

2

Who does the job?

Task Look at these sentences from the article. Who does the job: the person in the sentence, or someone else?

1

For years I ironed my own shirts.

this person

someone else

2

Now I have them ironed at the dry cleaner's.

this person

someone else

3

Last month Daniel had his flat cleaned.

this person

someone else

4

We're getting our shopping delivered now.

this person

someone else

Look again

Task Look again at the article. Which is correct? Then complete the rule.

Last month Daniel had his car __________.

1

washing

washed

We're __________ now.

2

getting our shopping delivered

getting delivered our shopping

Friends ask Hamid: "__________ your dog walked?"

3

Have you really

Do you really have

The rule: have / get + __________ + __________

Find it in the article

Task Find a sentence in the article for each tense. Underline have or get.

Tense

From the article

1

present simple

2

present continuous

3

past simple

4

present perfect

5

going to

Which word changes for the tense: have / get, or the past participle?

Grammar reference

have / get + object + past participle

get or have?

Someone else does a job for us because we asked them, usually a service we pay for. I have my shirts ironed. Daniel had his car washed. I'm going to get the windows cleaned.

The same meaning. get is more informal and very common in speech. We're getting our shopping delivered. For the present perfect, use have: I've had my flat cleaned.

Questions

Negatives

Only have / get changes for the tense. The object and the past participle never change. No short form: I have my nails done, not I've my nails done.

use do / does / did: Do you have your dog walked? Did you get it fixed?

don't / doesn't / didn't: He doesn't have his car washed.

CAREFUL

I had cut my hair = I did it myself. I had my hair cut = someone else did it.

Someone else does it

Task Someone else does the job. Complete the second sentence. Use the word in brackets in the right form.

1

I cut my hair myself last week.

HAVE

I __________ last week.

2

My neighbour makes her own curtains.

HAVE

My neighbour __________.

3

We're cleaning the windows today.

GET

We're __________ today.

4

I've ironed all my shirts.

HAVE

I've __________.

5

Daniel fixed his bike on Saturday.

GET

Daniel __________ on Saturday.

6

I'm going to paint the kitchen.

HAVE

I'm going to __________.

Find and fix

Task One sentence is correct. Find it. Then find and fix the mistake in each of the others.

1

We're having painted our bedroom next week.

2

Did you had the TV repaired after it broke?

3

Have you had your hair cut? It looks great!

4

I had my coat fix last week.

5

My colleague makes her nails done every month.

6

Have you your shirts ironed, or do you iron them yourself?

7

We didn't paint the kitchen ourselves. We had painted it last year.

Find someone who…

Task Write a question for each line. Ask your classmates. For each yes, write a name and one detail.

Find someone who…

Name and one detail

1

…gets their shopping delivered.

2

…has had a room in their home painted.

3

…had something repaired last year.

4

…has their clothes dry-cleaned.

5

…is going to get something fixed or cleaned soon.

Then ask one more question: When? Where? Who did it?

6

…has had their hair cut this month.

Homework

Task It's a very busy week. Look at your to-do list. Choose three jobs to pay someone else to do. Write a message to a friend (60–80 words): what are you going to have or get done, what are you going to do yourself, and why?

This week: to do

Mon · fix the flat tyre on my bike

Tue · clean the oven

Wed · cut the grass

Thu · wash the car

Fri · do the weekly shopping

Sat · take the old sofa to the recycling centre

Sun · paint the front door

TEACHER'S REFERENCE · SKIP OR DELETE BEFORE CLASS

Answer key (1)

WORTH PAYING FOR?

Nobody pays for cooking dinner (Sofia still cooks every night).

LOOK AGAIN

Which is correct? 1 washed; 2 getting our shopping delivered; 3 Do you really have

The rule have / get + object + past participle

DANIEL, SOFIA OR HAMID?

1 Sofia

2 Hamid

3 Hamid

4 Daniel

5 Sofia

6 Daniel

FIND IT IN THE ARTICLE

1 present simple · Now I have them ironed. / Hamid has his dog walked every weekday. (also: Do you really have your dog walked? · he doesn't have his car washed)

2 present continuous · We're getting our shopping delivered now.

3 past simple · Last month he had his flat cleaned and his car washed.

4 present perfect · I've never had my windows cleaned.

5 going to · I'm going to get them cleaned before winter.

Which word changes? have / get

WHO DOES THE JOB?

1 this person

2 someone else

3 someone else

4 someone else

TEACHER'S REFERENCE · SKIP OR DELETE BEFORE CLASS

Answer key (2)

SOMEONE ELSE DOES IT

1 I had my hair cut last week.

2 My neighbour has her curtains made.

3 We're getting the windows cleaned today.

4 I've had all my shirts ironed.

5 Daniel got his bike fixed on Saturday.

6 I'm going to have the kitchen painted.

FIND SOMEONE WHO… (THE QUESTIONS)

1 Do you get your shopping delivered?

2 Have you ever had a room in your home painted?

3 Did you have (or get) anything repaired last year?

4 Do you have (or get) your clothes dry-cleaned?

5 Are you going to get (or have) anything fixed or cleaned soon?

6 Have you had your hair cut this month?

FIND AND FIX

Correct 3

1 We're having (or getting) our bedroom painted next week.

2 Did you have (or get) the TV repaired after it broke?

4 I had (or got) my coat fixed last week.

5 My colleague has (or gets) her nails done every month.

6 Do you have your shirts ironed, or do you iron them yourself? (also: Do you get…)

7 We had it painted last year. (also: We got it painted…)

HOMEWORK (POSSIBLE LINES)

• I'm going to have the oven cleaned, because it takes hours and I hate it.

• I'm going to get the old sofa taken to the recycling centre: it won't fit in my car.

• I'm going to get the shopping delivered on Friday, because I'm working late.

• I'll fix the bike tyre myself: it only takes ten minutes.

• Accept get someone to do (I'll get my neighbour to cut the grass): it's correct, just a different pattern.