On some aspects of the semantics of causative expressions in English, in particular the semantics of periphrastic causativization. The significance of notions such as 'agent', 'intent', 'control', and 'mediation' for causativization, and their help to define lexical causativization as a distinct subtype, are shown. Some of the socially correlated dimensions of our notions of manipulative causation, control, and culpability are outlined.