Isn't this English a mistake?

”Around Christmastime, a young mother and her son are shopping in our large toy superstore. They both approach me, and the boy politely and precociously speaks to me, without needing to be prompted by his mother.

Boy: “Excuse me, ma’am? Would you be so kind as to help me find the items on this list I haven’t been able to cross off yet?”

Me: *Looking at the list* “I think I can manage most of those! That’s a very long list! Is this a gift list for Christmas?”

Boy: “My friend at school had his house burn down, and they lost everything."

In the part "had his house burn down", isn't this English a mistake? It should be "burned down" or "burnt down", right? Thank you.

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

swirlie · F

Whenever you use the word "burn" in the past tense, it is always spoken as "burned down", not 'burnt down'.

corta24 · 41-45, M

@swirlie Thank you. So, what about my question?

swirlie · F

@corta24
Your question is grammatically incorrect.

It is not correct to say "My friend at school had his house burn down, and they lost everything."

It is incorrect grammar because the friend would have to have burned the house down himself if he said "had his house burn down", which means the friend lit the fire himself.

corta24 · 41-45, M

@swirlie Thank you. So, what is the correct way?

swirlie · F

@corta24
Think about it yourself. You now know which way is the incorrect way, so what is the correct way?