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Debpriya De Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Had better
You (had) better leave me.
Is the "had" in "had better" idiom compulsory ?
Is the "had" in "had better" idiom compulsory ?
Top answer
It is; otherwise it would ungrammatical. What you can do is 'you'd better, both in writing and in rapid speech. cheers,
- It is; otherwise it would ungrammatical.
- What you can do is 'you'd better, both in writing and in rapid speech.
- cheers,
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4 Answers
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It is; otherwise it would ungrammatical. What you can do is 'you'd better, both in writing and in rapid speech.
cheers,
cheers,
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Here in the United States, many people leave out "had" in conversation.
We better leave now, or we'll be late.
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Learners should not use "(had) better" until they really understand English. It can be very strong -- a threat:
You (had) better get out of my way (or I will use physical force to move you).
We better leave now, or we'll be late.
*****
Learners should not use "(had) better" until they really understand English. It can be very strong -- a threat:
You (had) better get out of my way (or I will use physical force to move you).
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What about the sentence "Some things are better kept secret" ?
Should we place a "had" here too ?
Should we place a "had" here too ?
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It would not be possible in your example, but it is possible like this :
Some things had better be kept secret.
Some things had better be kept secret.
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