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Blue-eyed Smiler Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Had had!
Please answer my questions.
Is it correct?
1)They had to get there in a taxi, didn't they?
2)Christie told us they had had to walk as their taxi had broken down two miles from the airport.
Is it correct?
1)They had to get there in a taxi, didn't they?
2)Christie told us they had had to walk as their taxi had broken down two miles from the airport.
Top answer
1)They had to get there in a taxi, didn't they? 2)Christie told us they had had to walk as their taxi had broken down two miles from the airport. These are fine.
- 1)They had to get there in a taxi, didn't they?
- 2)Christie told us they had had to walk as their taxi had broken down two miles from the airport.
- These are fine.
- The past perfect in #2 is proper, as "told" gives us a simple past tense reference point before which the interrupted ride occurred.
- " Interestingly, you have two past perfect actions, so only context makes the time line clear between them.
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8 Answers
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1)They had to get there in a taxi, didn't they?
2)Christie told us they had had to walk as their taxi had broken down two miles from the airport.
These are fine. The past perfect in #2 is proper, as "told" gives us a simple past tense reference point before whic
2)Christie told us they had had to walk as their taxi had broken down two miles from the airport.
These are fine. The past perfect in #2 is proper, as "told" gives us a simple past tense reference point before whic
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Thank you for your reply! Really? Idiom, it seems to me I have never met "have to to be called idiom"
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Oh well, not all idiom lists are the same.
How would you define the verb "to have"?
I'd say it means "to possess something." "I have twenty dollars."
How would you explain, "I have to go potty." ??
How would you define the verb "to have"?
I'd say it means "to possess something." "I have twenty dollars."
How would you explain, "I have to go potty." ??
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The verb 'have' has many, many meanings and uses. While 'have' may not technically be a modal verb, 'have to' is used similarly to one. In fact, since the modal verb 'must' has no past form, you have to resort to using 'had to' instead -- which is what you did in both sentences, Blue-eyed Smiler.
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I understand that, and I do know that it is highly polisemantic.
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Blue-eyed Smiler it is highly polisemantic.That' a beauty! (Not in my AmHtg!)
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