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JungKim Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

have a new movie open/opening

This is what an American TV talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel, said about a new movie 'The Martian' (http://www.eonline.com/news/700963/matt-damon-and-jimmy-kimmel-attend-couples-counseling-to-work-out-their-rivalry-watch-the-video-now):

I hesitate to mention this, but Matt Damon has a new movie opening on Friday. It's called The Martian. Matt plays an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars.

Now, is any of the following variations possible English in the same context?

(1) Matt Damon has a new movie open on Friday
(2) Matt Damon has a new movie to open on Friday
(3) Matt Damon is going to have a new movie opening on Friday
(4) Matt Damon is going to have a new movie open on Friday
  

Top answer

1 and 2 are ungrammatical in this context. 3 and 4 mean the same thing as the original sentence, but American talk show hosts don't speak like this (3 and 4 are wordy, and on a talk show brevity is generally the norm). Moreover, the phrase "has a new movie opening" is idiomatic in this context.

— Anonymous

  • 1 and 2 are ungrammatical in this context.
  • 3 and 4 mean the same thing as the original sentence, but American talk show hosts don't speak like this (3 and 4 are wordy, and on a talk show brevity is generally the norm).
  • Moreover, the phrase "has a new movie opening" is idiomatic in this context.
  • The original sentence is the only one of the five sentences listed that could be used here.
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16 Answers
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1 and 2 are ungrammatical in this context. 3 and 4 mean the same thing as the original sentence, but American talk show hosts don't speak like this (3 and 4 are wordy, and on a talk show brevity is generally the norm). Moreover, the phrase "has a new movie opening" is idiomatic in this context. The original sentence is the only one of the five sentences listed that could be used here.
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Thanks, Anon.
I agree that (3) or (4) isn't as idiomatic as the original, and the reason, I think, is that the event of the movie opening on Friday is a fact of matter at the time of speaking, and therefore that the present simple 'has' is better than the prediction 'is going to have'. So even outside the context of a talk show, I guess, the original would be better than (3) or (4). What do yo
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JungKimI'd like to know why 'open' is not possible with the present simple 'has', as in (1), but is possible with the prediction 'is going to have', as in (4). Any thoughts?
In (1) 'open' will be taken to be an adjective; in (4) 'open' will be taken to be a verb.

1 ... has a movie (which is already) open ..

It's anomalous to speak of
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1 is not grammatical in the context stated. It might be okay if you meant that Damon was directing a new movie and it was "open for auditions" on Friday.

2 is not grammatical in the context given. It might be okay if you meant that Damon personally appeared "to open the show" whenever a new movie of his opened.

3 and 4 are grammatical in the context given but are simply too lon
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CalifJimIn (1) 'open' will be taken to be an adjective; in (4) 'open' will be taken to be a verb.
Thanks, CJ.

Then, let me replace 'open' in (1) with 'premiere'.
(1') Matt Damon has a new movie premiere on Friday

Now that 'premiere' cannot be taken to be an adjective, is (1') possible English?
Or does 'premiere' have to
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The most correct form would be.
Matt Damon has a new movie [that is] opening on Friday.
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JungKimNow that 'premiere' cannot be taken to be an adjective, is (1') possible English?
Yes.
JungKimOr does 'premiere' have to be changed to 'premiering' as follows?Matt Damon has a new movie premiering on Friday
No.

CJ
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This phrase could be understood in two ways.
movie (noun) is opening (verb)
Matt (noun) has a movie (adj) opening (noun)
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CalifJimIn (1) 'open' will be taken to be an adjective; in (4) 'open' will be taken to be a verb. 1 ... has a movie (which is already) open ..It's anomalous to speak of a movie being open. We don't say The movie is open. The door is open, but not The movie is open.2 ... is going to have a movie open ...Causative "have". "have a movie open" ~ "arrange for a movie to open"C
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Jonathan MarianuMatt (noun) has a movie (adj) opening (noun)
... has a movie (noun) opening

A noun can modify another noun. There is no "movier" or "moviest", forms characteristic of adjectives.

CJ
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