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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
English in UK
Have (got) in British English
As far as I know, you usually can't leave out "got" after "have" in negative and interrogative sentences. Grammars say that you may sound very formal if you leave out "got" in this sort of sentences but, for some reason, they supply the same one example: "Have you an appointment?" ("Practical English Usage", "Oxford Advanced Learners' Dictionary"). Why ever do they never say "Have you a penny?" or "I haven't a job", which I understand are seen as very unlikely?
I'm saying so because an English native speaker has recently pointed out my leaving out "got" after "I haven't" on a message I'd sent to an Italian ng about English, it.cultura.linguistica.inglese:
QUOTE
[nq:1]I haven't a dead-key character for the circumflex. Do you?UNQUOTE (http://snipurl.com/8aoq)[/nq]
She said it sounded very bad; not formal, but very bad.
Michael Swan has this example on page 230 (article 241.1) of his "Practical English Usage":
QUOTE
"Have you any brothers or sisters?"
UNQUOTE
and this on page 231 (article 241.6)
QUOTE
"Birmingham has not the charm of York or Edinburgh" (formal GB only) UNQUOTE
besides the aforementioned "Have you an appointment?".
I wonder why these three examples Swan supplies:
1) Have you any brothers or sisters?
2) Birmingham has not the charm of York or Edinburgh?
3) Have you an appointment?
don't sound bad to a British ear for I assume they don't , while mine
"I haven't a dead-key character for the circumflex"
did.
By the way, I've often read on grammars and dictionaries that "got" after "have" is colloquial. Can it always be left out in formal speech, then? Why do such things as "Have you a car?", or "I haven't a job", or "I haven't it" don't sound very natural to me?
Thanks in advance.
Bye, FB
Io ho deciso di rifiutarmi di vederlo: Ettore con la faccia di Eric Banana mi fa venire i conati.
(commento sul film "Troy" su it.fan.scrittori.tolkien)
I'm saying so because an English native speaker has recently pointed out my leaving out "got" after "I haven't" on a message I'd sent to an Italian ng about English, it.cultura.linguistica.inglese:
QUOTE
[nq:1]I haven't a dead-key character for the circumflex. Do you?UNQUOTE (http://snipurl.com/8aoq)[/nq]
She said it sounded very bad; not formal, but very bad.
Michael Swan has this example on page 230 (article 241.1) of his "Practical English Usage":
QUOTE
"Have you any brothers or sisters?"
UNQUOTE
and this on page 231 (article 241.6)
QUOTE
"Birmingham has not the charm of York or Edinburgh" (formal GB only) UNQUOTE
besides the aforementioned "Have you an appointment?".
I wonder why these three examples Swan supplies:
1) Have you any brothers or sisters?
2) Birmingham has not the charm of York or Edinburgh?
3) Have you an appointment?
don't sound bad to a British ear for I assume they don't , while mine
"I haven't a dead-key character for the circumflex"
did.
By the way, I've often read on grammars and dictionaries that "got" after "have" is colloquial. Can it always be left out in formal speech, then? Why do such things as "Have you a car?", or "I haven't a job", or "I haven't it" don't sound very natural to me?
Thanks in advance.
Bye, FB
Io ho deciso di rifiutarmi di vederlo: Ettore con la faccia di Eric Banana mi fa venire i conati.
(commento sul film "Troy" su it.fan.scrittori.tolkien)
Top answer
". Bye, FB Mrs. Palmer, in her way, was equally angry.
- ".
- Bye, FB Mrs.
- Palmer, in her way, was equally angry.
- 'She was determined to drop his acquaintance immediately, and she was very thankful that she had never been acquainted with him at all'.
- (Jane Austen)
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228 Answers
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[nq:1]Why do such things as "Have you a car?", or "I haven't a job", or "I haven't it" don't sound very natural to me?[/nq]
Er, it must be recasted:
"Why do such things as not sound very natural to me?".
Bye, FB
Mrs. Palmer, in her way, was equally angry. 'She was determined to drop his acquaintance immediately, and she was very thankful that she had never been acquainted with
Er, it must be recasted:
"Why do such things as not sound very natural to me?".
Bye, FB
Mrs. Palmer, in her way, was equally angry. 'She was determined to drop his acquaintance immediately, and she was very thankful that she had never been acquainted with
00
[nq:1]1) Have you any brothers or sisters?[/nq]
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
[nq:1]2) Birmingham has not the charm of York or Edinburgh.[/nq]
Birmingham doesn't have the charm of York or Endinburgh.
[nq:1]3) Have you an appointment?[/nq]
Do you have an appointment?
John Briggs
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
[nq:1]2) Birmingham has not the charm of York or Edinburgh.[/nq]
Birmingham doesn't have the charm of York or Endinburgh.
[nq:1]3) Have you an appointment?[/nq]
Do you have an appointment?
John Briggs
00
I guess you're American, though.
Bye, FB
Mrs. Palmer, in her way, was equally angry. 'She was determined to drop his acquaintance immediately, and she was very thankful that she had never been acquainted with him at all'. (Jane Austen)
Bye, FB
Mrs. Palmer, in her way, was equally angry. 'She was determined to drop his acquaintance immediately, and she was very thankful that she had never been acquainted with him at all'. (Jane Austen)
00
[nq:1]1) Have you any brothers or sisters?[/nq]
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
[nq:1]2) Birmingham has not the charm of York or Edinburgh.[/nq]
Birmingham doesn't have the charm of York or Endinburgh.
[nq:1]3) Have you an appointment?[/nq]
Do you have an appointment?
John Briggs
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
[nq:1]2) Birmingham has not the charm of York or Edinburgh.[/nq]
Birmingham doesn't have the charm of York or Endinburgh.
[nq:1]3) Have you an appointment?[/nq]
Do you have an appointment?
John Briggs
00
[nq:2]I haven't a dead-key character for the circumflex. Do you?[/nq]
[nq:1]She said it sounded very bad; not formal, but very bad.[/nq]
"I don't have a dead-key character for the circumflex. Do you?"
You might have got away with:
"I haven't a dead-key character for the circumflex. Have you?"
John Briggs
[nq:1]She said it sounded very bad; not formal, but very bad.[/nq]
"I don't have a dead-key character for the circumflex. Do you?"
You might have got away with:
"I haven't a dead-key character for the circumflex. Have you?"
John Briggs
00
[nq:1]I'm saying so because an English native speaker has recently pointed out my leaving out "got" after "I haven't" on a message I'd sent to an Italian ng about English, it.cultura.linguistica.inglese:[/nq]
Some of your examples sound OK and some sound very British to my American ear. None are particularly objectionable, though they would be better if rephrased as suggested by John Briggs.
Some of your examples sound OK and some sound very British to my American ear. None are particularly objectionable, though they would be better if rephrased as suggested by John Briggs.
00
[nq:1]As far as I know, you usually can't leave out "got" after "have" in negative and interrogative sentences. Grammars say ... they never say "Have you a penny?" or "I haven't a job", which I understand are seen as very unlikely?[/nq]
I really don't understand this question.
[nq:2]I haven't a dead-key character for the circumflex. Do you?[/nq]
[nq:1]UNQUOTE (
I really don't understand this question.
[nq:2]I haven't a dead-key character for the circumflex. Do you?[/nq]
[nq:1]UNQUOTE (
00
[nq:2]Why do such things as "Have you a car?", or "I haven't a job", or "Ihaven't it" don't sound very natural to me?[/nq]
[nq:1]Er, it must be recasted:[/nq]
recast
Adrian
[nq:1]Er, it must be recasted:[/nq]
recast
Adrian
00
[nq:1]haven't[/nq]
[nq:2]Er, it must be recasted:[/nq]
[nq:1]recast[/nq]
What did I write!! (I-can't-believe-it face)
Bye, FB
Se dico "siedi!" manca l'oggetto.
Siedo chi? Lei o me?
(da it.cultura.linguistica.italiano)
[nq:2]Er, it must be recasted:[/nq]
[nq:1]recast[/nq]
What did I write!! (I-can't-believe-it face)
Bye, FB
Se dico "siedi!" manca l'oggetto.
Siedo chi? Lei o me?
(da it.cultura.linguistica.italiano)
00
[nq:2]Why ever do they never say "Have you a penny?" or "I haven't a job", which I understand are seen as very unlikely?[/nq]
[nq:1]I really don't understand this question.[/nq]
I was looking for clearer examples, but in dictionaries I happen to find either old quotes (Shakespeare...) or affirmative sentences (e.g. "I have a job").
[nq:2]UNQUOTE (
[nq:1]I really don't understand this question.[/nq]
I was looking for clearer examples, but in dictionaries I happen to find either old quotes (Shakespeare...) or affirmative sentences (e.g. "I have a job").
[nq:2]UNQUOTE (
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