[having + to ...] usage

Question

Hi,I found the following sentence in my grammar text book when I was reading about noun phrases:He dislikes having to punish his servants.I have not seen sentences with the form [having + to ...] . Can somebody give me more explanation about this kind of usage?Richards.

Vorpar · Accepted Answer

"Have to": to need to do something..

"Having to" is the progressive form.

Canadian45 · Answer

I found the following sentence in my grammar text book when I was reading about noun phrases.

He dislikes having to punish his servants.

I have not seen sentences with the form [having + to ...] . Can somebody give me more explanation about this kind of usage?
First of all, this is not unique to "having". All verbs have this -ing form which functions as a noun and is called a gerund.
In your sentence, "having" functions as a noun and introduces the object of the verb "dislikes".
A gerund or a gerund phrase can also serve as the subject of a sentence. 'Having to punish his servants is something he dislikes.

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-gerunds_1.htm

Kprichards · Answer

Thank you all,
Richards.

[having + to ...] usage

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions