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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

'to have' versus 'that has'

The greatest artist to have ever lived in Florence is Leonardo Di Vinci.

The greatest artist that has ever lived in Florence is Leonardo Di Vinci.

I know the subject-verb agreement in the second sentence is correct, but I am sure I have heard the first one as well. Is the first one wrong?
  

Top answer

Both are correct and mean the same thing.

— Alice1

  • Both are correct and mean the same thing.
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6 Answers
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Both are correct and mean the same thing.
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The first is fine as well. However, my personal choice in wording would be ever to have lived. I think it flows better with all the verb forms in contiguous formation.
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Thank you. I suppose I just don't understand why the first one is correct, since the subject 'artist' does not match the verb 'have'; am I missing something here? I really appreciate your help. Thanks again.
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Thank you for your help. I suppose my problem is that I don't understand why the first sentence is okay, since the subject 'artist' doesn't match the verb 'have'; am I missing something? Thanks again, I appreciate your expertise. Melissa
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Yes, you're missing the fact that in the first sentence you are dealing with an infinitive - which does not indicate number, tense or person. It's an easy thing to miss.
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I am so thankful for your response, this was driving me crazy! Now, I can research this concept and explain the difference clearly to my student. Additionally, I learned something I didn't know before. Thank you, thank you!
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