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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Have got and have?
Have got and have?

catiahenriques
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Have got and have?
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Hi.
I�ve been looking on my grammars but I can�t find an answer.
When do we use have got and have?
I can say: I have got a sister.
But if I say: I have a sister.- It �s wrong?
Thanks.
C�tia Henriques |
12 Oct 2009
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libertybelle
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They are both correct. You can use them both.
One is used mostly in Great Britain and the other is often used is the USA but I use both. L
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12 Oct 2009
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esimaoster
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Hi C�tia
The meaning is the same . In American English the use of �have got� is common in speech. But they use it in a very different way. For example, the Americans only use the word �got� in everyday situations!
For example: "I got a car" means - "I have got a car". ( do not confuse with the past of the verb "get").
See you
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13 Oct 2009
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Malvine
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American textbooks for students usually teach "have" whereas British textbooks use "have got". But what is most interesting - that in the past tense both British and American textbooks use "have". As to people [outside textbooks ], I think it is very individual and depends on the area and other factors. |
13 Oct 2009
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silviamontra
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Both can be used in the sentence you gave as example: I have a sister, or I have got a sister.
The difference is only in grammar. First of all have got can only be used in the present. So, you can �t say �I had got a dog �, or �I will have got a car one day �.
Secondly, you can only use �have got � when it means possession. You cannot use �have got � with expressions like �have breakfast �, �have a word with someone �, �have a break �, etc.. At least if you are 100% grammatical. I �m not that sure a native would agree when it comes to usage, not to grammar.
Hope it helps |
13 Oct 2009
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Buschbaby
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Hi All!
As a native speaker of English, and more British English I would totally agree with Silviamontra!
Hope this helps!
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13 Oct 2009
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Enid Stella
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Silviamontra is correct - from a native speaker of English.
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13 Oct 2009
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Zora
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Actually, "have breakfast" is a collocation like "take a bath/have a bath" - in theory, it really doesn �t have the same meaning as the verb "have" or "have got" - both "have and have got" by themselves mean to possess something...
Personally, I like to teach "have" instead of "have got" (if I can) because it leads to less confusion later on when students need to treat "have" as a regular verb or when they start learning "have to" since this "have" needs to be treated as a regular verb as well.
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13 Oct 2009
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**********
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Isabel,
I have a sister / I have got a sister, meaning possession, both correct.
However, in Portugal, coursebooks tend to use have got (British English), following the teaching of the verb to be, to keep practising the inversion: Have you got?, which is something difficult to our ss, since we don �t have this question pattern in Portuguese.
We usually introduce the Present Simple with the Verb to like and then with the daily routines, though I tend to agree with Zora. After these steps, I tend to use to have.
How come, teacher, you have just asked us "do you have...?" instead of "have you got"?
And I explain. Besides, our kids listen to American music a lot and they will understand that they can use both forms, the smartest , or more inclined to foreign languages, usually do; so , as far as possession is concerned, they can use both.
(since they don �t write how r u? or ain �t gonna in tests...)
How come it �s wrong! I heard and saw it written in somebody �s song! ( )
Cyberhugs to all.
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13 Oct 2009
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