Verb have

Usage and typical errors

Double life: full verb ('I have a car') and perfect auxiliary ('I have seen'). The classic error is third person: 'he have' for 'he has'. In the perfect, have never changes ('she has gone', never 'she have gone'). British 'have got' equals 'have' ('I've got two brothers') and confuses because it looks perfect without being one. Memorize the collocations: 'have breakfast', 'have a look', 'have fun'. In questions, full-verb have takes do ('do you have time?') but the auxiliary inverts alone ('have you seen it?'). That double face explains half the errors with have. In the present perfect continuous ('has been working') have carries duration; in past conditionals ('would have gone') it marks the unreal. Two structures, one silent auxiliary.

Same pattern: past = participle

Frequently asked