16. The haves and have-nots around us (I)

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Let’s get verbal for a while, shall we?

This is an invitation for everybody to step into a room whose door has been skilfully masked within the patterns on the walls: it is as if it didn’t exist until you became aware of its being there. Nobody – well, almost nobody – thought about it, simply because it was taken for granted; now, while looking around the room you readily realize there’s a window to this new reality. So, let’s go over to the window and look out: are you in for what will surely turn out to be a breathtaking adventure?

The air in the room is thick with form, use, and meaning. The first strong perfume tickling our nostrils takes the shape of a verb coming to our rescue: the auxiliary! How could we avoid it when we want to talk about things that happened some time in a period from the past up to now, often with present results?! Mark my words: impossible.

(1)               Have you ever been to Australia?

How long have you been together?

Our taxi hasn’t arrived yet.

Other situations are still continuing, although they started in the past: I’ve been waiting for you for half an hour.

But this is not all: we may want to talk about situations in the past and express possibility, desirability, deduction (that is, modality), and this will take us deeper into the wonders wafting in the room:

(2)               I can’t find my umbrella; I must have left it on the train.

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Now, I know what you’re thinking: why…

  (3)       do I have to go on reading all this [that is, (lack of) obligation]? Well, because it is necessary, not to say obligatory – even if the obligation has been imposed on you. There’s no other way that I know of when you want to…

(4)       have language explained to you (that is, causative); with a little bit of luck, you’ll eventually…

(5)             have a good time (that is, experience something) while reading on!

Last but not least, what about

(6)           “having-full-stop” – that is, indeed, a completely different matter, even if we talk about possessing, or owning things, relationships, illnesses – you name it.

And it all comes in one tight package: I have, (s)he/it has, I had, I’ve had, (s)he’s had, I’m having. But things don’t stop there, simply because we have to finish our thoughts every time and, while doing it, new blocks of information must be added if and only if we want to obtain meaning.

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Here are some concordance lines with have; classify them according to the grammar pattern 1-6, and then wait for the answers: they’ll appear in the next blog entry!

a.      An unexpected error has occurred.

b.     What I want is to have my boat mended and re-equipped, and then to sail her away.

c.     Do you have a pencil and paper?

d.     How rude of me, I should have offered you some tea or coffee.

e.     I’ll have to be getting back; the guests are coming at four.

f.       Miss Prim had gone off to have her hair done after my lesson.

g.     Do you think his work might have put her in danger?

h.    Did your parents have to move because of their work?

i.       Another two seconds and I would have been Olympic Champion.

j.       We tend not to change things unless we have to.

k.     The media has been having a busy day.

l.  My three-year-old dog has just been taken to the vet to have his teeth cleaned.

m.  They have played five games against First Division sides this season.

n.    She has a terrific sense of humour.

o.     How long has this been going on?

p.     Thank you very much, we’ll both have an orange juice.

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