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09-Nov-2006, 20:44
|  | VIP Member | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: USA
Posts: 6,089
Current Location: New York First Language: American English Member Type: Academic | |  Re: Had better
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobK  I think so, though maybe it's a regional variant (northern  ) - anyway, it's quite widespread now (perhaps because of the BBC's decision to allow newsreaders and continuity announcers to keep their regional accents).
b | What hath God wrought!  |
10-Nov-2006, 08:43
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Country: England (South East)
Posts: 7,659
Current Location: England (South East) First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher | | Re: Had better
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeNewYork What hath God wrought! | If only we had stuck to Morse code - no dialects in that (although I'm told a trained receiver can recognize different 'hands'). 
b |
10-Nov-2006, 12:20
| | Member | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Country: Brazil
Posts: 301
Current Location: Brazil First Language: Portuguese Member Type: English Teacher | | Re: Had better
Why simplify when you can complicate it? That´s what ticks us !:) |
12-Nov-2006, 07:14
|  | Senior Member | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Country: IRAN
Posts: 847
Current Location: Shiraz, Iran First Language: persian Member Type: English Teacher | |  Re: Had better
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobK Which question, Matilda? Tdol answered it, and his answer is unquestionably right: I had better study - no gerund, no 'to', a bare infinitive.
b | what if we want to make it negative??? |
12-Nov-2006, 10:02
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Country: England (South East)
Posts: 7,659
Current Location: England (South East) First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher | | Re: Had better
Quote:
Originally Posted by matilda what if we want to make it negative??? | I'd better not. A lot of people - native speakers as well as English language learners - don't hear the "'d", so don't produce it. I better not is wrong, but very common.
b |
14-Nov-2006, 19:22
| | Banned | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Country: Canada
Posts: 3,064
Current Location: Canada First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher | | Re: Had better
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobK I'd better not. A lot of people - native speakers as well as English language learners - don't hear the "'d", so don't produce it. I better not is wrong, but very common.
b | No, it's not wrong, Bob. It's just a slightly different form. This occurs all the time in language. It's called phonological reduction.
Do you want to go?
D'you want to go?
D'ya wanna go?
Every ENL is fully aware that our language contains, "I had better"; "I'd better"; "I better". |
15-Nov-2006, 15:56
| | Newbie | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Country: Russia, but live in USA, IN
Posts: 6
Current Location: USA First Language: Russian | | Re: Had better
Doens't make any sense a structure of the poll |
07-Dec-2006, 09:02
| | | Re: Had better
One thing that has been missed in this discussion is that the convention of using "had better" or "had better not" carries with it a threat of violence or other negative consequences if the person is to not heed the advice given. NEVER use this convention when simply offering friendly advice, especially when speaking with Americans. |
07-Dec-2006, 09:29
| | Editor, UsingEnglish.com | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: UK
Posts: 27,075
Current Location: Phnom Penh First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher | | Re: Had better
So, if it's five minutes before the banks shut and I tell someone that they'd better hurry if they want to deposit their cheque, it's unfriendly advice, is it? That would definitely not be the case in British English. You can use it as a threat or to offer advice in British English, and I am interested to see what other American speakers have to say about never using it in a friendly way. |
07-Dec-2006, 09:36
| | VIP Member | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: USA
Posts: 6,089
Current Location: New York First Language: American English Member Type: Academic | | Re: Had better
Quote:
Originally Posted by riverkid No, it's not wrong, Bob. It's just a slightly different form. This occurs all the time in language. It's called phonological reduction.
Do you want to go?
D'you want to go?
D'ya wanna go?
Every ENL is fully aware that our language contains, "I had better"; "I'd better"; "I better". | That this is a reduction is clear; that it is correct is a matter of opinion. Most teachers I know would call it incorrect. | | |
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