If anyone have the answer?

[aachu]

Which of the following sentences is correct, and why?

1. If anyone have the answer, come up with it.

2. If anyone has the answer, come up with it.

[Hedwig]

Anyone, someone, no-one, are third person singular. Which option would you choose, then?

[aachu]

I have been using 'has' with 'anyone' ever since I'm speaking English, but today, I came across a guy who said, "If anyone have the the previous papers?". That was what made me pose this query. I searched on the net for such sentence and got plenty of them like:

"If anyone have interest in singing...."

"If anyone have the time to look at my website and give me...."

"If anyone have problems..."

"If anyone have bugs in the game".

[Hedwig]

Ah, I see. This must be what they call the subjunctive.

They never teach the subjunctive in ESL class, have you noticed? It must be because it is an underdeveloped mood in English and/or because it is used so little. Let's see what the teachers have to say.

[bhaisahab]

Ah, I see. This must be what they call the subjunctive.

They never teach the subjunctive in ESL class, have you noticed? It must be because it is an underdeveloped mood in English and/or because it is used so little. Let's see what the teachers have to say.

No, it's not the subjunctive, it's just wrong.

[TheParser]

I have been using 'has' with 'anyone' ever since I'm speaking English, but today, I came across a guy who said, "If anyone have the the previous papers?". That was what made me pose this query. I searched on the net for such sentence and got plenty of them like:

"If anyone have interest in singing...."

"If anyone have the time to look at my website and give me...."

"If anyone have problems..."

"If anyone have bugs in the game".

NOT A TEACHER


(1) I agree that it would be very helpful for you to use the third-person "s"

ending: If anyone [ any + one = any person] has time, please look at my

website.

(2) I think the issue has nothing to do with the word "anyone" but with the fact that

we are dealing with the conditional "if."

(a) In older English, the subjunctive was used because we were not stating a fact

but simply a wish/hope: If anyone have time, please ....

(b) Here are some examples:

(i) If he confess [today: confesses] I shall overlook the offense.
(ii) Such an impression is bound to be dissipated if one stay [today: stays] long enough to love the land.
(iii) She'll not tell me if she love [today: loves] me.

(3) As one great grammarian explained:

"We now use the indicative, since we feel the reality, the actuality, of

the problem stronger than the idea of doubt."

Source: Curme, George O. A Grammar of the English Language (copyrighted in 1931).

[5jj]

No, it's not the subjunctive, it's just wrong.

This is one of the rare occasions when I disagree with bhai - at least with the first half of his response. In my opinion, it is the subjunctive. However, whilst I would not go so far as to say it it is wrong, I would say that it is so rarely used today that it certainly seems weird.

@ TheParser - It is not unknown for me to take you to task for using the late lamented Curme to make a point. For once, and note this in your diary, I go along with his view. If he, the great traditionalist, was prepared to concede (eighty years ago) that the indicative was what we say in 1931, then it must be not only acceptable, but normal, natural and correct in 2011.

[TheParser]

[QUOTE=fivejedjon;779852]

@ TheParser - It is not unknown for me to take you to task for using the late lamented Curme to make a point. For once, and note this in your diary, I go along with his view.


Duly noted.

[bhaisahab]

It seems I was wrong in my previous post, but I have to say that I had never come across that use. Sorry.