Raymott
VIP Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2008
- Member Type
- Academic
- Native Language
- English
- Home Country
- Australia
- Current Location
- Australia
I think that's the most intelligent way of presenting it (if it must be presented as a verb) - as a verb form that's only used in the present tense. All other tenses use the forms for "to have".I was told once that "have got" was only used in the present tense, to emphasize possession, "got" didn't mean anything in this case like "do" didn't mean anything in "Do you speak English?" for example. As for the past, future.. "have" will be used without "got".
Maybe it's not a grammatically acceptable reasoning, but It helped me to understand when I had to use it. My English teachers where British, so I guess they're trying to say, that if "I've got (whatever)" was a common thing to say, it should be taught.
It just surprises me that no other teachers admit to having thought about it.