[Grammar] Mark've got a car - can we use "have" like this?

[Caprilla]

Hello everyone!

My son was doing an exercise at school and wrote among other things the following phrase: "Linda and Mark've got a car". He got the highest score for this exersice. So can we cut the "have" like this? I've never seen it to be used like this.

 

[emsr2d2]

It works in reported speech. That is how it's said in colloquial English so if you are reporting someone's exact words, that's how it would be written. However, if you are, in writing, stating a fact, then use the standard "Linda and Mark have a car" or "Linda and Mark have got a car" (the latter is used in BrE).

 

[GoesStation]

OP may be thinking of Linda and Mark got a car. That's a different sentence. "Have got" is another way to say "have". "Got" (in this context) means "received" or "purchased".

Don't say "Mark've" and the like except in quoted speech.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I wouldn't spell it out that way. It sounds the same as "Linda and Mark have got a car" spoken quickly. So the contraction isn't needed.

 

[Rover_KE]

You can't use it as in your thread title, but you can say 'Mark's got a car' – meaning Mark has got a car.

 

[Rover_KE]

You don't appear to have found the Thank button yet, Caprilla.

It's in the bottom left-hand corner of every post except your own. Just click on that instead of writing thank-you posts.

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes, that does appear to be the case for some newbies.

Others have access to it immediately. [link]