negative quetion of lexical "have"

Status
Not open for further replies.

panicmonger

Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
Australia
"Have you not a car?"

"Haven't you a car?"

Do you still use these forms of negative questions of lexical "have"?

Thank you & have a great weekend ahead...
 

bhaisahab

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
Ireland
"Have you not a car?"

"Haven't you a car?"

Do you still use these forms of negative questions of lexical "have"?

Thank you & have a great weekend ahead...
They would be used very rarely, if at all. However, I think that you might hear/read "Have you a car?"
 

BobK

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Location
Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
They would be used very rarely, if at all. However, I think that you might hear/read "Have you a car?"
:?: ;-) Certainly not the first one - which should, if used at all - be 'Have you no car?' But I've heard 'Haven't you a car?' More likely would be 'Don't you have a car?'

b
 

farhanishak

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
"Have you not a car?"

"Haven't you a car?"

Do you still use these forms of negative questions of lexical "have"?

Thank you & have a great weekend ahead...

I have heard of 'have you not a car?'
I have also heard 'have you no car?' but I think this is colloquial.

I may be wrong though.
 

BobK

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Location
Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
I have heard of 'have you not a car?'
I have also heard 'have you no car?' but I think this is colloquial.

I may be wrong though.

'Fraid so ;-) - 'Have you no car?' is not colloquial. 'Have you not a...?' tends to be used in rhetorical situations: 'Have you not a heart?'

b
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
I would say 'Haven't you got a car?'

Rover
 

TheParser

VIP Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2009
Member Type
Other
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
"Have you not a car?"

"Haven't you a car?"

Do you still use these forms of negative questions of lexical "have"?

Thank you & have a great weekend ahead...

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) The matter of contraction vs. non-contraction is very

interesting. I have yet to find a "good" explanation in my books

or on the Web.

(2) I can only offer some thoughts for your consideration.

(3) One very famous expert gives this example:

(a) Doesn't anyone know the answer? = I cannot believe it that

no one in the class has raised his/her hand. Surely someone must

know the answer.

(b) Does anyone not know the answer? = Is there anyone who

does not know the answer? If there is, just raise your hand and I'll explain

it to you.

(4) Two other experts give this example:

(a) Why didn't you do your homework? = There is no excuse. You had

plenty of time.

(b) Why did you not do your homework? = I know you to be a

responsible student. Was there possibly a family emergency?

(NOTE: Those four examples came from the experts. But most of

the explanations after the = symbol are ONLY my ideas.)

(5) So maybe (I repeat: MAYBE!!!):

Haven't you heard the news? = How is possible that you have

not heard the news? It has been on TV and the radio for at least

three days. Have you been hiding your head in the sand these

last three days?

Have you not heard the news? Less judgmental question. Implies that

maybe there is a reason that you have not heard about the matter yet.
 

BobK

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Location
Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
I would say 'Haven't you got a car?'

Rover
:up:;-) So would I. But I would also say 'Have you no sense of fair play?' or 'Have you no shame?' or 'Have you no common sense?' or 'Have you no idea what you're saying?' The lexical 'have' still exists in negative questions - maybe (and this is only a working idea, open to being shot down) - especially when the thing possessed is abstract: the alternatives ('Haven't you got a sense of fair play?' etc) would sound very strange to me.

b
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top