Had better

[BobK]

Does anyone really understand this structure? To be honest, it escapes me. ;-)

It's pretty old, presumably like 'I'd rather', which derives not from would rather (which some people say nowadays) but from had rather: of two options, I gave more weight to one.

As to the negative, I prefer the version my son coined many years ago: I'd bettern't

 

[Tdol]

It'll probably catch on. ;-)

 

[ALI_E]

i want to know after had better the verb should be gerend or infinitive
which example is correct
example:I had better study , I had better to study, or I had better studying:?:

 

[Tdol]

I had better study.

 

[matilda]

but finally, which one is the best answer to this question, dear moderator?

 

[BobK]

but finally, which one is the best answer to this question, dear moderator?

Which question, Matilda? Tdol answered it, and his answer is unquestionably right: I had better study - no gerund, no 'to', a bare infinitive.

b

 

[MikeNewYork]

I had better study.

To answer your initial question, IMO, "had better" is a modal idiom. This is why we can't use the contraction "hadn't better".

 

[BobK]

... we can't use the contraction "hadn't better".

Well you all can't. ;-)

b

 

[MikeNewYork]

Well you all can't. ;-)

b

Do you? :shock:

 

[BobK]

Do you? :shock:

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

 

[MikeNewYork]

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! :shock:

 

[BobK]

What hath God wrought! :shock:

If only we had stuck to Morse code - no dialects in that (although I'm told a trained receiver can recognize different 'hands').

;-)

b

 

[Avalon]

Why simplify when you can complicate it? That´s what ticks us !

 

[matilda]

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???

 

[BobK]

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

 

[riverkid]

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".

 

[Luzkos]

Doens't make any sense a structure of the poll

 

[Marcus Aurelius]

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.

 

[Tdol]

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.

 

[MikeNewYork]

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.