[Grammar] 2 Qs: haven't and concord of BE

[tuulisi]

Hi!

I have two questions that I haven't been able to answer myself.

First of all, is it possible to use haven't alone, like in "I haven't any pets" or should it be either "I haven't got any pats" or "I don't have any pets". For me, the first sentence doesn't sound right, but some people insist on using it...

My second question is about concord of BE in sentences like "One reason for this is / are the wars." Should BE be always in concord with the subject or is it possible in cases like this to use the plural form? For some reason, are sounds better to my ear although I've been taught that in English the verb is always in concord with the subject.

Thank you very much for your help!

 

[bhaisahab]

Hi!

I have two questions that I haven't been able to answer myself.

First of all, is it possible to use haven't alone, like in "I haven't any pets" or should it be either "I haven't got any pats" or "I don't have any pets". For me, the first sentence doesn't sound right, but some people insist on using it...

My second question is about concord of BE in sentences like "One reason for this is / are the wars." Should BE be always in concord with the subject or is it possible in cases like this to use the plural form? For some reason, are sounds better to my ear although I've been taught that in English the verb is always in concord with the subject.

Thank you very much for your help!

Welcome to the forums.
Yes, it's possible to use "I haven't any pets", "I haven't any brothers or sisters", "I'm sorry, I haven't a clue what you are talking about..." etc.
"One reason for this is..." is correct, "there is one reason and that reason is..."

 

[Tdol]

Should BE be always in concord with the subject or is it possible in cases like this to use the plural form? For some reason, are sounds better to my ear although I've been taught that in English the verb is always in concord with the subject.

Some people argue that number is the key to concord, others argue that the words around the verb can affect our choice (there is a car and a van parked outside)