[Grammar] has got vs there is

[SophiaM]

Hello teachers,

Can you say
1) The house has got two rooms. (possession?)
2) There are two rooms in the house. (existence?)

If both can be used, which sentence is more common?

Thank you.

 

[J&K Tutoring]

Yes, you can say either, although for #1 I would mostly just say The house has two rooms.

Rather than trying to think of an inanimate object 'possessing' anything, I prefer to think that things (rooms) are associated with the house.

a. I have a car. I own that car. I am a person and I paid money to possess that thing.

b. A car has four wheels. The car doesn't own wheels in the same way that I own the car, but four wheels are part of our understanding of the concept of the word and the thing: car.

 

[SophiaM]

Thank you for the clear explanation.
Would you say the first sentence is more British?

 

[J&K Tutoring]

You would have to ask someone more familiar with BrE than I am.