I have not got a clue

[Unregistered]

May I ask why it is possible, as mentioned in the Headway, to use I HAVN`T A CLUE, instead of I haven`t got a clue or I don`t have a clue. Thank you for the answer. Tomorrow I should be able to explain it to the students.

Best regards from Dita

 

[riverkid]

May I ask why it is possible, as mentioned in the Headway, to use I HAVN`T A CLUE, instead of I haven`t got a clue or I don`t have a clue. Thank you for the answer. Tomorrow I should be able to explain it to the students.

Best regards from Dita

I'm really not sure, Dita. And if I don't know the reason [maybe someone else will/can come up with something] after a long life of English usage and a long career teaching and studying English, how important can it be that your students know the reason?

I would just tell your students that it's not the normal neutral way but that we have to have some different ways to state things to express different nuances. Possibly it's an older form that has fallen into disuse.

For language acquisition "knowing about" language isn't as important as "knowing how to do" language.

 

[David L.]

Because it is the preferable way to express this.
'not got' = do not have
so, I haven't got a clue = I have do not have a clue, or, I have not have a clue.
The alternative is to say, "I got no clue." !!

 

[banderas]

May I ask why it is possible, as mentioned in the Headway, to use I HAVN`T A CLUE, instead of I haven`t got a clue or I don`t have a clue. Thank you for the answer. Tomorrow I should be able to explain it to the students.

Best regards from Dita

"not to have a clue" is an idiom. So we say I haven't a clue. The "not" makes the difference.;-) If you use the expression in a strictly idiomatic way, you say:
I haven't a clue.