+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 16 of 16

Thread: Haves and gots.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    October 31st, 2009
    Location
    Auckland, New Zealand
    Posts
    26

    Default Haves and gots.

    Is it me, or does a person who uses, incorrectly, "got" in place of "have" sound uneducated? Young people around my area and school have the tendency to say "I got a better idea", or "We got a new...", which is really irritating me.

    Has anyone suffered from this problem?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    August 5th, 2009
    Location
    The land of pleasant living...
    Posts
    2,473

    Default

    Not nearly so much as then/than or less/fewer.
    Foppery is a right, not a privilege.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    March 18th, 2008
    Location
    Dallas, Texas, USA
    Posts
    1,171

    Default

    Doesn't bother me nearly as much as I/me.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    June 13th, 2005
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    99

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by GWAlex View Post
    Is it me, or does a person who uses, incorrectly, "got" in place of "have" sound uneducated? Young people around my area and school have the tendency to say "I got a better idea", or "We got a new...", which is really irritating me.

    Has anyone suffered from this problem?
    I think what you're hearing is "I've got..." with the "'ve" dropped. I agree that it's wrong to do that. Whether "I've got" is a poor substitute for "I have" is another question on which I don't have a strong opinion.

    In your second example, "We got a new...", I'm not sure that there's a problem. "We got a new..." isn't grammatically the same thing as "We have a new...", but it'is effectively the same in virtually all cases.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    November 9th, 2005
    Location
    Powder Springs, GA
    Posts
    1,200

    Default

    The constant misuse of the reflexive pronoun "myself" is what really grinds my gears.

    It seems most commonly misused by the more "educated" among us.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    September 15th, 2007
    Location
    Philadelphia, PA USA
    Posts
    137

    Default

    I can't stand hearing (or reading, as I did yesterday on a graphic on Fox NFL Sunday) "we'd of" instead of "we'd have."

    "We'd have" is, of course, a contracted form of "we would have," while "we'd of" is entirely meaningless.
    aera nitent usu, vestis bona quaerit haberi,
    canescunt turpi tecta relicta situ--
    forma, nisi admittas, nullo exercente senescit.

    (P. Ovidius Naso, Amores I.8, 51-3)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 31st, 2008
    Location
    St. Paul, Minnesota USA
    Posts
    191

    Default

    I'm not sure that using "got" when "have" is the better word shows a lack of education, since it is so unfortunately common. But using "have" shows a superior education, or at least superior attention to proper grammar.

    On the misuse of "myself", I read a possibly apocryphal story about how this usage became common. It seems that a sports agent (I can't recall the name) realized that his charges were confused on when to use "I" and when to use "me", and taught them to always use "myself" because it is (or was) seen as less obviously incorrect than a poorly chosen "I" or "me". It also saved many an athelete the confused look displayed when they tried to figure out which word was the correct one to use.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 31st, 2008
    Location
    St. Paul, Minnesota USA
    Posts
    191

    Default

    And "we'd of" may actually be the English language's first double contraction (feel free to point out another, but none come to mind). It's really more "we'd've" than "we'd of". At least in my part of the country.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    November 2nd, 2009
    Location
    Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
    Posts
    4

    Default

    Add to the list the misuse of farther/further...

  10. #10
    Join Date
    June 13th, 2005
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    99

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by coynedj View Post
    And "we'd of" may actually be the English language's first double contraction (feel free to point out another, but none come to mind). It's really more "we'd've" than "we'd of". At least in my part of the country.
    I'm sure you're right: people hear "we'd've", don't quite hoist aboard what is being said, and interpret it as "we'd of". Someone writes it down and a new crime against the language takes hold... I suspect a similar origin for "prolly".

  11. #11
    Join Date
    August 26th, 2009
    Location
    Rupert
    Posts
    378

    Default

    I have got to work on my pronunciation most of all.

    Much reading and little talking has left me with some things that are awkward to say out loud.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    February 29th, 2008
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    2,305

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by GWAlex View Post
    Is it me, or does a person who uses, incorrectly, "got" in place of "have" sound uneducated? Young people around my area and school have the tendency to say "I got a better idea", or "We got a new...", which is really irritating me.

    Has anyone suffered from this problem?
    "Got" is past tense of "get." If the person is referring to the acquiring of the object ("We got a new car last week), then I think it's acceptable. If they're referring to the having of the object ("I got a big car, let's take mine") then it's wrong.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    April 26th, 2006
    Location
    St. Louis
    Posts
    3,634

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by coynedj View Post
    And "we'd of" may actually be the English language's first double contraction (feel free to point out another, but none come to mind). It's really more "we'd've" than "we'd of". At least in my part of the country.

    "We'd've" is pretty common here as well. Sometimes it sounds more like "weeda" same with "I'd've and "ida".

    I was reading an article not long ago about regional differences in pronunciation and accents. The one that confused me was the
    Mary/merry/marry merger. I honestly have no idea how there is a pronunciation difference between those words. I pronounce them all the same. I understand the cot/caught merger and how those can be pronounced differently even though I say them the same way.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    August 5th, 2009
    Location
    The land of pleasant living...
    Posts
    2,473

    Default

    Why I'd oughta...

    Foppery is a right, not a privilege.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    October 26th, 2007
    Location
    Chester, NJ
    Posts
    901

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Laxplayer View Post
    "We'd've" is pretty common here as well. Sometimes it sounds more like "weeda" same with "I'd've and "ida".
    Like the old "Jeet yet?" "Uskwoutn get sumpn"*. Unfortunately, I've seen "I'd of" actually written pretty often.

    * Translation: "Did you eat yet? Let's go out and get something"

  16. #16
    Join Date
    April 26th, 2006
    Location
    St. Louis
    Posts
    3,634

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JerseyJohn View Post
    Like the old "Jeet yet?" "Uskwoutn get sumpn"*. Unfortunately, I've seen "I'd of" actually written pretty often.

    * Translation: "Did you eat yet? Let's go out and get something"

    "Jeet yet?" yes, I hear that often but without the southern accent and more like "jeetyet?"...spoken very quickly.

Similar Threads

  1. AE must haves
    By cdavant in forum Andy's Fashion Forum
    Replies: 35
    Last Post: November 25th, 2006, 07:19
  2. Why do trad stores haves sales?
    By indylion in forum Andy's Trad Forum
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: January 1st, 2006, 12:18
  3. Article "Wardrobe Must-Haves For Every Guy"
    By paddyh in forum Andy's Fashion Forum
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: April 21st, 2005, 19:55

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts