Forums

[nononono]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
It is the falsely classy in you. That makes people say things like "between you and I."

Actually, I think "have got" is not favored, but it is past perfect and nfh's use of it indicates that she got reggie bush sometime in the past, and continues to have [in the non-helping verb way] him.

My sense was that "have got" is more acceptable in British English vs. American. And then I did find at least one person who sort of implies the same:

Unfortunately, there is nothing wrong or ungrammatical about "to have got." This is completely standard in both American and British dialects, with stronger ties to British English. The only reason I can think of that you may find it awkward is that, in Standard American English, the past participle of "to get" is normally "gotten" rather than "got." This is one of the signs that this structure is more closely aligned with British English; the past participle of "to get," in British dialects of English, is "got" rather than "gotten."

In British English, where the verb "to have" has a more limited use, "to have got" is the standard expression indicating possession. For example, in British English, the expression "to have children" means "to give birth to children." The expression "to have got children" means "to be responsible for raising children." Although this kind of problem does not happen in American English, the expression "to have got" is still a common and well-formed alternative to "to have."

Please note that, while the expression "to have got" can be used to replace "to have" in American English as a main verb or in complex structures, the two verbs are not completely interchangeable. Thus, sentences (1) through (3) below are all grammatical and widely acceptable with either "to have" or "to have got," but (3) is only acceptable with a change in meaning. Sentence pairs (4) and (5) are only grammatical with "have" and not with "have got."

1a) I have a car.
1b) I have got a car.
2a) I have to go to the store.
2b) I have got to go to the store.
3a) I have eggs for breakfast. (=I eat eggs)
3b) I have got eggs for breakfast. (=I possess eggs)
4a) I want to have Mary cater the party.
4b) *I want to have got Mary to cater the party.
5a) I have finished the work.
5b) *I have got finished the work.

So, in conclusion, I'm afraid that you're campaign to eradicate the expression "to have got" is probably doomed. You are going against centuries of English grammar and usage.