Page 63 - Advanced English Grammar in Use

H a v e a n d h a v e g o t ; h a v e a n d t a k e

Have and have got

Sometimes we can use either have or have got when we talk about POSSESSION, RELATIONSHIPS,
and similar meanings. Using have is often more formal:
• She has a house in Italy, or She's got a house in Italy.
• The President has a lot of support for her actions, or The President has got a lot...
• I don't have anything on this weekend, or I haven't got anything on this weekend. (Both are
more natural than T haven't anything...')
• Does 'bird watching' have a hyphen, or not? or Has 'bird watching' got a hyphen, or not?
(Both are more natural than 'Has 'bird watching' a hyphen...?')

We use have, not have got, in to-infinitive or -ing forms, and after modal verbs:
• Do you want to have a drink?
• I find having no car very inconvenient.
• She won't have that old bike for much longer. She's getting a new one.
Notice that we don't use have got in short answers:
• 'Have we got any biscuits left?' 'Yes, we have. In the cupboard.'
We use have rather than have got when we talk about the future or the past. Compare:
• I have time to do the work now. (or I've got time...) and
• I will have time to do the work tomorrow, (not I will have got time...)
• She has a racing bike, (or She's got a racing bike.) and
• She had a racing bike when she was a teenager, (rather than She had got...)
We also say used to have not 'used to have got'.
Notice, however, that when have got is the perfect form of get meaning 'OBTAIN' or 'RECEIVE', we
can use it in to-infinitive or -ing forms, after modal verbs, and in the past and future. We can
sometimes use have instead of have got with a similar meaning:
Q • I'm very pleased to have got a place on the course, (or ...to have a place...)
• • I could have got much more for the painting if I'd sold it overseas, (not ...could have...)
• He asked me where I had got my jacket from, (rather than ...where I had my jacket...)
• I hope you will have got your marks by tomorrow, (or ...you will have your marks...)

В Have and take
We can use have + noun to describe an action. Compare:
• We argued, or • We had an argument. • I slept, or • I had a sleep.
Here are some other nouns that are commonly used with have: a chat, a dance, an effect, a fall,
a meal, a quarrel, a say (= be involved in deciding something), something to eat, a talk, a wash,
a word (= a brief discussion).
With some nouns we can use take but not have:
• Don isn't here now. Would you like me to take a message?
• Calm down! Take a deep breath and tell me what happened.
, Other nouns like this include care, a chance, a decision (or make a decision), a dislike to, a
»photo(graph), power, responsibility, a risk, the trouble.
With some nouns we can use either have or take, but take is often more formal:
• Would you like to have a walk with me, Richard? (or ...take a walk...)
Other nouns like this include a bath, a break, a drink, an exam / a test, a guess, a holiday,
a look, a nap, a rest, a shower, a sip, a stroll, a swim.