English as a Second Language (ESL) ELT » Have got- Has got

English Possessive ‘s

Ahmet YILDIRIMOĞLU — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:04:22 +0000

Possessive ‘s

When we want to show that something belongs to somebody or something, we usually add ‘s to a singular noun and an apostrophe ‘ to a plural noun, for example:

the boy’s ball (one boy)
the boys’ ball (two or more boys)

Notice that the number of balls does not matter. The structure is influenced by the possessor and not the possessed.

	one ball	more than one ball
one boy	the boy’s ball	the boy’s balls
more than one boy	the boys’ ball	the boys’ balls

The structure can be used for a whole phrase:

the man next door’s mother (the mother of the man next door)
the Queen of England’s poodles (the poodles of the Queen of England)

Although we can use of to show possession, it is more usual to use possessive ‘s. The following phrases have the same meaning, but #2 is more usual and natural:

the boyfriend of my sister
my sister’s boyfriend

Proper Nouns (Names)

We very often use possessive ‘s with names:

This is Mary’s car.
Where is Ram’s telephone?
Who took Anthony’s pen?
I like Tara’s hair.

When a name ends in s, we usually treat it like any other singular noun, and add ‘s:

This is Charles’s chair.

But it is possible (especially with older, classical names) to just add the apostrophe ‘:

Who was Jesus’ father?

Irregular Plurals

Some nouns have irregular plural forms without s (man > men). To show possession, we usually add ‘s to the plural form of these nouns:

singular noun	plural noun
my child’s dog	my children’s dog
the man’s work	the men’s work
the mouse’s cage	the mice’s cage
a person’s clothes	people’s clothes

POSSESSIVE

The general rules concerning the possessive form of words, abbreviations, and phrases appear below. For exceptions and rules applicable to specialized cases, such as biblical names, consult an English grammar text.

Common Nouns

Create the possessive form of a singular or plural noun, which does not end in s, by adding an apostrophe and an s.

the child’s ball
the people’s choice
the car’s color
the books’ covers

In instances involving compound nouns, the ‘s is added to the element nearest to that which is possessed.

the auditor general’s report
the attorney at law’s address

In instances of joint possession, placing the apostrophe on the last element of a series.

Barton & Henderson’s store
Eisenhower and Nixon’s administration

However, in instances of individual or alternative possession, use an apostrophe for each element of the series.

men’s and women’s clothing
bachelor’s and master’s degrees
New York’s or New Jersey’s governor

Create the possessive form of a singular or plural noun, which ends with an s sound, by adding only an apostrophe.

the players’ equipment
Tom Jones’ television special
the cars’ tires
the man’s coat

Proper Names

Create the possessive form of a proper noun in the same manner as for a common noun. For singular proper names, add ‘s. For plural names, and some singular names, which end in an s, add only an apostrophe.

Canada’s resources
United States’ budget deficit
New Orleans’ restaurants
the Whites’ cottage
Jones’ skates
Dickens’ writings

Create the possessive form of a name, which ends in a silent s, z, or x, by adding ‘s.

Perez’s turn at bat
Des Moines’s airport
Guy Marcoux’s reputation

Abbreviations

Create the possessive form of an abbreviation in the same manner as you would for a word or term that was spelled out completely. Add ‘s for the singular possessive or an apostrophe only for the plural possessive.

the IRS’s district offices
AT&T’s 1-800-telephone number
NBC’s newscast
IBM Corp.’s district sales office

Numerals

Create the possessive form of a noun that is composed of numerals in the same manner as you would for other nouns. Add ‘s for the singular possessive or an apostrophe only for the plural possessive.

1995′s convocation ceremony
the 1930s’ economic reversals

Phrases

Create the possessive form of a phrase by adding an ‘s or apostrophe to the last word of the phrase.

his brother-in-law’s house
board of trustees’ meeting
a month or two’s work

Indefinite Pronouns

Create the possessive form of indefinite pronouns by adding ‘s.

one’s rights
anyone’s decision
someone’s hat
somebody’s purse
everybody’s efforts
somebody else’s problem
each other’s gifts
either’s choice

For some indefinite pronouns, it is preferable to indicate possession by using an “of” phrase.

the responsibility of each
the benefit of many
the safety of all

Possessive Pronouns

For possessive pronouns, do not use apostrophes.

his
hers
mine
ours
theirs
its

English Have – have got

Ahmet YILDIRIMOĞLU — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:49:34 +0000

Grammar

1. Have – have got

“Have” and “have got” are both used to show possession. For example: “I have a pen”, and “I have got a pen” have the same meaning. Here are the main points when choosing which one to use.

Have

The Simple Present forms of have are as follows.

Singular

Affirmative

I have a pen
You have a pen
She has a pen
He has a pen
It has a pen

Negative

I do not have a pen = I don’t have a pen
You do not have a pen = You don’t have a pen
She does not have a pen = She doesn’t have a pen
He does not have a pen = He doesn’t have a pen
It does not have a pen = It doesn’t have a pen

Questions

Do I have a pen?
Do you have a pen?
Does she has a pen?
Does he has a pen?
Does it have a pen?

Plural

Affirmative

We have a pen
You have a pen
They have a pen

Negative

We do not have a pen = We don’t have a pen
You do not have a pen = You don’t have a pen
They do not have a pen = They don’t have a pen

Questions

Do we have a pen?
Do you have a pen?
Do they have a pen?

You make questions with have as normal by using the auxiliary verb “to do”. For example:
- Statement: You have a pen.
- Question: Do you have a pen?
- Have you a pen? This is generally incorrect, although occasionally found in British English.

The verb have is often contracted in English, but when have is used for possession you cannot use a contraction, you should use have got instead (see below). For example:
- I’ve a pen, He’s a pen. These are incorrect.

Do not and does not can of course still be contracted to don’t and doesn’t. For example:
- He doesn’t have a pen = He does not have a pen.

The Simple Present forms of have got are as follows.

Have got

Singular

Affirmative

I have got a pen = I’ve got a pen
You have got a pen = You’ve got a pen
She has got a pen = She’s got a pen
He has got a pen = He’s got a pen
It has got a pen = It’s got a pen

Negative

I have not got a pen = I haven’t got a pen
You have not got a pen = You haven’t got a pen
She has not got a pen = She hasn’t got a pen
He has not got a pen = He hasn’t got a pen
It has not got a pen = It hasn’t got a pen

Questions

Have I got a pen?
Have you got a pen?
Has he got a pen?
Has she got a pen?
Has it got a pen?

Plural

We have got a pen = We’ve got a pen
You have got a pen = You’ve got a pen
They have got a pen = They’ve got a pen

We have not got a pen = We haven’t got a pen
You have not got a pen = You haven’t got a pen
They have not got a pen = They haven’t got a pen

Have we got a pen?
Have you got a pen?
Have they got a pen?

Affirmative statements can contract have got, for example:
- I have got some food = I’ve got some food.
- He has got some food = He’s got some food.

Negatives contract as follows:
- I haven’t got any food = I have not got any food.
- She hasn’t got any food = She has not got any food.

—–

Have got is a slightly unusual form because it is a perfect tense form, something which we haven’t learnt yet and which will be covered later. Also, remember that the verb have is used in many ways, but the above is only for its use for possession. The lists above may seem rather laborious, but you will quickly learn to use these verbs when you apply them to some real English usage.

So, on to the exercises!