|
Different Meanings of 'Have' in
Everyday Speech |
"There Will Be Blood" is a film about Daniel Plainview,
an American oil man in the early part of the 20th
century.
The film's story is dark. Plainview builds his oil
business slowly by using cruel, sometimes painful
actions. The world he lives in is not a happy one.
A famous line from the 2007 movie sounds like this:
"I have two others [oil wells] drilling and I have 16
[oil wells] producing at Antelope. So, ladies and
gentlemen, if I say I'm an oil man, you will agree. Now,
you have a great chance here, but bear in mind you can
lose it all if you're not careful."
This week, our Everyday Grammar story is not about
building an oil business.
Instead, our report deals with verbs. The verb have
appeared several times in the audio you heard. You might
have noticed that it had two somewhat different
meanings.
Today, we will discover how the verb have often goes
with specific nouns or noun phrases to express an
idiomatic meaning.
The verb have
Have is very common in both speaking and writing. It is
common because it has many meanings and uses.
The verb have is irregular. In other words, the past
tense is not formed by adding the usual -ed ending.
Today, we look at how to use have when it is the main
verb in the sentence.
One common structure is have + noun phrase. For example,
you might hear a person say "I have a bicycle," or "I
don't have a bicycle." In these sentences, the verb
"have" means to own or possess something.
This use of have is somewhat rare in everyday speech,
say Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber, two experts on
English grammar.
In everyday speech, several nouns often appear after the
verb have. Together, these structures express idiomatic
meanings. In other words, the meaning of the group of
words is different from the individual words.
Today, we will consider two common idiomatic meanings of
the have + noun phrase structure. These structures are
very common in films and popular music.
#1 To be thinking about something
The verb have often appears before noun phrases such as
"an idea," "no idea," or "a question". When the verb
have appears with these noun phrases, the structure
takes on an idiomatic meaning: to be thinking about
something.
Consider this example from the 1971 film “Klute.”
"I have no idea what's going to happen. I just, I can't
stay in this city, you know? Maybe I'll come back.
You'll probably see me next week."
You will notice that the speaker says "I have no idea…”.
The speaker means that she is actively thinking about
something and is unable to provide an answer at this
time.
How is this statement different than saying something
like "I don't know"?
Saying "I have no idea" is more forceful than saying "I
don't know." They have the same general meaning -- but
they have a small difference in terms of style.
A less common noun that often comes with the verb have
is the word plan. In the horror film “The Silence of the
Lambs,” actor Anthony Hopkins as Doctor Hannibal Lecter
gives you an example of this structure:
"Clarice Starling: Where are you, Dr. Lecter?
Hannibal Lecter: I've no plans to call on you, Clarice.
The world is more interesting with you in it."
When Lecter says he has no plans to call on Clarice,
what he actually means is that he is not thinking about
killing her.
So, why did he say "I have no plans..." instead of "I'm
not thinking about..."?
One possible explanation is this: Hannibal Lecter is a
movie character who is always planning. His statement
could mean that his plans might change in the future.
Whatever the case, he likes to leave his statements
unclear.
#2 To get an opportunity/time to
do something
The verb have often goes with other noun phrases, such
as chance or time. When have goes with these noun
phrases, it means to get an opportunity or to get time
to do something.
So, for example, many American students have said "I
didn't have time to do my science homework," or "I
didn't have a chance to read the book."
You heard another example of this structure at the
beginning of this program:
"Now, you have a great chance here, but bear in mind you
can lose it all if you're not careful."
Daniel Plainview is trying to persuade people to help
him build oil wells. So, he uses the words "you have a
great chance here." He wants people to think of how they
will profit from working with him (or giving him money).
What can you do?
The main idea of this report was to explain common have
+ noun phrase expressions.
The next time you are watching an American film or
listening to American music, try to find examples of
have + noun phrase. Do the speakers use it in its
traditional sense (to own or possess something)? Or do
they use it in a different, idiomatic way?
Once you have learned the meaning of the phrase, ask
yourself why the speaker may have said what they did.
Did the speaker say it for a stylistic reason?
The answers to these questions may not be easy. However,
asking them can help you begin to understand how
culture, style, and grammar work together.
That is all for today. Now, you have a chance to go
learn other meanings of the verb have.
I'm John Russell.
And I'm Jill Robbins.
John Russell wrote this story for Learning English.
George Grow was the editor. |
|
