Eugeni

Hi Tilted knowledge!

I am not native english and this has been a drag on me although you surely would say it's a pretty basic issue.

I keep making a mess with the verb 'have'.

What should I say?

"Do you have change?"
or
"Have you change?" (this one sounds odd but seems gramatically correct, doesn't it?)


"I haven't any"
or
"I don't have any"



And another liltte question, what do you answer to 'how are you'?

"well"
or
"good". I 've heard both but I can't tell if both are correct.



these are my probs in the english language for the moment. keep it up!

Tophat665

All four examples for "Have" are grammaticaly correct. However, "Have you change?" makes you sound like a goober, and "Have you any change?" makes you sound old fashioned. "Do you have change?" sounds incomplete. It sould be "..any change?" or "... some change to spare?" or "...change for a ten?"

For the same reason, "I haven't any," sounds old fashioned, whereas "I don't have any," would be standard, and simply "No." would be perfectly acceptable.

"How are You?" is a pro-forma inquiry into your health. When referring to your health, the correct word is "well". When someone replies "good" to "how are you", they really mean well, most of the time, though once in a while you get a wiseass like me who will say "good" and mean either "a sexual dynamo" or "quite self impressed just now."

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Kepage23

Slang seems to play a role in these examples
Guy 1 "Hey, how's it goin?

Guy 2 "Not bad, not bad. Hey, you got change for a five"

Guy 1 "Nope, sorry"

All things aside, I have spoken English all my life and my grammer SUCKS.

Eugeni

Hey,

Tophat665 and Kepage23 thanks for your knowledge! I think I am better off using my intuition and forgetting about all grammar rules.

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