Possession with the verb 'to have'
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Possession with the verb 'To have'
Used alone (US) or followed by got (UK), have expresses possession:
I've got a car. I own a car.
He hasn't got any money. He doesn't possess any money.
He already has a girlfriend. He is already in a relationship with a girl.
She has two dogs. She lives with two dogs.
In spoken English, have is sometimes implied:
(Have you) Got a pen? Do you have a pen?
(Have you) Got a minute? Do you have a minute for me?
(Have you) Got a car? Do you own a car?
In interrogative and negative sentences, American English (have used alone) is different from British English (have got): have is conjugated not as an auxiliary verb but as an ordinary verb:
UK -> Have you got a coat? US -> Do you have a coat?
UK -> I haven't got any soda US -> I don't have any soda
UK -> He hasn't got a dog, has he? US -> He doesn't have a dog, does he?
However, the US construction is also becoming acceptable in the UK.
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