Alanna Madden
July 16, 2020
Grammar Tips
“Has” and “have” appear together for the present and perfect tenses of the verb “to have.” English pairs “have” with I/you/we/they pronouns and plural subjects. “Has” accompanies she/he/it pronouns and singular subjects.
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The words “have” and “has” share the same root verb (“have”), which means “to obtain, possess, or maintain.” But since “have” is such an auxiliary verb, many English speakers struggle to use it correctly.
The verb “have” is also an irregular verb, so most grammar rules don’t apply in a traditional sense. For instance, regular verbs form a simple past tense by adding an -ed or -d to its past participle, but the past participle of “have” is “had” (never “haded”).
Regular verbs also distinguish between plural and singular pronouns in the present tense by adding an “s” to the end of verbs for she, he, and it. But in the case of “have,” we simply use “had” instead of adding an “s.”
Either way, we use the words “have” and “has” for all present tense forms of the verb “to have,” and their main difference depends on the subject pronouns I, you, we, she, he, it, and they.
To use have/has for the present tense correctly, it’s crucial to know:
Outside of pronouns, regular subject-verb agreements still apply to has/have:
Correct:
“The bike has a wheel.” (singular subject + singular verb + singular noun)
“The bikes have wheels.” (plural subject + plural verb + plural noun)
Incorrect:
“The kid have a bike.” (singular subject + plural verb + singular noun)
“The kids has bikes.” (plural subject + singular verb + plural noun)
Using has/have with collective nouns is also tricky because they appear plural, but they’re actually singular. Watch closely for nouns that imply individuals vs. a collective, singular group. For example,
Correct:
The jury has a verdict. (singular subject + singular verb + singular noun)
Incorrect:
The jury have a verdict. (singular subject + plural verb + singular noun)
Correct:
Jury members have a verdict. (plural subject + plural verb + singular noun)
Incorrect:
Jury members has a verdict. (plural subject + singular verb + singular noun)
If we use pronouns like “I” or “we,” we are speaking from the first-person perspective, but if we use “you,” then we’re using the second-person perspective. Lastly, the pronouns “she,” “he,” “it,” or “they” are indicative of the third-person perspective.
So, in the case of have vs. has, we only use “has” for the third-person singular present tense. Yes, it’s that specific.
Another reason pronouns are important for “has” and “have” involves positive and negative contractions. For example,
The same pronoun-verb agreement occurs with negative contractions where we’d typically use “not” after “have” or “has.” For example,
The word has is the present tense singular form of the verb have. We use the term has for the third-person perspective, which means it references singular pronouns like he, she, or it. If someone uses “they” as a personal pronoun, “they” is still a singular third-person pronoun, but it’s used with “have” instead.
Sentence examples of “has” include:
“He has perfect teeth.”
“She has a test later.”
“It has a special quality.”
The word have is a verb that transitively describes the act of obtaining or maintaining something, whether it’s figurative or not. Additional forms of the verb have include:
Depending on the verb tense (i.e., have, has, had, having), we can use the word to describe:
1. The possession or ownership of something, whether it’s a quality, feature, characteristic, relationship, or time. For example,
“I have green eyes.”
“The house has a garage.”
“She has a sweet disposition.”
“My graduating class had 240 students.”
“How much room do we have to walk around?”
“We don’t have time to waste.”
“He has a certification in CPR.”
2. To experience or undergo something, such as an illness, feeling, thought, an event, the state of completion, or a demand. For example,
“I had a great time.”
“We had a feeling this would happen.”
“Mom’s hospital had an outbreak.”
“She likes to have everything planned out.”
“Can you have the assignment ready by noon?”
3. To show a personal quality by one’s character or actions. For example,
“Have some compassion, for goodness sake.”
“She has little patience for tardiness.”
4. To position something in a specific spot. For example,
“He had his back facing the wall.”
“She had him in a headlock.”
5. To receive something from another person or; to host someone for an occasion or time. For example,
“They’re having us stay for the week.”
“I have the kids this weekend.”
Middle English “have” entered the English language through Old English habban, which is similar in meaning to Old High German habēn.
The verb “have” is an auxiliary verb, which means it can change tense forms, moods, and perspectives of other verbs. But English grammar also classifies “have” as a principal auxiliary verb because it creates perfect tenses.
All verbs use a form of “have” for the perfect tenses to describe completed actions in the past or future. For example,
Present perfect tense: Has/have + past participle
Past perfect tense: Had + past participle
Future perfect tense: Will + have + past participle
Additional auxiliary verbs include “to do” (emphatic tense) and “to be” (progressive tense). The verb “do” breaks down into does, do, did, and doing, while “be” turns into am, is, are, was, were, will, be being, and been. See the connection?
When a noun follows have, had, or having in a sentence, the noun can determine the meaning of “have.” For instance, if someone says “I’m having a baby,” the word having means “I’m pregnant” or “I’m in labor.” Additional examples include,
“He’ll have a cheeseburger.” (have = eat)
“We’re having a celebration.” (have = organizing, hosting)
The verb “have” can follow a modal auxiliary verb before another verb’s past participle to indicate an obligation or the necessity of something. A modal auxiliary verb never ends with -ed, -ing, or -s. Example include,
Let’s take a look at how we use modal auxiliary verbs with “have” for the following sentences (modal auxiliary verb + “have” + past participle):
“She could have been great.”
“I would have gone.”
“They might have won.”
“It ought to have been free.”
Speaking of modal auxiliary verbs, when someone says they “have had it,” it means they are done with something. For example, you may have heard a parent figure say, “I have had it with the attitude,” or “I have had enough.”
The phrase “have oneself” is an informal phrase that indicates self-indulgence, whether it’s wished-for or provided by another. For example,
“I’m going to have myself a good time.”
“Have yourself a good time!”
People say they “have to do something” when they believe action is necessary or obligatory. For example,
“I have to finish my chores.”
“She has to walk the dog first.”
It’s also common to use the verb “have” when describing how something is certain, inevitable, or strongly recommended. For example,
“There has to be a catch.”
“You have to try this cheese dip.”
To “have at” something means to attack, deal with, or manage something. For example,
“If you want my plate, then have at it.”
Similarly to “have at,” the phrase “have it out for” means “a wish to attack” or that one seeks a reason to fight. For example,
“The sisters have it out for each other.”
“My teacher has it out for me.”
The phrase “have to do with” involves an explanation of something or connects a cause and effect. For example,
“The show has to do with a family.”
“What does fear have to do with love?”
If you’re struggling to learn English grammar rules, The Word Counter has your back. Next time you’re writing, use this cheat sheet to help memorize the differences between “have” and “has.”
Infinitive: to have
Past participle: had
Present participle: having
Perfect participle: having had
The infinitive ‘to have’ conjugates into many verb forms, but the only forms that involve “has” or “have” include:
For all present tenses, be sure to pair the verb “have” with first-person singular or plural (I, we), second-person singular (you), or third person plural (they).
Present tense = “have”
Present perfect tense = “have had”
Present perfect continuous “have been having”
For all other tenses with “have,” third-person singular (she/he/it) pronouns are acceptable. For example,
Future tense = “will have”
The only time to use “has” exclusively is for third-person singular (she/he/it) pronouns with present tenses. Otherwise, any third-person subject can agree with modal verbs such as will, can, could, would, or should.
Present tense = “has”
Present perfect tense = “has had”
Present perfect continuous = “has been having”
Test how well you understand the difference between “has” vs. “have” with the following multiple-choice questions.
Answers
