English Grammar Understanding the Basics - Evelyn P. Altenberg, Robert M. Vago 2010

Lesson 33: Perfect have
Unit 12: Auxiliary phrases
Part II: Kinds of phrases

In each of the sentences below, the helping verb is a form of have - either have, has, or had - and is underlined. (These were listed in group (b) of Quick tip 3 1.1.)

1. She had greeted me happily.

2. They have eaten dinner early today.

3. He has written many articles about the wealthy.

Sentences with the helping verb have are said to be expressed in the perfect aspect, which adds information to the main verb about real-world time. For example, in sentence 2, using have indicates that the action began in the past and is complete.

Quick tip 33.1

One kind of helping verb is the verb have. It has three forms: have, has, and had.

Test yourself 33.1

Underline the have helping verb in each of the sentences below. It may be in any of the three forms of have. In these sentences, it will always be directly before the main verb.

Sample: I have imagined this for years.

Getting started (answers on p.164)

1. The bridge had collapsed.

2. That cheerful woman has saved the day.

3. My uncles have visited us every summer.

4. Her neighbor has been an attorney for twenty years.

5. Suzie had traveled to Belgium twice before.

More practice (answers on the website)

6. My friend Sal has bought two suits recently.

7. Your remarks have entertained me enormously.

8. Our teacher had sent us an e-mail yesterday.

9. That thought never has crossed my mind.

10. You and I have played chess numerous times.

Test yourself 33.2

Underline the have helping verb and put a squiggly line under the main verb in each of the sentences below.

Getting started (answers on p.165)

1. Joan and Sam have worked for hours.

2. Their mother has spoken of you often.

3. The prime minister had written to him.

4. Your daughter has grown a lot taller.

5. She has seen her friends twice since last Sunday.

More practice (answers on the website)

6. Our dogs have made a mess of the living room.

7. You had warned me not to heed his advice.

8. The chef has prepared this dish perfectly.

9. We have thought about your suggestion seriously.

10. The actors had rehearsed for about an hour.

The verb have is not used only as a helping verb in English. It can also be the main verb in a sentence. Here are some examples with have used as the main verb. Notice that when have is being used as the main verb, it refers to the notion of possession or ownership.

4. I have a comfortable bed.

5. She has a beautiful home.

6. That family had a lot of problems.

Quick tip 33.2

Have can be used as a helping verb or as a main verb. When have is used as the main verb, it refers to the idea of possession. When have is used as the helping verb, it is always followed by another verb.

Test yourself 33.3

Decide if the forms of have in the following sentences are being used as helping verbs or as main verbs.

Getting started (answers on p. 165)

1. Jack has experienced a good time.

2. He has seen her often.

3. You have a lot of DVDs.

4. She had tacos for dinner.

5. Your professor has the answer to your question.

More practice (answers on the website)

6. Grandpa has slept on the couch often. ... ...

7. Aisha had trouble with her car this morning. ... ...

8. My aunt has a treadmill in her basement. ... ...

9. Mrs. Stein had called the paramedics. ... ...

10. They have donated that coat to charity. ... ...

You may have noticed that sometimes there are sentences with two occurrences of have. Here are some examples.

7. Jack has had a bad time.

8. The mayor had had a close election.

9. We have had a delicious dinner.

How can we account for this? The first occurrence of have is a helping verb; the second occurrence of have is the main verb (and refers to possession). That is, just as any other main verb can use have as a helping verb, the main verb have can also use have as a helping verb. That results in two forms of have in the same sentence.