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stevesteve1

#30285 Tue, 18 May 04 05:53 PM

I saw that "gotten" was discussed in another forum, but my question is a bit more particular:

Is it correct to ask: "Has everyone gotten a ticket?"

I was at a function of journalists recently and the Master of Ceremonies said this. Someone from the back corrected her by shouting out "RECEIVED"

Who was correct?

-Steve

stevesteve1

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ryan smith

#30320 Wed, 19 May 04 08:00 AM

"Gotten" is the past participle of "got", right?

So if the sentence, "Has everyone written a column?" is correct, then it seems to me that the sentence "Has everyone gotten a ticket?" should be correct too. Same form just different p.p. verbs and different objects.

I think the confusion comes from the fact that both "got" and "gotten" are valid past participles of "got". Perhaps many people don't use "gotten," and thus don't know how it should be used.

Short answer: I think the M.C. was correct.

ryan smith

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suzi

#30403 Thu, 20 May 04 08:17 AM

English ppl do not generally use "gotten" in that way - so the "corrector" would be protesting at the creep of Americanisms as much as anything, is my guess. It is the sort of usage that ppl who worry about "standards" get upset about!

suzi

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Anonymous

#174611 Mon, 26 Dec 05 04:10 PM

According to Fowler [Modern English Usage, published by Oxford University Press] "Have got" for "possess" or "have" is good colloquial but not good literary English.

The reason why the person did not correct "gotten" with the MODERN British "got" is that the meaning might be lost. "Has everyone got a ticket?" could mean "Does everyone have a ticket?" or "Has everyone gotten a ticket?" So the word "received" was substituted. If you use "gotten" as the past participle, people might accuse you of being archaic, AmericaniZed, &c. but you will be understood. If you want to be understood and use the word, "gotten" is correct. If you want to be understood and sound Modern British then don't use the word at all.

--Stephe

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