had me to sing

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pructus

#537591 Mon, 07 Jul 08 04:37 AM

He had me to sing a song.

Using "have" with "to"...

Can the sentence have a meaning "He made me to start to sing a song"?

Or just plainly wrong sentence?

pructus

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004

Full Member (293)

Clive

#537596 Mon, 07 Jul 08 04:57 AM

Hi,

He had me to sing a song. If you mean 'he ordered me / forced me . . ', say "He had me ~~to-~~ sing a song.'

Using "have" with "to"...

Can the sentence have a meaning "He made me to start to sing a song"? Yes. No 'to'. Just 'have +someone+base verb'.

Or just plainly wrong sentence?

Best wishes, Clive

Clive

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004

Canada

Veteran Member (21,209)

El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

Verbs

pructus

#537602 Mon, 07 Jul 08 05:08 AM

Thanks a lot, Clive !!

The poor dear was evidently terrified at something, very greatly terrified. I do believe that if he had not had me to lean on and to support him he would have sunk down. He kept staring. A man came out of the shop with a small parcel, and gave it to the lady, who then drove off.
http://www.literature.org/authors/stoker-bram/dracula/chapter-13.html

And I'm certain Linton would recover quickly if he had me to look after him. I'm older than he is, you know, and wiser: less childish, am I not? And he'll soon do as I direct him, with some slight coaxing.

http://www.literature.org/authors/bronte-emily/wuthering-heights/chapter-23.html

**

In those paragraphs, "had me to do" did not mean "to make someone do something", but "to have someone nearby with someone doing something"?

And that's why "had me to do" was used?

Am I understanding right?

pructus

Literature, Paragraphs

pructus

#537608 Mon, 07 Jul 08 05:26 AM

Following are examples..

I don't know how I should understand these sentences...

Are these all wrong?

**

By the end of the day, "We had him to wear the name out."

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/07/07/mute.no.more/index.html

Also I want to add that no matter the out come of this I know that John belongs to God, not me, and I would rather have had him to love, for whatever time I have, then never to have had him at all.

http://www.themiraclekids.com/john.html

Then the wife of Yury Meledinsky — you know, the invalid?—heard of this Landau, and had him to see her husband.

http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/t/tolstoy/leo/t65a/chapter209.html

Pharaoh had the male children of Israel thrown in the river, so God had him to take a child out of the river, and raise him, and would through him kill all the first- born in Egypt, and all his army in the red sea...

http://www.svic.net/carpenter/reap.htm

Blake and Ben had him to say a promo/station i.d. for WHCL into Blake's cell phone: "This is Andrew WK, and I'm listening to WHCL, FM 88.7 Clinton New York. I imagine that you're listening too, otherwise you wouldn't be able to hear me say this.

http://www.realmofhob.com/2-andrew-wk-albany

pructus

Avangi

#537613 Mon, 07 Jul 08 05:51 AM

Hi Pructus,

As you can see, the phrases without context can be taken two ways. "He had me to sing a song for him," can also mean, "I was available for the purpose of singing him a song." In this case the "to" is required. When it means "He asked/forced me to sing him a song," we use the bare infinitive (We omit the "to.")

Yes, you're correct about your Wuthering Heights and your Dracula excerpts. (to have someone nearby to help with something) They're both of this type.

- A.

Avangi

Joined on Mon, Nov 19 2007

Senior Member (3,289)

". . . le plaisir delicieux et toujours nouveau d'une occupation inutile." - Henri de Regnier

Avangi

#537615 Mon, 07 Jul 08 06:04 AM

Hi again.

we had him to wear the name out    (I haven't figured this one out yet -   I think it's wrong.) Edit. Right - This is Arkansas colloquial. They made him keep saying "Mom." The "to" is incorrect in formal usage.

I would rather have had him to love   (This one is fine/correct. - nearby for the purpose)

and had him to see her husband    (This one should omit the "to"   -   and had him see her husband)

God had him to take a child out of the river   (omit the "to")

Blake and Ben had him to say a promo    (omit the "to")

- A.

Avangi

pructus

#537617 Mon, 07 Jul 08 06:27 AM

Hi, Avangi ~~~

Thanks a lot.. !!

Yours are very helpful answers..

pructus