http://www.englishforums.com/English/LinguisticsDiscussionForum/Forum35.htmGet into the nitty-gritty of the language.enXMOD (Build: 3616.28671)http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/4/dvvzq/Post.htm#591188Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:591188Anonymous0http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/4/dvvzq/Post.htm#591188http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-591188.xmlCan we substitute "have" with "own" or "possess" here? I have letters to write.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#591168Mon, 25 May 2009 19:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:591168Anonymous1http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#591168http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-591168.xmlFolks, how would you read "Those are the letters I had to write", as modal or non-modal? Also, it seems the sense of necessity is obvious here, right? We only have ourselves to thank for not listening to her. How about this? Any obligation/necessity/duty reading possible there? She hasn't got anything to do today. Does this simply mean "I own a pair of slippers"? I've my slippers to put on. Comments on this? Negation of necessity. Modal? Many natives think they've nothing to learn fron non-natives.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#589262Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:589262Anonymous2http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#589262http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-589262.xmlAre some people mis-reading Trollope? Quote: Nonetheless, all of the grammarians cited in the previous paragraph feel that in certain cases there is indeed a semantic distinction. Poutsma (1904: 549) sees a "clear" difference in meaning between I have much money to spend and I have to spend much money . When the two orders are found in the same quotation, Kruisinga (1931: 381) recognizes a semantic contrast, as does Jespersen (1940: 205), who cites the following example from Trollope: 15. The writer, when he sits down to commence his novel, should do so, not because he has to tell a story, but because he has a story to tell (Trollope A208). However, Jespersen glosses the lines wrongly , I believe, as follows:...http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271706Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271706milky3http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271706http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271706.xml"I have a child to feed." "No, you haven't." "I have a child to feed." "No, you don't." "I have a child." "No, you haven't". "I have a child." "No, you don't". Which sounds odd to AE speakers?http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271705Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271705milky4http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271705http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271705.xmlI have a report to write. It's on my desk right next to the invisible ink.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271702Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271702MrPedantic5http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271702http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271702.xml1. "I have to write a report." "No, you don't." 2. "I have a report to write." "No, you haven't." (Which may seem mysterious to AmE speakers.) MrPhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271700Mon, 25 May 2009 19:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271700MrPedantic6http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271700http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271700.xml"There are always letters to write, emails to send, bills to pay, posts to answer..." MrPhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271697Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271697milky7http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271697http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271697.xml3. There are always children to be fed, wounds to be cleaned, babies to be held and children to be hugged. — The "task" is already present, without "have". > Try that without "be" and the tense that suits. Why did you add it? And: the child is waiting to be fed. to be = pending action he is to be hanged at six. to be continued ... Onward... Do the same with this one as you did above : I have a letter to write.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271686Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271686Anonymous8http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271686http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271686.xml< Cf. (from Google) 3. There are always children to be fed, wounds to be cleaned, babies to be held and children to be hugged. — The "task" is already present, without "have". > Try that without "be" and the tense that suits. Why did you add it? And: the child is waiting to be fed. to be = pending action he is to be hanged at six. to be continued ... Onward... Do the same with this one as you did above : I have a letter to write.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271660Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271660MrPedantic9http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/3/dvvzq/Post.htm#271660http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271660.xmlMilky wrote: Please, don't tell me this is about possession: He has a child to feed, so he can't come until five. <hand up> 1. I have a child. — Possession, in a loose sense. The fact of "having a child" of course implies responsibility; but that implication isn't modal here. 2. A child to feed. — Even without "have", you might infer a task, requirement, or obligation; that's what a post-modifying to-infinitive does. Cf. (from Google) 3. There are always children to be fed, wounds to be cleaned, babies to be held and children to be hugged. — The "task" is already present, without "have". So we might say that the "task" resides in the to-infinitive; only the possession (i.e. "ownership") of the...http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271597Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271597milky10http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271597http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271597.xmlI have a plane to catch. Is it possible that the nominal object could be seen as the object of the infinitive and not of "have"?http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271557Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271557milky11http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271557http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271557.xml<You brought up an interesting point, though: the meaning often depends on the subject. "I have a story to tell" has different meanings than "everyone has a story to tell" and "you have a story to tell".> Good. Let's get back to it tomorrow. It's 3:15am here. Goodnight all.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271556Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271556LearningNerd12http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271556http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271556.xmlNow we're getting somewhere. I agree with you there. I was just referring to the quote when I said you can have a story and not want to share it. I've never heard anyone say "I have a story to tell, but I'm not going to tell it", either. So, as for the quote: the way I read it, the quote points to the "everyone has a story to tell" idea, not "I have a story to tell / I am looking for an audience." In other words, writers write because they have a story to tell (as you said, "there's a story, a life's history, inside everyone"). They don't write because they must write a story (as you said, "I am looking for an audience"). You brought up an interesting point, though: the meaning often depends on the subject. "I have a story to tell"...http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271555Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271555milky13http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271555http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271555.xmlPlease, don't tell me this is about possession: He has a child to feed, so he can't come until five.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271551Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271551milky14http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271551http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271551.xml<You can have a story and not want to share it. After all, everyone has a story. "Everyone has a story to tell" can mean that everyone has a story that can be told, whether or not he or she wants to or will ever tell it. > Well I must say I've never seen it that way. Yes, each has a story, but if each announces that he/she has as story to tell, he/she is normally looking for an audience. How odd to say "I have a story to tell, but I'm not going to tell it." Never heard anyone say that. everyone has a story to tell = there's a story, a life's history, inside everyone (no necessity implied) I have a story to tell = I am looking for an audience (necessity implied) "I have a story which I can tell if you want me to,...http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271532Mon, 25 May 2009 19:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271532LearningNerd15http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271532http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271532.xml"One has a story, what does one want to do with it and why? I feel that the quote expresses possession and neccesity." You can have a story and not want to share it. After all, everyone has a story. "Everyone has a story to tell" can mean that everyone has a story that can be told, whether or not he or she wants to or will ever tell it. "Everyone has to tell a story" says that everyone needs to or should tell a story. If you're a student sitting in a classroom and your teacher says, "Everyone has to tell a story", that means you're being instructed to tell a story. But if your teacher says, "Everyone has a story to tell", he or she is probably just lecturing the class about how everyone's lives can be interesting enough to be...http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271525Mon, 25 May 2009 19:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271525MrPedantic16http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271525http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271525.xmlMilky wrote: MrPedantic wrote: Trollope only says "writer". MrP Correction, he says "THE writer", meaning, all writers. Precisely. MrPhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271521Mon, 25 May 2009 19:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271521milky17http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271521http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271521.xmlMrPedantic wrote: Trollope only says "writer". MrP Correction, he says "THE writer", meaning, all writers.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271518Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271518MrPedantic18http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/2/dvvzq/Post.htm#271518http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271518.xmlMilky wrote: MrPedantic wrote: Cf. Trollope, in his Autobiography: 1. I have from the first felt sure that the writer, when he sits down to commence his novel, should do so, not because he has to tell a story, but because he has a story to tell. MrP Doesn't every good writer feel the necessity to write? Trollope only says "writer". MrPhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271515Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271515milky19http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271515http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271515.xml<It's like saying "I have to say something" versus "I have something to say."> Foe me, they both mean "I feel a need to say something" or "I want to speak". If you didn't have anything to say, you wouldn't feel the need to claim that you had.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271514Mon, 25 May 2009 19:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271514milky20http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271514http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271514.xml< That's true, but the quote points out the distinction between needing to write a story and having a story in the first place.> One has a story, what does one want to do with it and why? I feel that the quote expresses possession and neccesity.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271510Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271510LearningNerd21http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271510http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271510.xmlThat's true, but the quote points out the distinction between needing to write a story and having a story in the first place. It's like saying "I have to say something" versus "I have something to say." If you have to say something, you might feel forced to speak due to the current situation, but that doesn't necessarily mean you actually have anything to say. You could feel obligated to say something and not know what to say. But if you have something to say, you know exactly what to say and you want to say it. Of course, both sentences could be used in different ways. The meanings are vague, subjective, and overlapping in many cases.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271506Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271506milky22http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271506http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271506.xml<Great quote! " src="/emoticons/emotion-1.gif"> In that context, the meaning is completely different. > Maybe not. Many artists produce there works out of necessity. I have a story to tell = I feel a need inside me that my story be heard .http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271505Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271505milky23http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271505http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271505.xmlMrPedantic wrote: Cf. Trollope, in his Autobiography: 1. I have from the first felt sure that the writer, when he sits down to commence his novel, should do so, not because he has to tell a story, but because he has a story to tell. MrP Doesn't every good writer feel the necessity to write?http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271501Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271501LearningNerd24http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271501http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271501.xmlGreat quote! In that context, the meaning is completely different. If you changed the original examples, though, would their meaning change? "She has a train to catch." "She has to catch a train." "He has a child to feed." "He has to feed a child." One version emphasizes the action more than the object, while the other emphasizes the object more than the action.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271491Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271491MrPedantic25http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271491http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271491.xmlCf. Trollope, in his Autobiography: 1. I have from the first felt sure that the writer, when he sits down to commence his novel, should do so, not because he has to tell a story, but because he has a story to tell. MrPhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271487Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271487LearningNerd26http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htm#271487http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271487.xmlYeah, that is interesting. Even in this case, though, it does express possession in a way, like "I have work to do." Well, it expresses some sort of possession and obligation. I guess you could say it emphasizes the fact that the obligation is yours to take care of. There's a subtle difference between "I have to do something" and "I have something to do" -- but I'm sure everyone has his own opinion of what that subtle difference is.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htmSat, 25 Apr 2009 19:12:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:271472milky27http://www.englishforums.com/English/HaveObjectToVerb/dvvzq/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments35-271472.xmlInteresting that, in modern use, "have + object + to + verb" can express obligation, when it normally expresses possession: She has a train to catch. He has a child to feed.