There is/are, there was/were etc.

A When a noun representing an indefinite person or thing is the subject of the verb be we normally use a there + be + noun construction. We can say A policeman is at the door but There is a policeman at the door would be more usual.

Note that, though there appears to be the subject, the real subject is the noun that follows the verb, and if this noun is plural the verb must be plural too:

There are two policemen at the door.

In the above sentences both constructions (noun + be and there + be + noun) are possible. But when be is used to mean exist/happen/ take place the there construction is necessary:

There is a mistake/There are mistakes in this translation. These sentences could not be rewritten A mistake is/Mistakes are etc.

In the following examples (R) is placed after the example when the there construction is replaceable by noun/pronoun + verb:

There have been several break-ins this year.

There will be plenty of room for everyone.

There were hundreds of people on the beach. (R)

B there can be used similarly with someone/anyone/no one/something etc.- There's someone on the phone for you. (R)

C there + be + something/nothing/anything + adjective is also possible:

Is there anything wrong (with your car)? (R) ~

No, there's nothing wrong with it. (R)

There's something odd/strange about this letter.

D A noun or someone/something etc. could be followed by a relative clause:

There's a film I want to see. There's something I must say. or by an infinitive:

There's nothing to do. (nothing that we can do/must do; see 250)

E The there construction can be used with another auxiliary + be:

There must be no doubt about this. There may be a letter for me. or with seem + be, appear + be:

There seems to be something wrong here.

F there used as above is always unstressed.

Be careful not to confuse there used in this way with there, stressed, used as an adverb:

There's a man I want to see. (He is standing by the door.) Compare with:

There's a man I want to see. (This man exists.)

117 it is and there is compared

For uses of it is, see 67.

Some examples may help to prevent confusion between the two forms:

1 it is + adjective; there is + noun:

It is foggy or There is a fog.

It was very wet or There was a lot of rain.

It won't be very sunny or There won't be much sun.

2 it is, there is of distance and time:

// is a long way to York.

There is a long way still to go. (We have many miles still to go.)

It is time to go home. (We always start home at six and it is six now.)

There is time for us to go home and come back here again before the

film starts. (That amount of time exists.)

3 it is, used for identity, and there is + noun/pronoun:

There is someone at the door. I think it's the man to read the meters. There's a key here. Is it the key of the safe?

it is, used in cleft sentences (see 67 D), and there is:

It is the grandmother who makes the decisions, (the grandmother, not any other member of the family)

. and there's the grandmother, who lives in the granny-flat. (the grandmother exists)

have as an auxiliary verb

US Form and use in the formation of tenses A Form

Principal parts: have, had, had Gerund/present participle: having

Present tense:

Alternative negative contractions (chiefly used in perfect tenses): I've not, you've not, he's not etc.

Negative interrogative: have I not/haven't I? have you not/haven't you? has he not/hasn't he? etc.

Past tense:

Affirmative: had/'d for all persons

Negative: had not/hadn't for all persons

Interrogative: had I? etc.

Negative interrogative: had I not/hadn't I? etc.

Other tenses follow the rules for ordinary verbs.

B Use to form tenses

have is used with the past participle to form the following tenses:

Present perfect: I have worked.

Past perfect: / had worked.

Future perfect: / will/shall have worked.

Perfect conditional: / would/should have worked.

119 have + object + past participle

A This construction can be used to express more neatly sentences of the type 'I employed someone to do something for me'; i.e. instead of saying / employed someone to clean my car we can say / had my car cleaned, and instead of I got a man to sweep my chimneys ('got' here = paid/persuaded etc.), we can say / had my chimneys swept.

Note that this order of words, i.e. have + object + past participle, must be observed as otherwise the meaning will be changed: He had his hair cut means he employed someone to do it, but He had cut his hair means that he cut it himself some time before the time of speaking (past perfect tense).

When have is used in this way the negative and interrogative of its present and past tenses are formed with do:

Do you have your windows cleaned every month? ~ I don't have

them cleaned; I clean them myself.

He was talking about having central heating put in. Did he have it

put in in the end? It can also be used in continuous tenses:

/ can't ask you to dinner this week as I am having my house painted

at the moment.

While I was having my hair done the police towed away my car.

The house is too small and he is having a room built on. get can be used in the same way as have above but is more colloquial. get is also used when we mention the person who performs the action:

She got him to dig away the snow. (She paid/persuaded him

to dig etc.)

(have with a bare infinitive can be used in the same way, e.g. She had him dig away the snow, but the get construction is much more usual in British English.)

B The have + object + past participle construction can also be used colloquially to replace a passive verb, usually one concerning some accident or misfortune:

His fruit was stolen before he had a chance to pick it

can be replaced by

He had his fruit stolen before he had a chance to pick it, and

Two of his teeth were knocked out in the fight can be replaced by

He had two of his teeth knocked out.

It will be seen that, whereas in A above the subject is the person who orders the thing to be done, here the subject is the person who suffers as a result of the action. The subject could be a thing:

The houses had their roofs ripped off by the gale. get can also replace have here:

The cat got her tail singed through sitting too near the fire. (The

cat's tail was singed etc.)

120 had better + bare infinitive

had here is an unreal past; the meaning is present or future:

I had/I'd better ring him at once/tomorrow. (This would be a good

thing to do/the best thing to do.) The negative is formed with not after better:

You had better not miss the last bus. (It would be unwise to miss it,

or I advise/warn you not to miss it.)

had here is usually contracted after pronouns and in speech is sometimes so unstressed as to be almost inaudible. had better is not normally used in the ordinary interrogative, but is sometimes used in the negative interrogative as an advice form:

Hadn 't you better ask him first? =

Wouldn 't it be a good thing to ask him first? you had better is a very useful advice form:

You had better fly. (It would be best for you to fly, or I advise

you to fly.)

In indirect speech had better with the first or third person remains unchanged; had better with the second person can remain unchanged or be reported by advise + object + infinitive:

He said, 'I'd better hurry' =

He said (that) he 'd better hurry.

He said, 'Ann had better hurry' =

He said (that) Ann had better hurry.

He said, 'You'd better hurry' =

He said (that) I'd better hurry or

He advised me to hurry.

121 have + object + present participle

A This expression is often used with a period of future time:

/'// have you driving in three days. (As a result of my efforts, you will be driving in three days.)

It can also be used in the past or present:

He had them all dancing. (He taught/persuaded them all to dance.) / have them all talking to each other. (I encourage/persuade them all to talk to each other.)

It can be used in the interrogative:

Will you really have her driving in three days?

but is not often used in the negative.

B If you give all-night parties you 'II have the neighbours complaining.

(The neighbours will complain/will be complaining.) If film-stars put their numbers in telephone books they'd have everyone ringing them up. (Everyone would ring/would be ringing them up.)

you'll have in the first example conveys the idea 'this will happen to you'. Similarly they'd have in the second example conveys the idea 'this would happen to them'.

If you don't put a fence round your garden you 'II have people walking

in and stealing your fruit. (People will walk in and steal/will be

walking in and stealing it, i.e. this will happen to you.) The construction can be used in the interrogative and negative:

When they move that bus stop, you won't have people sitting on your

steps waiting for the bus any more.

This structure is chiefly used for actions which would be displeasing to the subject of have, as in the above example, but it can be used for an action which is not displeasing:

When he became famous, he had people stopping him in the street and

asking for his autograph =

When he became famous, people stopped him in the street and asked

for his autograph.

But I won't have + object + present participle normally means 'I won't/don't allow this':

/ won't have him sitting down to dinner in his overalls. I make him

change them. (I won't/don't allow him to sit down etc.) This use is restricted to the first person. (For have used for obligation, see chapter 14.)

have as an ordinary verb

122 have meaning 'possess' and 'suffer (from) pain/illness/disability'

A Examples:

He has a black beard. I have had this car for ten years. Have you got a headache? ~ Yes, I have. The twins have mumps. He has a weak heart.

B Form

Note that the negative and interrogative can be formed in two ways.

C have is conjugated with do for habitual actions:

Do you often hare headache¹,? ~ No. I don't.

When there is not this idea of habit, the have not (got)/have you (got) forms are more usual in Britain, whereas other English-speaking countries (notably America) use the do forms here also. An American might say:

Can you help me now? Do you have time?

where an Englishman would probably say:

Can you help me now? Have you got time?

do forms can therefore be used safely throughout, but students living in Britain should practise the other forms as well.

D got can be added to have/have not/have you etc. as shown above. It makes no difference to the sense so it is entirely optional, but it is quite a common addition, got, however, is not added in short answers or question tags:

Have you got an ice-axe? ~ Yes, I have.

She's got a nice voice, hasn 't she? have (affirmative) followed by got is usually contracted:

I've got my ticket. He's got a flat in Pimlico. The stress falls on got. The 've or 's is often barely audible. have (affirmative) without got is often not contracted. The have or has must then be audible.

123 have meaning 'take' (a meal), 'give' (a party) etc.

A have can also be used to mean:

'take' (a meal/food or drink, a bath/a lesson etc.)

'give' (a party), 'entertain' (guests)

'encounter' (difficulties/trouble)

'experience', 'enjoy', usually with an adjective, e.g. good.

We have lunch at one.

They are having a party tomorrow.

Did you have trouble with Customs?

I hope you 'II have a good holiday.

B have when used as above obeys the rules for ordinary verbs:

It is never followed by got.

Its negative and interrogative are made with do/did.

It can be used in the continuous tenses.

We are having breakfast early tomorrow, (near future)

She is having twenty people to dinner next Monday, (near future)

/ can't answer the telephone; I am having a bath, (present)

How many English lessons do you have a week? ~ I have six.

You have coffee at eleven, don't you? (habit)

Ann has breakfast in bed, but Mary doesn 't. (habit)

Will you have some tea/coffee etc.? (This is an invitation. We can

also omit Will you and say Have some tea etc.)

Did you have a good time at the theatre? (Did you enjoy yourself?)

Have a good time! (Enjoy yourself!)

/ am having a wonderful holiday.

I didn 't have a very good journey.

Do you have earthquakes in your country? ~ Yes, but we don't have

them very often.

Do

124 Form

Principal parts: do, did, done Gerund/present participle: doing

Present tense:

Negative interrogative: do I not/don't I? do you not/don't you? does he not/doesn't he? etc.

do as an ordinary verb has the affirmative shown above. But for negative and interrogative we add the infinitive do to the above forms: What does/did she do? (See 126.)

Past tense:

Affirmative: did for all persons

Negative: did not/didn 't for all persons

Interrogative: did he? etc.

Negative interrogative: did he not/didn't he? etc.

do is followed by the bare infinitive:

/ don't know. Did you see it? He doesn 't like me.

125 do used as an auxiliary

A do is used to form the negative and interrogative of the present simple and past simple tenses of ordinary verbs (see 103-5): He doesn't work. He didn 't work. Does he work? Did he work?

B It is possible to use do/did + infinitive in the affirmative also when we wish to add special emphasis. It is chiefly used when another speaker has expressed doubt about the action referred to:

You didn't see him. ~ I \did see him. (The did is strongly stressed in speech. This is more emphatic than the normal I saw him.) I know that you didn't expect me to go, but 1 \did go.

C do is used to avoid repetition of a previous ordinary verb:

1 In short agreements and disagreements (see 109):

Tom talks too much. ~ Yes, he does/No, he doesn't. He didn't go. ~ No, he didn't/Oh yes, he did.

2 In additions (see 112):

He likes concerts and so do we. (Note inversion.)

He lives here but I don't. He doesn't drive but I do.

3 In question tags (see also 110):

He lives here, doesn't he? He didn't see you, did he?

D do is used in short answers to avoid repetition of the main verb: Do you smoke? ~ Yes, I do (not Yes, I smoke)/No, I don't. Did you see him? ~ Yes, I did/No, I didn't. (See 108.)

E Similarly in comparisons (see 22): He drives faster than I do.

F do + imperative makes a request or invitation more persuasive: Do come with us. (more persuasive than Come with us.) Do work a little harder. Do help me, please.

G It can similarly be used as an approving or encouraging affirmative answer to someone asking for approval of, or permission to do, some action: Shall I write to him? ~ Yes, do or Do alone.

126 do used as an ordinary verb

do, like have, can be used as an ordinary verb. It then forms its negative and interrogative in the simple present and past with do/did:

/ do not do do you do? don't you do?

he does not do does he do? doesn't he do?

I did not do did he do? didn't he do? etc.

It can be used in the continuous forms, or simple forms:

What are you doing (now)? —I'm doing my homework.

What's he doing tomorrow? (near future)

What does he do in the evenings? (habit)

Why did you do it? ~ I did it because I was angry. How do you do? is said by both parties after an introduction:

HOSTESS: Mr Day, may I introduce Mr Davis? Mr Davis, Mr Day. Both men say How do you do? Originally this was an enquiry about the other person's health. Now it is merely a formal greeting.

Some examples of other uses of do:

He doesn't do what he's told, (doesn't obey orders)

What do you do for a living? ~ I'm an artist.

How's the new boy doing? (getting on)

/ haven't got a torch. Will a candle do? (= be suitable/adequate) ~

A candle won't do. I'm looking for a gas leak. (A candle would be

unsuitable.)

Would £ 10 do? (= be adequate) ~ No, it wouldn't. I need £ 20. to do with (in the infinitive only) can mean 'concern'. It is chiefly used in the construction it is/was something/nothing to do with + noun/ pronoun/gerund: It's nothing to do with you = It doesn't concern you.

12 may and can for permission and possibility

Permission

127 may used for permission: forms

may for all persons in the present and future.

might in the conditional and after verbs in a past tense.

Negative: may not/mayn't, might not/mightn't

Interrogative: may I? might I? etc.

Negative interrogative: may I not/mayn't I? might I not/mightn't I? etc.

Other forms are supplied by allow, be allowed.

may is followed by the bare infinitive.

128 can used for permission: forms

can for all persons in the present and future.

could for past and conditional.

Negative: cannot/can't, could not/couldn't

Interrogative: can I? could I? etc.

Negative interrogative: can I not/can't I? could I not/couldn 't I? etc.

Other forms are supplied by allow, be allowed.

can is followed by the bare infinitive.

129 may and can used for permission in the present or future

A First person

I/we can is the most usual form:

/ can take a day off whenever I want. I/we may meaning 'I/we have permission to...'is possible:

/ may leave the office as soon as I have finished.

But this is not a very common construction and it would be much more usual to say:

/ can leave/I'm allowed to leave... I/we may/might is a little more usual in indirect speech:

'You may leave when you've finished, ' he says/said =

He says we may leave/He said we might leave... But in colloquial speech we would use can/could:

He says we can leave/He said we could leave.

g Second person

Here may is chiefly used when the speaker is giving permission. You may park here means 'I give you permission to park'. It does not normally mean The police etc. allow you to park' or 'You have a right to park'.

can can be used as an informal alternative to may here. But it can also be used to express the idea of having permission. You can park here can mean 'I allow it/The police allow it/You have a right to park here'. Similarly You can take two books home with you can mean 'I allow it/The library allows it' and You can't eat sandwiches in the library can mean 'I don't allow it/The librarian doesn't allow it' or 'It isn't the proper thing to do'. could can be used when there is an idea of condition:

Why don't you ring him? You can/could use my phone. could is also used in indirect speech introduced by a verb in a past tense:

He said I could use his phone.

C Third person

may can be used as in B above when the speaker is giving permission:

He may take my car. (I give him permission to take it.)

They may phone the office and reverse the charges.

(I give them permission.)

But it is chiefly used in impersonal statements concerning authority and permission:

In certain circumstances a police officer may (= has the right to) ask

a driver to take a breath test.

If convicted, an accused person may (= has the right to) appeal.

SCRABBLE RULES: No letter may be moved after it has been played. In informal English can/can't would be used:

He can take the car.

They can phone the office.

A police officer can ask a driver...

An accused person can appeal.

No letter can be moved...

130 could or was/were allowed to for permission in the past

could can also express general permission in the past:

On Sundays we could ( = were allowed to) stay up late. When a particular action was permitted and performed we use was/were allowed instead of could:

/ had a visa so I was allowed to cross the frontier. couldn't however can be used a little more widely than could:

We couldn 't bring our dog into the restaurant. The opposite of this would be:

We were allowed to bring etc.

For perfect and continuous tenses and passives allowed must be used'

Since his accident he hasn't been allowed to drive.

As a child he had been allowed to do exactly what he liked. (For might/could in indirect speech, see 129 A.)

131 Requests for permission (see also 283)

A can I?, could I?, may I?, might I? are all possible and can be used for the present or future, can I? is the most informal. could I? is the most generally useful of the four, as it can express both formal and informal requests.

may I? is a little more formal than could I? but can also be used for both types of requests.

might I? is more diffident than may I? and indicates greater uncertainty about the answer.

B The negative interrogative forms can't I? and couldn't I? are used to show that the speaker hopes for an affirmative answer: Can't I stay up till the end of the programme? Couldn 't I pay by cheque? may and might are not used in this way.

C Answers to can I/could I requests will normally be:

Yes, you can. Yes, of course (you can). No, you can't.

Affirmative answers to may I/might I requests are normally: Yes, you may. Yes, of course (you may).

For a negative answer No, you may not is possible but it would normally

be replaced by a milder expression:

I'd rather you didn't. I'm afraid not.

D Questions about permission are expressed by can or am/is/are

allowed to in the present and by could or was/were allowed to in

the past:

Can Tom use the car whenever he likes?

Is Tom allowed to use the car...?

Could students choose what they wanted to study?

Were students allowed to choose...?

Possibility

132 may/might for possibility

A Form

may/might for present and future.

might in the conditional and after verbs in the past tense.

Negative: may not/mayn't, might not/mightn't

Interrogative: see E below

Infinitive: to be + likely

r may/might + present infinitive can express possibility in the present or future:

He may/might tell his wife. (Perhaps he tells/will tell his wife.) He may/might emigrate. (Perhaps he will emigrate.) Ann may/might know Tom's address. (Perhaps Ann knows etc.) Similarly with the continuous infinitive:

He may/might be waiting at the station. (Perhaps he is waiting at the station.)

He may/might be waiting at the station when we arrive. (Perhaps he will be waiting etc.)

C may or might for present or future possibility

Normally either can be used, might slightly increases the doubt. Note that in speech we can also indicate increased doubt by stressing may/might. Tom may lend you the money (with a strong stress on may) implies that this is not very likely. Tom \might lend you the money (with a strong stress on might) implies 'I don't think this is at all likely/ I think it is unlikely'.

D might must be used in the conditional and when the expression is introduced by a verb in the past tense: If you invited him he might come. I knew we might have to wait at the frontier. He said he might hire a car. (indirect speech)

E may/might in the negative and interrogative The negative presents no problems:

He may/might not believe your story. (Perhaps he won't/doesn't

believe your story.)

The interrogative is normally expressed by do you think? or a construction with be + likely:

Do you think he's alone?

Do you think he believes your story?

Is it likely that the plane will be late?

Is the plane likely to be late?

may? for possibility very seldom introduces a sentence. It may be placed later on:

When may we expect you?

What may be the result of the new tax? But a construction with be + likely or think is more usual:

When are you likely to arrive?

What do you think the result will be? might? is just possible:

Might they be waiting outside the station?

But Could they be waiting? or Do you think they are waiting? would be more usual (see 134). may/might in the affirmative, however, can form part of a question:

Do you think he may/might not be able to pay? (See 104 for this type of question.)

133 may/might + perfect infinitive

A This is used in speculations about past actions:

He may/might have gone =

It is possible that he went/has gone or

Perhaps he went/has gone.

might must be used, as shown in 132 D, when the main verb is in a past tense:

He said/thought that she might have missed the plane. might, not may, must be used when the uncertainty no longer exists:

He came home alone. You shouldn't have let him do that; he might

have got lost. (But he didn't get lost.) So in the sentence:

You shouldn 't have drunk the wine: it may/might have been drugged the words it may have been drugged would indicate that we are still uncertain whether it was drugged or not. it might have been drugged could have the same meaning but could also mean that we know it wasn't drugged.

might, not may, is also used when the matter was never put to the test, as in:

Perhaps we should have taken the other road. It might have been

quicker.

It's a good thing you didn't lend him the money. You might never

have got it back.

Sentences of this kind are very similar to the third type of conditional sentence:

If we had taken the other road we might have arrived earlier.

B may/might can be used in conditional sentences instead of will/would to indicate a possible instead of a certain result:

If he sees you he will stop, (certain)

If he sees you he may stop, (possible) Similarly:

If you poured hot water into it, it might crack and

If you had left it'there someone might have stolen it. (See 223 B.)