I`ve got a problem with *have got*

[Esprit]

Thank you. I stand corrected. To me "the wife and me" just does not sound nice. The host greeted my wife and I just seems to flow nicer or as they now seem to say "more nice". The best one of these I heard the other day was when a news reader said that something was "more worse". Oh dear.

 

[5jj]

Thank you. I stand corrected. To me "the wife and me" just does not sound nice. The host greeted my wife and I just seems to flow nicer

You can, of course, say what you wish. Our members, however, need to know that some people would regard the sentence I have underlined as sub-standard, and many teachers and examiners would mark it as a mistake - as they would have done when you and I were at school.

 

[Esprit]

After posting my last comment, I asked my wife what she thought, as her schooling was in South Africa as against mine in North London. She said that her English teacher said that one should never use the word 'me' in that context, but use the word I. So it would appear that both of our English teachers in the early 1950s were incorrect.

 

[5jj]

After posting my last comment, I asked my wife what she thought, as her schooling was in South Africa as against mine in North London. She said that her English teacher said that one should never use the word 'me' in that context, but use the word I. So it would appear that both of our English teachers in the early 1950s were incorrect.

I think it's more likely that the avoidance of 'Me and my wife'/My wife and me went to the party' was so hammered into you that you went to the extreme of thinking that 'My wife and me' was always incorrect. This hyper-correction is quite common.

I was at school in England through the 1950s, and I never heard a teacher fall into this trap. I have heard teachers educated later do it.

 

[Esprit]

I was wondering if you had a comment on my post regarding the use of the word Palls rather than Pales with respect to Palls into insignificance. When I search Palls it would appear that there are 9000 odd posts that agree with me, but there are far more that use the word Pales. I wonder where I can search to find the original use of the phrase and the word used?. Regards

 

[konungursvia]

"I came on the subway."
Both "I've got here on the subway" and "I got here on the subway" sound strange. But I'd prefer the second if you had to pick one of these. There's no need for the present perfect, just as you would not say, "I've come on the subway."
You are no longer on the subway. It's in the past. Use the past tense.

"I got here on the subway." This works in AmE, as does: "I got here by subway."

 

[Tdol]

The host greeted my wife and I just seems to flow nicer

However, it may make some people grimace.

 

[konungursvia]

However, it may make some people grimace.

Like me. I've always been an analytical lad, so I break it up: The host greeted me. Correct. The host greeted my wife. Correct. The host greeted me and my wife, or my wife and me. Correct, and correct.

The host greeted I. Only if you're Bob Marley.

 

[emsr2d2]

The host greeted I. Only if you're Bob Marley.

And even then, it would be "The host greeted I and I".

 

[billmcd]

Dear friends, I need help!
Situation: I want to tell a person, that I`ve spent a lot of time in subway to arrive to the place of meeting. So my opponent thinks that I can say - *I`ve got here by subway*, but I`m not quite sure, that this form is correct.
Please tell me, if it`s wrong :roll:

What kind of monster have you created Nataly? :-o But let me add to the "creation". First, in describing the "situation", you used the term "in subway". If you are referring to the underground facility it should be "in the subway", but if you are referring to passengers' vehicle, as I think you are, it should be "on the subway". That said and with regard to the speaker's statement, in AmE you would typically hear/read "I got here on the subway" or "by subway" or "I came on the subway" or "by subway". Finally, with regard to one of the several other responder's statement about the rule of never using "got", I must admit that I am a frequent violator of that "rule".

 

[Nataly B]

I`m surprised :roll: so much discussion!
But I`m not quite sure, that I`ve got an answer.
I still don`t understand :turn-l:: "I've got here on the subway" - is it possible to use "`ve" in this example?

Many thanks for your attention)

 

[Tdol]

Don't use it. It's possible to create a context where it might be said, but as many people said, it's not a natural sentence.

 

[me2u]

Dear friends, I need help!
Situation: I want to tell a person, that I`ve spent a lot of time in subway to arrive to the place of meeting. So my opponent thinks that I can say - *I`ve got here by subway*, but I`m not quite sure, that this form is correct.
Please tell me, if it`s wrong :roll:

I came by subway.

I arrived by subway.

 

[me2u]

I`m surprised :roll: so much discussion!
But I`m not quite sure, that I`ve got an answer.
I still don`t understand :turn-l:: "I've got here on the subway" - is it possible to use "`ve" in this example?

Many thanks for your attention)

No. You do not use "I've" or "got." One does not say, "I have got here..." Instead, it should be something like, "I arrived by subway." Or, "I came by subway."

 

[PahaSapa]

In my opinion "I took the subway" is the most natural if the statement is not only meant to convey by what means of transportation you arrived but also to imply why it may have taken longer than expected.

Furthermore if "I've got here" is proper it certainly sounds ghastly in its lack of naturalism.

Now you could say something like "I've gotten here a hundred times by subway, but its never taken this long!"

Keep in mind gotten is in the past. You could also say "I got here an hour ago" or "I got here by subway" but not "I've got here" UNLESS you said "I've got here by subway before" as in "I have (at one time) got here by subway"