Glizdka
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- Apr 13, 2019
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- Polish
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Not a teacherIt could be used for both, because both questions contain the word "have".
Have you got a book?
No, I haven't.
Do you have a book?
No, I haven't.
However, "No, I don't" is the more likely response to "Do you have a book?"
I apologize for the intrusion, but I'm surprised by your answer, emsr2d2.
To be clear, I'm not trying to insinuate that you're wrong, or disparage you; I'm just looking for an answer because I might want to reconsider how I feel about this particular example.
I'm going to present how I currently feel about it so as you may judge my way of thinking. Please, tell me what you think, and whether you agree with me.
I was taught the auxiliary/modal verb used in the question and the auxiliary/modal verb used in the answer must agree with each other unless you mean to change the tense/aspect in your answer to modify/specify the circumstances, different from those in the original question you've been asked, or want to correct the person who's asked the question because their original sentence was ungrammatical.
A: Do you believe in Santa Claus?
B: I did, as a kid.
A: Did you ever eat an octopus?
B: No, I haven't
The exchange...
...sounds erroneous to me because the auxiliaries don't agree.A: Do you have a book?
B: Yes, I have.
In case of "Do you have...", I see have as the main verb, and do as the auxiliary. The answer should use the auxiliary, not the main verb.
In other words, the exchange...
...sounds about as erroneous to me as...A: Do you have a book?
B: Yes, I have.
...and, to be fair, I'm surprised you do consider it correct, even if less common/inadvisable to use.A: Do you like ice cream?
B: Yes, I like.
I would use "Yes, I have"/"No, I haven't" only if the auxiliary in the original question was the verb have. e.g., "Have you got...?"/"Have you had...?"
If answers to a sentence with the main verb have can be formed that way ("Do you have...?" → "Yes, I have"), why?
Is it just that have is a special case, an exception?
Does it have anything to do with the fact that "I haven't a book"/"Have you a book?" used to be much more popular, and it still lingers to this day expressing itself in cases such as this one?
Do you really think it's perfectly acceptable in modern English?
Do you think learners should emulate this?
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