Part 2
1. The continuous form ('are having') is unacceptable. Have is a non-continuous verb when it means 'to possess' or 'to own':
✅ I have a car.
❌ I am having a car.
✅ Sam has twenty dollars.
❌ Sam is having twenty dollars.
✅ Susan has lots of friends.
❌ Susan is having lots of friends.
✅ Do you have a calculator?
❌ Are you having a calculator?
✅ Anna has a pleasant personality.
❌ Anna is having a pleasant personality.
Have can be continuous only when it expresses an action or an experience:
✅ We are having pizza for lunch.
✅ They are having a meeting now.
✅ I'm having so much fun right now.
✅ Tom was having dinner when I called.
✅ Susan was having nightmares for many weeks after the accident.
2. We can relax our muscles, but we don't 'relax ourselves'—the verb has no object in that case:
✅ Just sit down and try to relax.
❌ Just sit down and try to relax yourself.
✅ After a hard day at work, I just want to relax.
❌ After a hard day at work, I just want to relax myself.
✅ Chris finished his work and then relaxed in the sun.
❌ Chris finished his work and then relaxed himself in the sun.
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Also by Spencer Lam
Part 1: Should We Say 'A Tiger', 'The Tiger', or 'Tigers'?
Part 3: 'Exchange Program' or 'Exchanging Program'?
Part 4: 'Yours sincerely' or 'Yours faithfully'?
Part 5: Should We Say 'Take Bus', 'Take the Bus', or 'Take a Bus'?
Part 6: 'I Afraid' or 'I Am Afraid'?
Part 7: 'Date Someone' or 'Date with Someone'?
Part 8: A Missing Relative Pronoun
Part 9: Are 'Basketball', 'Football', and 'Badminton' Countable or Uncountable?
Part 10: 'Every Time' or 'Every Time When'?
Part 11: Should 'Mum' Be Capitalised? (Read this blog post for a more in-depth discussion of the topic.)
Part 12: 'Grammar' or 'Grammer'?
Part 13: 'List Something' or 'List Out Something'? (Read this blog post for a more in-depth discussion of the topic.)
Other Real-World Examples of Misuse
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| 1. In the phrase use a web page to advertise something and give information about it, the infinitive to advertise and give should be parallel. The original error involved treating gives as if it had a separate subject, whereas it actually shares the infinitive form introduced by to (to advertise, to give). Therefore, give is correct, ensuring that both verbs are in the infinitive form and correctly parallel. 2. Regarding the use of yourself in relax yourself, the reflexive form is unnecessary. The verb relax is typically used intransitively in this context, meaning it does not require a direct object. Simply using relax is more natural and grammatically correct. 3. It is unnatural to use around without a complement in this context. In the revised sentence, the addition of them, referring back to customers, clarifies what around pertains to. Alternatively, one could use phrases like the natural surroundings or the surrounding natural environment to avoid the need for a pronoun while maintaining clarity and flow. (Source: English Smart Class Weekly Language Practices (4B)) (Also from the Same Series: 1/2/3) |
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