20 Jul
“My exams has started” or “My exams have started”?
Which sentence is grammatically correct, “My exams has started” or “My exams have started”?
Which sentence is grammatically correct, “My exams has started” or “My exams have started”? This is where we almost all stumbled before answering. Use of has and have is complicated to understand; however easy to identify if you have the right concept.
In the above question, there are two sentences, “My exams has started” or “My exams have started”? The correct one is “My exams have started.” How and Why? We will look into this issue in the article below.
Use of Has and Have in a sentence.
The use of Has and have can be confusing. This is because they are the same semantically; however, the difference between them is syntactic. The word Has or Have can have various meanings, but mostly the meaning associated is to own or possess something.
The pronouns I, we, have been used. Whereas He, She, and It are used with Has.
Which sentence is grammatically correct, “My exams has started” or “My exams have started”?
How do you use Have?
Have is basically conjunction used in the following ways:
- The first person (I, we)
- Addressing in the second person (you)
- addressing in the third person plural (they)
- For example, in the sentence “They have two dogs?” Has was not applicable, and Have is the correct choice because the word “They” here is third person plural pronoun.
How do you use has?
The use of Has is slightly different from that of have. It is a conjugation that can be used in the following ways:
Addressing in the third person singular (he, she, and it). For example, if We analyze the sentence “The writer has shown us reality through his work.” Here the writer is a singular entity; thus, “has” is used.
How do you use to have and has with other verbs?
Possibility of the usage. Above were the basics of using has and have in a sentence. Now we will talk about the use of these two words with other verbs.
Any sentence that shows possession or owning something is used (I have a laptop). This is an example of a simple sentence If we see it in a more complicated way. An example can be (I have to fix my laptop). This is the use of having with other verbs.
Using Has or Have in a sentence can also be said as a possibility that can be done or has the possibility of happening.
Which sentence is grammatically correct, “My exams has started” or “My exams have started”? Indicating completed action
Has and have can also be used in a sentence to communicate that the verb indicating the action was finished before the present. To do that, you would have to create which we call the present perfect tense; this tense involves more complex time relationships, and it also combines has, had, or have with a verb:
- We have waited for days to get these tickets.
- They have finished their job on time.
- He has learned an important lesson.
In the following sentence, “He has played the flute for six years,” here “has” is used as an auxiliary verb (a type of helping verb used to construct verb forms), and “played” is a past participle. As mentioned in the previous examples, “has” is always used with a 3rd person singular pronoun.
This stuff is a bit complex, so if you are having a hard time remembering all these rules, don’t feel bad for yourself. What’s important is to remember that together, has and a past participle just like “played” from the previously mentioned example of the present perfect tense.
For example:
You have to go to a party tonight. He has to take his medicine before dinner. These actions have not occurred yet. As before, have is used with the pronouns I, you, we, and they, while has is used with he, she, and it.
Which sentence is grammatically correct, “My exams has started” or “My exams have started”? Difference Between Has And Have Usage
While we compare the two words explaining the difference, The shortest answer is Has is used while addressing with a third person (singular). It is also used with proper nouns or names of people. On the other hand, the verb “have” is used to address first and second person singular and third-person plural.
The above statement can be confusing if we are not fully aware of the rules. Examples can make you understand this phenomenon more precisely.
Examples;
- John often has first aid boxes.
- Kiara has a dog.
- She has her own firm. ( In these examples, Has is used as the subject is third-person singular or a proper noun)
- I have to solve some issues with you.
- They have participated in a football tournament.
- I have my own work. (These examples use “Have” as the subject is a first-person pronoun and third-person plural.)
Now let’s prove the question we answered in this article.
“My exams has started” or “My exams have started.”
Applying the rule of English here where The verb “Has” Or “Have” must agree with its subject in terms of number, i.e., singular and plural pronouns.
In this sentence, “My Exams” can be seen as third person plural and, according to the rules, “ Have is the correct verb to be used with the mentioned subject.
“My exams have started.” is the correct one (proved)
Conclusion
Has and Have are two verbs with similar meanings. The difference between them is whether the subject is singular/ plural or which person pronoun. This makes the difference while we use one of these verbs.
The simplest tip to remember the difference between these two is to memorize the key difference: when you address a sentence with I, you, we, or they use to have while using pronouns like He, She, It use Has. 95% of this one rule will result in incorrectness.
If this sounds confusing, you can always apply the rules mentioned above in simple and easy-to-understand language. Grammar can be confusing; however, if we grasp the rules, the wrong sentences will automatically make no sense to us.
After reading this article, you won’t ever again wonder to yourself, “Should I use has or have?” or the difficulty to choose the right one diminishes.