What Is The Difference Between Has and Have? (Everything You Should Know) + Practice Questions

Today, I'll help you to stop one of the common mistakes in English. Has vs Have. You'll barely know you have a problem with these verbs until you use them in conversations.

English Language is no man's land, I must tell you. The simplest things can trip you and make you question things you know. Such is the usage of Has and Have in sentences.

These two verbs get confused especially when you use them with pronouns. For example, you might hear someone say;

• He have finished his homework.

That is very wrong. The correct verb usage is "He has finished his homework". I'm not just going to give you examples here and there, no.

Let's uncover the differences between Has and Have, when to use them in sentences and you'll get some classwork to go with it. I hope you like classwork!

What Is Has and Have?

Before we get to their difference, something that would strengthen your understanding of these verb forms is their meaning. Here it is.

"Has" and "Have" are present tense forms of the verb "to have". They are commonly used to show ownership amongst others.

E.g:

• I have a blue hat

• He has a black car

These are examples of how to use these verbs to show ownership. It's not just ownership though. It can also be used to show;

1. Actions that have been completed

2. Experience

3. Possibility etc.

Fear not, we'll look at them one by one. Let's go further.

Difference Between Has and Have

The main problem you'll have with "has" and "have" is when you are required to use them with certain pronouns. So let me break it down simply.

Has is used with third person singular subjects and singular nouns e,g He, she, it, John, Victoria.

Yes, it's as simple as that. When you have singular third-person pronouns or singular nouns, use has. He has, She has, It has, Victoria has, John has.

That is how you use it. Not You has, I has.

Examples

• Victoria has to go to the salon.

• John has gone to school

• He has finished his food

Have is used with a first-person, second person and third-person plural pronouns e.g I, we, you, they

You use "have" that way. I, we, you, they etc. Note: Have is usually used with a third-person plural subject. Has is used in third-person singular subjects.

Examples

• Bolu and Tobi have gone to school

• They have gone to school

• I have eaten my food

• We have finished our exams.

Note: Third-person pronouns are used to refer to other people and things that are not being directly addressed, without naming them specifically with a noun.

Functions of "Has" and "Have" in Sentences

There are different functions of "Has" and "Have" in sentences. They include.

1. Showing Possibility

When you want to describe actions that could happen but haven't, you use "have" and "has".

• Hold on a sec, did you see that?

• Actions that could happen but haven't (Plural subjects = Have)

Examples

1. He has to be in the hospital on Monday

2. They have to finish wedding the far before Thursday.

When you look at these sentences, they describe occurrences that could happen but haven't happened yet.

2. Actions that have been completed

Completed actions are also indicated with "has" and "have". Note: since the actions have been completed, you should use the verbs in their present perfect form.

What do I mean? Have moved, Has finished, Has created....

Examples

1. He has completed the task he was assigned

2. The children have decided to leave their parents

3. Christian has changed his religion.

These examples show actions that have been completed with verbs in their present perfect tense.

3. Show possession

I have explained that before. "Has" and "Have" helps to show ownership

Examples

1. We have ordered a black Lexus from America

2. She has nothing but love for her big black dog.

Note" With these various examples, I didn't deviate from the main difference between "Has" and "Have". It is compulsory that you understand Has goes along with third person singular subjects and singular nouns and Have goes with first-person, second person and third-person plural pronouns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YytdQIg3a7w

Been & Being - Advanced English Grammar

4. Questions

“Has” and “have” are also used to ask questions. When using them as questions, you would have to use the subject and verb inversely.

What does that mean?

Examples

• Instead of "He has finished his food"

• Say "Has he finished his food?"

Other examples includes'

• Have you gone to school?

• Have they blown the chaff?

• Has he gone through the proposal?

5. Negations

Negations are simple,  use “not” after “have” or “has.”

Examples

• He has not gone through the four walls of the University.

• We have not decided on the next line of action

• Christian has not been in such a mess before

That is it right there, Ladies and Gentlemen. I have broken down how to use "Has" and "Have" as simply as possible. You see that again? "I have" I cannot go on to highlight every single place I used "Has" and "Have" correctly but I'm sure you get it.

Let it be at the back of your mind, write it on the tablet of your heart. Has is attuned to go with third-person singular subjects and singular nouns e,g He, she, it, John, Victoria while first-person, second person and third-person plural pronouns e.g I, we, you, they.

Have you gotten it now? haha, Have you... (I'm on a roll). Her are some practice questions for you to get busy with.

Sure! Here are 30 practice questions divided into three sections to help your audience understand the difference between "has" and "have".

Here are the practice questions I promised you. Did you think i'd forget? (Never!)

Practice Questions

Here are 30 questions that should keep you busy.

Section 1: Fill in the blanks with either “has” or “have”

1. She _________ a beautiful garden in her backyard.

2. They ________ already completed their homework.

3. The dog __________ a new toy to play with.

4. I ___________ seen that movie twice.

5. He ___________ an important meeting this afternoon.

6. We ____________ finished our project ahead of schedule.

7. The car ____________ a full tank of gas.

8. You _______________ to understand the rules before playing the game.

9. The team ________________ won the championship twice.

10. My friend ______________ a spare key to my apartment.

Section 2: Correct the errors with “has” or “have” in the following sentences

1. She have a new laptop.

2. They has gone to the park.

3. The book have a torn cover.

4. He have finished his dinner.

5. We has been waiting for an hour.

6. The flowers has bloomed beautifully.

7. You has to listen carefully.

8. My cat have caught a mouse.

9. They has bought a new house.

10. She have a lot of friends.

Section 3: Circle the correct verb

1. He (has/have) a new bicycle.

2. They (has/have) been to Paris.

3. She (has/have) a meeting at 3 PM.

4. We (has/have) never seen such a thing.

5. The dog (has/have) a collar with his name on it.

6. You (has/have) to try this cake.

7. The company (has/have) launched a new product.

8. I (has/have) finished my assignment.

9. The students (has/have) prepared for the exam.

10. My sister (has/have) a beautiful singing voice.

These exercises should help reinforce your understanding of when to use "has" and "have" in different contexts. Are you satisfied? My objective is to make things easy for you and I hope I have done that.

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Has He Finished Yet?

Yes, I have finished. Just like that, I have shown you the difference between"Has" and "Have" for the last time. He is a third-person singular pronoun and goes with Has, it is also asking a question.

I is a first-person pronoun and goes with Have. That's all for today, Ladies and Gentlemen.