Grammar part 1
I read (with great interest) the article ‘The Sex and the City tour’ (June 2014) and found the construction subject + have + somebody + infinitive without to (“we’ve all had somebody disappoint us”).
Could you explain its exact meaning and use? Armando
The easiest way to explain this is to say that “We’ve all had somebody disappoint us” is an informal way of saying “We’ve all had the experience of somebody disappointing us” (siamo stati tutti delusi da qualcuno). It is not a very sophisticated construction, but it’s fine in conversation. Other examples could include “We’ve all had someone lie to us” (In other words “We’ve all had the experience of someone lying to us”; “È capitato a tutti che qualcuno ci dicesse delle bugie”).
Grammar part 2
In “The magnificent Mini” (August 2014) there is the sentence “I haven’t seen one in years.” Isn’t it better to say “I haven’t seen one for years?” What is the difference between “in” and “for” in this context? Thank you.
Carol
The expression “I haven’t seen one in years” is correct. It’s another way of saying “I haven’t seen one for years” and in this context (we’re talking about a long period of time) it is actually better. It describes a negative (“I haven’t seen”). In the case of a positive (“We have been going to Spain for our holidays for years”) “for” is better.
Out of the office...
Could you please explain the difference between To Answer, To Reply and To Respond? In the “Out of Office Messages” (talking about emails) I found all the three forms but I would like to know which is the right one, or if there is any difference... Many thanks. Mag
There’s no need to worry: all are perfectly OK. Most people would use “automatic reply” as the title.
How many kids?
Is it correct to say, “I’ve got two kids,” or is better not to use “got” for children?
Stefania
The construction “I’ve got” doesn’t depend on the subject matter, therefore you can definitely say “I’ve got two kids.”