To Have and To Be

I teach writing and grammar, so I spend a lot of time wondering about the language and how we use it. As I writer, I spend a lot of time looking and listening at how we use the language.

From Grammarly.com

And while the irregular verbs “to be” and “to have” have been around a long time, we use them differently, and that makes a big difference in how we think.

Consider these sentences:

“I have a cold.”

“I have had cancer.”

“She has the makings of a great writer.”

Then consider these sentences:

“She is stupid.”

“He is weak.”

“You are a bad writer.”

It’s so interesting that we shift from owning or having something to being something–but when we are something, it is a part of our very makeup. We don’t have to think of ourselves as being cancer, but weaknesses? We own ‘em.

Something to think about.

Note: Congratulations to Marge Pelligrino who wins the copy of Handcrafted Jounrals, Albums, Scrapbooks and More–Congratulations, Marge! And thanks for reading my blog. Send me your mailing address [QuinnCreative [at] Yahoo [dot] com] and the book will be on the way.

–Quinn McDonald is a writer in love with the language.

Filed under: The Writing Life Tagged: grammar, syntax, word use, writing