Cerca tra vari insegnanti di Inglese...
Bunch
What have I to fear?
Here's a quote from The Avengers, 2012 film.
Loki : The Chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?
I am not sure "What have I to fear" is correct.
I think it should have written "What do I have to fear?" Why "do" is omitted?
Did he used correct English? or "do" can be often omitted in spoken English?
"What have I to fear" VS "What do I have to fear".
Could you please help me understand?
9 apr 2014 10:36
Risposte · 6
2
Yes, in normal speech your version is correct.
I don't know about the grammar of your example, but it is an unusual style - sort-of poetic.
9 aprile 2014
1
'Have' is usually only an auxiliary verb with a perfect tense.
Ex.
Have you done...?
Do you have a...?
'Have' used to be an auxiliary verb in all situations and it's sometimes still used like that in old-fashioned or poetic speech. I've also been told that it's still commonly used like that in some parts of England.
9 aprile 2014
1
Bunch:
English is a flexible language. It is correct as written.
9 aprile 2014
Doubt not, for correct it is. :)
It sounds a little poetic because it's a throwback to old Germanic grammar. You'll notice that Loki is the speaker, so it's appropriate that his style of speech sounds like something Shakespeare would have written.
There's more then one English.... many, many more...
9 aprile 2014
Non hai ancora trovato le tue risposte?
Scrivi le tue domande e lascia che i madrelingua ti aiutino!
Bunch
Competenze linguistiche
Inglese, Coreano
Lingua di apprendimento
Inglese
Altri articoli che potrebbero piacerti

How to Ask for a Raise or Promotion in English
9 consensi · 8 Commenti

The Key to Learning a Language Faster
30 consensi · 8 Commenti

Why "General English" is Failing Your Career (An Engineer’s Perspective)
30 consensi · 12 Commenti
Altri articoli
