Introduction

The proper usage of “Have,” “Has,” and “Had” can be perplexing for English learners, as they all relate to possession or ownership. However, these words have distinct applications in various contexts and situations. In this blog post, we will delve into when to use “Have,” “Has,” and “Had” to clear up any confusion.

“Has,” “have,” and “had” are all forms of the verb “to have,” but they are used in different contexts and tenses. Here are the main differences between them:

1. Has:

• “Has” is the third person singular present tense form of “to have.” It is used with singular subjects like he, she, it, and singular nouns.
• Example: He has a car. (He possesses a car.)

2. Have:

• “Have” is the base form of the verb, and it is used with first person singular (I), second person singular (you), plural subjects (we, they), and plural nouns.
• Example: We have two cats. (We possess two cats.)
• Example: She and I have the same birthday. (She and I both possess the same birthday.)

3. Had:

• “Had” is the past tense form of “to have.” It is used with all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) when referring to actions or events that occurred in the past.
• Example: She had a delicious dinner last night. (She possessed a delicious dinner last night.)

Usage Examples:

1. Present Tense (Has/Have):
   • He has a book.
   • She has a new job.
   • They have three children.
   • I have an appointment tomorrow.
2. Past Tense (Had):
   • He had a book yesterday.
   • She had a new job last year.
   • They had three children before moving.
   • I had an appointment yesterday.
3. Present Perfect Tense (Has/Have + Past Participle):
   • He has eaten lunch already.
   • She has visited many countries.
   • They have finished their homework.
   • We have studied for the exam.
4. Past Perfect Tense (Had + Past Participle):
   • He had already eaten lunch when I arrived.
   • She had visited many countries before settling down.
   • They had finished their homework before going out.
   • We had studied for the exam, so we were well-prepared.

Examples:

Here are 20 examples for each of “have,” “has,” and “had”:

Have:

1. I have a pet dog.
2. We have a meeting at 2 PM.
3. They have completed their homework.
4. She and her sister have a similar taste in music.
5. He should have finished his assignment by now.
6. Have you ever been to Paris?
7. We have a lot of work to do.
8. John and Sarah have a beautiful house.
9. The students have an exam tomorrow.
10. I have read that book before.
11. They have been friends for many years.
12. We have enough money for the trip.
13. She has always wanted to learn how to play the piano.
14. The company has recently launched a new product.
15. Have a great day!
16. The children have a lot of energy.
17. We have to be at the airport by 6 AM.
18. He has a great sense of humor.
19. The team has won the championship.
20. I have never been to Australia.

Has:

1. She has a beautiful garden.
2. John has a new car.
3. The cat has caught a mouse.
4. The baby has a cute smile.
5. He has finished his work.
6. The restaurant has excellent reviews.
7. Sarah has two brothers and a sister.
8. The train has arrived on time.
9. The company has made a significant profit this year.
10. The museum has an impressive art collection.
11. The team has won the game.
12. The teacher has explained the lesson well.
13. My sister has already visited that country.
14. The movie has received several awards.
15. He has been to Paris twice.
16. The book has an interesting plot.
17. The store has a sale this weekend.
18. The company has announced a new product.
19. She has a lovely singing voice.
20. The laptop has a long battery life.

Had:

1. He had a fantastic vacation last summer.
2. The students had a difficult exam yesterday.
3. I had a feeling that something would go wrong.
4. She had a great time at the party.
5. They had an opportunity to travel abroad.
6. We had a wonderful dinner at the restaurant.
7. The team had a winning streak last season.
8. He had never been to that city before.
9. The company had a successful year in sales.
10. She had already completed the project.
11. They had seen the movie before.
12. We had a lot of fun at the amusement park.
13. I had a terrible headache yesterday.
14. The kids had finished their homework before dinner.
15. He had a change of heart and decided to help.
16. She had a difficult decision to make.
17. The guests had a warm welcome at the party.
18. They had won the competition in the past.
19. We had a productive meeting this morning.
20. The company had invested in new technology.

These examples demonstrate the correct usage of “have,” “has,” and “had” in various contexts and tenses. Each form of the verb “to have” serves a specific purpose in indicating possession, actions, events, or experiences in different time frames.

In summary, “has” is used with singular third-person subjects, “have” is used with first-person, second-person, and plural subjects, and “had” is the past tense form used with all subjects to refer to actions or events that occurred in the past. Understanding the appropriate usage of these forms of “to have” is essential for accurate and clear communication in English.

Exercise:

Exercise: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of “have,” “has,” or “had.”

1. She ___ a beautiful garden in her backyard.
2. They ___ a fantastic vacation last summer.
3. I ___ a headache yesterday, but it’s gone now.
4. He ___ two cats and a dog as pets.
5. We ___ a lot of fun at the amusement park.
6. Mary ___ a great talent for playing the piano.
7. The company ___ a successful year with record sales.
8. He ___ already ___ dinner when I arrived home.
9. The kids ___ a lot of toys to play with.
10. John ___ never ___ the chance to travel abroad.

Explanation:

1. She has a beautiful garden in her backyard.

• “Has” is used with the third person singular (she) to indicate possession. It shows that the beautiful garden belongs to her.

2. They had a fantastic vacation last summer.

• “Had” is the past tense of “have.” It indicates possession or ownership in the past tense. It means they enjoyed a fantastic vacation in the previous summer.

3. I had a headache yesterday, but it’s gone now.

• “Had” is used to express an experience in the past. It means the headache occurred yesterday but has now disappeared.

4. He has two cats and a dog as pets.

• “Has” is used with the third person singular (he) to indicate possession. It shows that he owns two cats and a dog as his pets.

5. We had a lot of fun at the amusement park.

• “Had” is the past tense of “have.” It indicates an experience or possession in the past. It means they enjoyed a lot of fun during their visit to the amusement park.

6. Mary has a great talent for playing the piano.

• “Has” is used with the third person singular (Mary) to indicate possession. It means Mary possesses a great talent for playing the piano.

7. The company had a successful year with record sales.

• “Had” is used to indicate an experience or possession in the past. It means the company experienced a successful year with record sales.

8. He had already had dinner when I arrived home.

• The first “had” is used to indicate an experience in the past (he had dinner before). The second “had” is the past participle of “have” used in the present perfect tense, indicating an action completed before a certain time in the past.

9. The kids have a lot of toys to play with.

• “Have” is used with the third person plural (kids) to indicate possession. It means the kids possess a lot of toys to play with.

10. John has never had the chance to travel abroad.

• The first “has” is used with the third person singular (John) to indicate possession (he has not had the chance). The second “had” is the past participle of “have” used to form the present perfect tense, indicating that John has not experienced the chance to travel abroad in the past until now.

Exercise:

Here are 15 questions where the student has to choose between “have” or “has,” along with the answers:

1. ___________ Sarah finished her homework? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
2. ___________ they visited the new museum yet? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
3. ___________ your friends arrived at the party? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
4. ___________ she read the book already? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
5. ___________ the dogs been fed today? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
6. ___________ John and Emily completed the project together? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
7. ___________ it been a challenging semester for you? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
8. ___________ the students submitted their assignments on time? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
9. ___________ the train arrived at the station yet? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
10. ___________ you ever been to Japan? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
11. ___________ the team won the championship? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
12. ___________ he ever tried skydiving? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
13. ___________ they finished the project on time? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
14. ___________ your parents traveled to Europe before? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
15. ___________ it been a good day so far? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has

Remember, the choice between “have” and “has” depends on the subject of the sentence. “Have” is used with plural subjects, while “has” is used with singular subjects.

Exercise:

Pick ‘Have’ or ‘Has’

can you make 15 questions where the student has to pick either have or has with answers ChatGPT

Sure! Here are 15 questions where the student has to choose between “have” or “has,” along with the answers:

1. ___________ Sarah finished her homework? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
2. ___________ they visited the new museum yet? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
3. ___________ your friends arrived at the party? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
4. ___________ she read the book already? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
5. ___________ the dogs been fed today? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
6. ___________ John and Emily completed the project together? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
7. ___________ it been a challenging semester for you? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
8. ___________ the students submitted their assignments on time? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
9. ___________ the train arrived at the station yet? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
10. ___________ you ever been to Japan? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
11. ___________ the team won the championship? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
12. ___________ he ever tried skydiving? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has
13. ___________ they finished the project on time? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
14. ___________ your parents traveled to Europe before? a) Have b) Has Answer: a) Have
15. ___________ it been a good day so far? a) Have b) Has Answer: b) Has

Remember, the choice between “have” and “has” depends on the subject of the sentence. “Have” is used with plural subjects, while “has” is used with singular subjects.

Here’s an exercise with 20 questions where the students need to use “have,” “has,” or “had” in the negative form. Choose the correct answer for each question:

1. ___________ he ___________ any previous experience in this field? a) have / has b) has / had c) have / had d) has / has Answer: a) has / had
2. They ___________ not ___________ a chance to meet the CEO yet. a) have / have b) has / have c) have / had d) has / had Answer: a) have / had
3. She ___________ not ___________ her lunch today. a) has / has b) have / had c) has / had d) have / have Answer: a) has / had
4. We ___________ not ___________ any response from the supplier so far. a) have / has b) have / had c) has / have d) has / had Answer: a) have / had
5. ___________ they ___________ a chance to speak with the manager yesterday? a) Have / have b) Has / has c) Have / had d) Has / had Answer: c) Have / had
6. I ___________ not ___________ time to finish the report yet. a) have / have b) has / have c) have / had d) has / had Answer: a) have / had
7. The company ___________ not ___________ a profit in the last quarter. a) has / has b) have / had c) has / had d) have / have Answer: a) has / had
8. ___________ he ___________ a chance to visit the art exhibition last week? a) Has / have b) Have / has c) Has / had d) Have / had Answer: c) Has / had
9. The students ___________ not ___________ enough time to prepare for the exam. a) have / have b) have / had c) has / have d) has / had Answer: b) have / had
10. She ___________ not ___________ her new car yet. a) have / has b) has / have c) has / had d) have / had Answer: b) has / had
11. ___________ they ___________ any difficulties during the training program? a) Have / have b) Has / has c) Have / had d) Has / had Answer: c) Have / had
12. The restaurant ___________ not ___________ fresh seafood on the menu. a) has / has b) have / had c) has / had d) have / have Answer: a) has / had
13. ___________ he ___________ enough money to buy the latest phone? a) Have / has b) Has / has c) Have / had d) Has / had Answer: b) Has / had
14. They ___________ not ___________ the opportunity to travel abroad before. a) have / has b) has / had c) have / had d) has / have Answer: c) have / had
15. I ___________ not ___________ a chance to meet the author yet. a) have / has b) has / have c) have / had d) has / had Answer: a) have / had
16. The team ___________ not ___________ their best performance in the last game. a) has / has b) have / had c) has / had d) have / have Answer: a) has / had
17. ___________ she ___________ a chance to visit the famous museum yet? a) Has / has b) Have / has c) Has / had d) Have / had Answer: c) Has / had
18. The children ___________ not ___________ their homework yet. a) have / has b) has / have c) have / had d) has / had Answer: a) have / had
19. ___________ they ___________ any success with their new business venture? a) Have / has b) Has / has c) Have / had d) Has / had Answer: a) Have / had
20. She ___________ not ___________ a chance to try the famous dessert at that restaurant. a) have / has b) has / have c) has / had d) have / had Answer: b) has / had

Related post: https://educationbe.com/how-to-use-articles-a-and-an-english-grammar/

Addition reference: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NvtFHgPiNgU