Re: Translation pattern of `to have'?

Nik Taylor wrote:

> And Rosta wrote:
> > > "A dog is had by me" doesn't sound that bad.
> >
> > Extraordinary. So how does "all dogs had by me" compare to "all dogs
> > owned by me"?
>
> Mind you, I'm not saying I'd ever say "A dog is had by me", but it
> doesn't sound much worse than "A dog is seen by me".  Both are quite
> awkward.
"A dog is had by me" sounds grammatical to me--but only under an unintended
(and, in this context, rather dirty) reading of "have".

Matt.

Replies