Re: Have Had, Had Have (Was Re: Posting limits)

David P. wrote: "I'm not sure if you realized you wrote this, or if it was
an accident, but you just gave me some evidence of something I say exists,
but no one in the department believes exist: Using *two* modal "have"'s. I
do it often when I say something like, "I would've had to've had eaten". And
above you wrote: "If Philip had've said..."   The intention is (I believe):
(1) To reference a time in the past; (2) with respect to that time in the
past, to reference a time *further*in the past; and (3) within *that* time
frame, reference a completed action, with respect to the second time frame.
Is that right?"

IME, that's correct. But linguists claim that construction doesn't exist?
:O:S

Cheers,

T

"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."
--Chinese proverb

"I tried so hard and got so far,
But in the end,
It doesn't even matter,
I had to fall,
To lose it all,
But in the end,
It doesn't even matter."
--In The End, Linkin Park, Hybrid Theory