I HEARD this recently in a radio advertisement for an air-conditioner:

“We have York. Have you?”

Shouldn’t it be “Do you?” instead of “Have you?” – A. Hashim

“Have you?” is correct in British English, but is more formal than “Do you?” In British English when “have” is used as a main verb in a sentence, the question form can begin with either “have” or “do”. The “have” beginning was more common in older English. Here are some examples, from the Internet, of questions beginning with “have”, where “have” is the main verb:

“Have you a disability or a specific learning difficulty?” (from a questionnaire on the website of the University of Southampton, England)

“Have you any children under 18? Have you any older children or other adult dependants?”

(from the website of a firm specialising in writing wills)

Latest edition

May I know which is the latest edition of Michael Swan’s Practical English Usage? What is the full title and where can I get a copy?

I went to two bookshops and only found the international student’s edition, which is different from what I’ve seen on the Internet. – Raja Nizam

What is available in Malaysia is: Michael Swan, Practical English Usage, 3rd Edition, New International Student’s Edition, 2005.

This is actually not much different from Michael Swan, Practical English Usage, 3rd edition, 2005 (the regular edition)

The two editions may look different, because their covers are in different colours. Also, the paper quality is better in the regular edition, and its main entries are in a reddish orange colour.

The main difference, however, is a difference in content in section 575. The international student’s edition is five pages shorter, because Section 575 of the regular edition, “Taboo and Swear Words”, has been removed. This section is 5½-pages long. In its place in 575, we get a section called “take”, which only occupies half a page. These changes account for the five-page difference in the two editions.

I would recommend buying the student’s edition, because it is far cheaper than the regular one. The cheapest price for the regular edition I have seen on the Internet is £21.20, (offered by Amazon.co.uk) about double what we would pay here for an international student’s edition. And that doesn’t take into account the price of packaging and postage.

Food or foods

Is this sentence correct: The pupils eat foods in the canteen.

When do we use “food” and “foods”? Please give some examples. – Elaine

Your second question has been asked more than once before. Let me quote from an answer I gave to another reader in 2005:

“Food” as a general term for what is eaten by people and animals (e.g. in “food and beverage”, or “shortage of food”) is an uncountable noun and does not have a plural form. However, when we talk about different types of food, “food” can be both a countable and an uncountable noun. As a countable noun, it has a plural form, “foods”.

Here are some examples taken from the same answer:

“My grandfather likes his food to be served to him piping hot.” (food as a general term)

“My grandfather’s favourite foods are fish curry and nasi lemak.” (referring to different dishes)

Your sentence, “The pupils eat foods in the canteen.” is grammatically correct. But it sounds very awkward, not because of the plural form “foods”, but because the word “foods” there is unnecessary.

It is understood that when we eat, we must eat food. You could, however, add more information about the food and change the sentence to:

“The pupils eat different kinds of food/foods in the canteen.”

Here are some examples of sentences containing the words “food” and “foods” from the Internet:

“Pupils at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School came up with the idea of creating a mural in the school canteen depicting which foods make up a balanced diet.” (South Wales Evening Post, Jan 31, 2008)

“Make pupils eat ‘healthy’ canteen food,” says trust.

Schools should consider “lock-ins” at lunchtime to stop pupils from buying junk food, the School Food Trust said today, but school leaders called the proposals unworkable.”

(Education Guardian, March 28, 2008)

In the tree

Is this sentence correct?

“There is a white dove in the tree.” – Merilyn

Yes, if the dove is sitting/perching on a branch among the leaves of the tree. If you can see the dove clearly on a bare branch, “on” can be used. It is more common to say a bird or some other animal is in the tree”.

“In the tree” does not mean in the tree trunk, but among the branches and leaves of the tree.

In the famous Christmas song, Twelve Days of Christmas, the phrase “a partridge in a pear tree” occurs at the end of every stanza.

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