He has a book. Simple, right?

Isn’t English crazy? 

I want to show you a simple sentence and the confusing way we change it. Sometimes verbs change depending on the context, positive or negative, and sometimes, on which side of the Atlantic is your home. 

For example, if you see Jim reading a book, you can say: 

He has a book. 

But if you see Jim without a book, you have several choices. Our British friends might say: 

He hasn’t a book.

However, Americans are more likely to say: 

He does not have a book, or 

He doesn’t have a book. 

I know this is confusing because “have” is generally used with a plural subject, and “he” is definitely singular. However, there is still another choice that is correct but I don’t hear it as often. 

If we change the negative sentence to use “no” instead of “not”, then it’s like this: 

He has no book. 

For “you” and “I”, we have another exception because again we use “have” with a singular subject: 

You have a book. You do not have a book. 

You have no book. I have a book. I do not have a book.