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Pedants' corner

"I haven't had THE chance." Surely?

8 replies

UnquietDad · 09/01/2008 20:46

DW says "I haven't had chance."
and
"If you have chance will you...."

No!
No!!
Noooooooo!!!!!

It is "THE chance".

"If you have TIME", yes.

But it must be "the chance".

Agreed?

OP posts:
FrannyandZooey · 09/01/2008 20:46

is she from the NE?

UnquietDad · 09/01/2008 20:48

No, midlands

OP posts:
welliemum · 09/01/2008 20:48

or "a chance", surely?

Aargh, now brain is doing that weird thing when you suddenly pay attention to a common word or phrase and it just seems outlandish whichever way you say it.

edam · 09/01/2008 20:49

You are right, it requires an article (definite or indefinite - could be 'a' chance).

UnquietDad · 09/01/2008 20:52

well, yes, "a" or "the" would be OK.

OP posts:
Swedes2Turnips1 · 09/01/2008 22:58

Agreed. A chance or the chance. As a matter of interest, would she write it like that as well? Sometimes people with very silly accents use a peculiar turn of phrase but will write the same thing correctly.

UnquietDad · 10/01/2008 11:57

I'll have to ask her that!

OP posts:
Swedes · 11/01/2008 09:50

UQD - I have just received an email from some friends in France

"We're driving up to York for a week in Feb so we'll call in if we get chance on the way up ...." My friend's DH is from Liverpool, he must have written it.

So Midlands and Liverpool?

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