Question
28 January
- English (US)
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Spanish (Spain)
Question about English (US)
How do you say this in English (US)? is it correct to say, he better do?
How do you say this in English (US)? is it correct to say, he better do?
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- English (US)
Yes. "He better do what we tell him to do if he wants to keep his job."
Highly-rated answerer
- English (US)
The proper grammar is "He had better do..."
but when native speakers say it, it quickly changes to "He'd better do..." and then "He better do..."
It's a very common deletion.
A teacher would mark it wrong, but any native speaker would be fine with hearing it.
Highly-rated answerer
- English (US)
@FushigiNashi Technically speaking, "had better do" isn't a strictly grammatically correct construct, either. The phrase as a whole is informal.
Highly-rated answerer
- English (US)
If you want a breakdown as to why, consider this. What function does "had" have in the phrase? Is it being considered an auxiliary verb? If so, why isn't "do" conjugated as "done"? Is it being used in the sense of an obligation? If so, why do we have "do" instead of "to do"? In both cases, why do we have "had", a past tense conjugation, for present expectations?
I think splitting hairs on proper grammar for a phrase that isn't "proper" grammar to begin with is rather meaningless. Its meaning is understood regardless.
Highly-rated answerer
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