Collocations with have are familiar English word combinations such as have breakfast, have a conversation, have a chance, and have trouble doing something.
The verb have doesn’t always mean owning or possessing something. It can also describe an activity, an experience, an opportunity, or a situation someone is dealing with.
For example, have a meeting means attend or participate in a meeting, while have access to something means being able or permitted to use it. Some expressions are straightforward verb + noun combinations; others have longer patterns, such as have confidence in someone or have difficulty doing something.
Common Collocations with Have and Example Sentences
The following expressions cover everyday routines, conversations, opportunities, difficulties, and experiences. Where an expression needs a particular preposition or grammatical pattern, that pattern is included.
Meals and Everyday Activities
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Have breakfast | Camille had breakfast at the station café while waiting for the first train to Edinburgh. |
| Have lunch or dinner | The neighbours had dinner together after spending the afternoon repairing the shared garden fence. |
| Have a drink | After the museum tour, Rosa and her sister had a drink at a café overlooking the harbour. |
| Have a shower | Marcus had a shower after helping his aunt repaint the hallway. |
| Have a rest | The dancers had a short rest between the afternoon rehearsal and the evening performance. |
| Have a break | The volunteers had a break before beginning the second part of the beach clean-up. |
| Have a look at something | Could you have a look at the invitation before we send it to the neighbours? |
| Have a go at something | Keira had a go at repairing the old radio, although she had never opened one before. |
| Have a haircut | Daniel had a haircut a few days before the family photographs were taken. |
Conversations and Disagreements
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Have a conversation with someone | The landlord had a conversation with the tenants about the faulty lift. |
| Have an argument with someone | Nina had an argument with her brother about who should collect their grandmother from the station. |
| Have a meeting with someone | We’re having a meeting with the design team to review the new prototypes. |
| Have a word with someone | I’d like to have a word with you about how the bookings are recorded. |
Opportunities and Choices
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Have a chance to do something | Ben had a chance to attend the workshop when an additional session became available. |
| Have a good chance of doing something | With her experience, Maya has a good chance of getting the position. |
| Have an opportunity to do something | Zara had an opportunity to work with a conservation team during her summer placement. |
| Have a choice between things | Residents had a choice between keeping the old playground and replacing it. |
| Have a say in something | Parents were invited to have a say in how the school organised its annual trip. |
| Have access to something | Only registered volunteers had access to the archived photographs. |
| Have time to do something | Do you have time to check these measurements before the courier arrives? |
Problems and Uncertainty
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Have a problem with something | The museum had a problem with its online ticketing system shortly before opening. |
| Have trouble doing something | The musicians had trouble hearing the conductor over the noise from the street. |
| Have difficulty doing something | Lena had difficulty following the instructions because two diagrams were missing. |
| Have doubts about something | Theo had doubts about the estimate after discovering that labour costs weren’t included. |
| Have no idea | When the guide asked where the missing key had been left, everyone admitted they had no idea. |
Experiences, Health, and Feelings
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Have fun | Everyone had fun trying unfamiliar board games at the neighbourhood festival. |
| Have an accident | A cyclist had an accident on the narrow bridge, but fortunately no one was seriously injured. |
| Have a nightmare | After listening to a frightening radio drama, Nina had a nightmare about getting lost underground. |
| Have a headache | Rina had a headache after spending hours in the brightly lit studio. |
| Have a cold | Sam had a cold and stayed home from choir practice. |
| Have an idea | During the discussion, Felix had an idea for making the exhibition easier for children to explore. |
Influence and Attitudes
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Have an effect on something | The revised bus timetable had an effect on how early commuters needed to leave home. |
| Have an impact on something | The footbridge closure had a significant impact on residents who walked to the station. |
| Have confidence in someone or something | After several successful lessons, Daria had confidence in her ability to drive on busy roads. |
| Have something in common with someone | Although they worked in different fields, Lena discovered she had a lot in common with her new neighbour. |
How the Meaning Changes with Have
Some expressions with have have natural alternatives involving make, get, take, or another verb. Changing the verb can change the meaning, although certain combinations are interchangeable in everyday use.
Have a Shower or Take a Shower?
Both expressions are correct.
Amelia had a shower before leaving for the airport.
After working in the garden, Oliver took a shower.
Both mean washing yourself under a shower.
Have a shower is particularly familiar in British English, while take a shower is especially common in American English. Neither expression is restricted to one variety.
A similar choice exists between have a look and take a look. Both can mean examining something briefly.
Have a Conversation or Make Conversation?
Suppose Amira attends an event where she doesn’t know anyone.
During the reception, Amira made conversation with several guests while waiting for the programme to begin.
Later, she meets a researcher whose work interests her.
After the presentation, Amira had a conversation with the researcher about restoring historic gardens.
Have a conversation describes talking with someone and exchanging thoughts or information.
Make conversation usually refers to initiating or maintaining polite, casual talk, particularly in social situations.
Have an Argument or Make an Argument?
The noun argument can refer to a disagreement or a reasoned position.
Two neighbours had an argument about the noise coming from a late-night party.
Here, they disagreed, possibly angrily.
Now consider:
During the public hearing, Daniel made an argument against reducing the library’s opening hours.
He presented reasons for opposing the proposal.
Have an argument with someone commonly describes a disagreement. Make an argument for or against something means present reasons supporting or opposing a position.
An argument isn’t necessarily an angry quarrel. In academic writing and formal discussion, it often refers to reasoning and evidence used to support a conclusion.
Have, Get, or Take a Chance?
These expressions can describe opportunities, possibilities, and uncertain decisions.
Fatima had a chance to speak to the exhibition organiser after the opening ceremony.
She had an opportunity to speak.
Because the event ended early, several visitors didn’t get a chance to ask their questions.
They didn’t receive or find an opportunity.
Despite the possibility of rain, the organisers took a chance and held the performance outdoors.
They accepted uncertainty or risk.
Have a chance can also express the likelihood of something happening.
With her previous experience, Maya has a good chance of getting the position.
The common patterns are:
- Have a chance to do something: An opportunity is available.
- Have a chance of doing something: There is a possibility of that outcome.
- Get a chance to do something: Obtain an opportunity.
- Take a chance: Act despite uncertainty or risk.
Have a chance and get a chance can overlap when both refer to an opportunity.
Have a Choice or Make a Choice?
Imagine that a family is planning a weekend journey.
With both routes still open, the family had a choice between driving through the hills and taking the coastal road.
After checking the weather forecast, they made a choice and booked a hotel along the coast.
Have a choice means alternatives are available.
Make a choice means select an option.
Have a Problem With: Difficulty or Objection?
Have a problem with something can describe a practical difficulty.
The photographer had a problem with the camera’s focusing mechanism.
The camera wasn’t working as expected.
The same expression can also communicate an objection.
I have a problem with the proposal because it would exclude several local residents.
Here, the speaker disagrees with the proposal rather than describing a technical problem.
Have a Go at Something or Someone?
This informal expression has two distinct uses.
Hannah had a go at making a clay bowl during the pottery workshop.
Here, have a go at means try an activity.
In informal British English, have a go at someone can mean criticise that person angrily.
The supervisor had a go at Daniel for leaving the workshop unlocked.
Using Have Collocations Correctly
Some have expressions need particular prepositions. Others take an -ing form or an infinitive after the noun.
Complete Expressions with Prepositions
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Have a conversation with someone about something | Nina had a conversation with her neighbour about the shared garden. |
| Have an argument with someone over/about something | The brothers had an argument over their holiday arrangements. |
| Have access to something | The research students had access to the original letters. |
| Have an effect on something | The construction work had an effect on traffic near the station. |
| Have confidence in someone or something | The director had confidence in her team’s ability to finish the exhibition. |
For example:
Incorrect: The changes had an effect in the final results.
Correct: The changes had an effect on the final results.
Here, on introduces what was affected.
Have Trouble or Difficulty Doing Something
Both expressions commonly describe finding an activity difficult.
Grace had trouble finding the correct entrance to the conference centre.
The visitors had difficulty understanding the instructions on the ticket machine.
Notice the -ing forms: finding and understanding.
Incorrect: Grace had difficulty to find the entrance.
Correct: Grace had difficulty finding the entrance.
Have difficulty in doing something is also accepted:
The students had difficulty in interpreting the handwritten notes.
The preposition in is optional in this construction.
By comparison, have a problem with something commonly introduces the thing causing difficulty or concern:
The photographer had a problem with the camera’s battery compartment.
Infinitives and -ing Forms After Have
Some expressions take an infinitive, while others commonly use an -ing form.
The volunteers had a chance to visit the restoration workshop.
Nina had an opportunity to interview the author after the event.
Grace had difficulty finding the correct entrance.
The first two examples describe available opportunities. The third describes difficulty with an activity.
When chance expresses likelihood, chance of + -ing is common, as shown in the earlier comparison.
Have or Having?
The verb have can describe activities and states, but the continuous form depends on what it means.
For an activity happening now, the continuous form is natural:
We’re having a meeting with the suppliers right now.
It can also describe a current difficulty:
I’m having trouble connecting to the library’s website.
When have describes a state such as confidence, the simple form is generally more natural:
I have confidence in the new coordinator.
Rather than:
I’m having confidence in the new coordinator.
Many of these combinations also belong to the category of verb + noun collocations.
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