HAVE NOT + noun phrase – English Grammar Profiler
English grammar tells us that:
I haven’t got a clue.
I don’t have a clue.
are the correct ways to express negative possession. However, there is the rarer, older British sounding:
I haven’t a clue.
Notice that a superlative phrase is common to give emphasis:
I haven’t the slightest idea how he works.
listen
Here are the search results from iWeb corpus for:
_VH _XX _A _N
1 HAVEN’T A CLUE 1948
Nicholas, I haven’t a clue what this is all about,
but your taste in champagne is excellent, as always.
listen
2 HADN’T A CLUE 401 3 HASN’T A CLUE 270 4 HAVE NOT A CLUE 265 5 HAVEN’T THE TIME 236 6 HAVE NOT THE SPIRIT 132 7 HAVE NOT THE POWER 121 8 HAD NOT A CLUE 118 9 HAS NOT THE POWER 111n 10 HAVE NOT THE TIME 108 11 HAD NOT THE POWER 104 12 HAS NOT THE RIGHT 99 13 HAVE NOT THE MEANS 92 14 HAD NOT THE COURAGE 91 15 HAD NOT THE STRENGTH 68 16 HAVE NOT THE LAW 57 17 HAVE NOT THE RIGHT 55 18 HAVE NOT THE COURAGE 54 19 HAVEN’T A CHANCE 53 20 HAD NOT THE HEART 52 21 HAD NOT THE MEANS 52 22 HAD NOT A WORD 52 23 HAVEN’T THE MONEY 52 24 HATH NOT A JEW 46 25 HAVEN’T THE HEART 46 26 HAS NOT A CLUE 45
27 HAS NOT THE TIME 44
Unfortunately, he has not the time to hear everyone sing.
listen
28 HAS NOT A WORD 44 29 HASN’T A CHANCE 43 30 HAVE NOT A LOT 43 31 HADN’T THE TIME 42 32 HAS NOT THE SPIRIT 42 33 HAVEN’T A HOPE 41 34 HAVE NOT A DOUBT 41 35 HAVE NOT THE STRENGTH 40 36 HAD NOT THE TIME 38 37 HAVING NOT THE SPIRIT 38 38 HADN’T A CARE 35 39 HAD NOT A CARE 35 40 HAS NOT A RIGHT 34 41 HAVEN’T THE PATIENCE 34 42 HAVEN’T THE STRENGTH 34 43 HADN’T THE HEART 33 44 HAS NOT THE MEANS 33 45 HAD NOT THE RIGHT 32 46 HAVE NOT THE KNOWLEDGE 32 47 HAS NOT THE LORD 31 48 HAVE NOT A WORD 31 49 HASN’T THE TIME 30 50 HAVE NOT THE LOVE 30 51 HATH NOT THE SON 29 52 HAVEN’T A CARE 28 53 HAVE NOT THE USE 28 54 HAS NOT THE STRENGTH 27 55 HAS NOT A LOT 26 56 HAVE NOT THE ABILITY 26 57 HAVE NOT THE HEART 26 58 HAVEN’T A LEG 25 59 HASN’T THE GOVERNMENT 25 60 HAD NOT A MOMENT 25 61 ‘VE NOT A CLUE 25 62 HAVE NOT A RIGHT 24 63 HAVE NOT THE FAITH 24 64 HADN’T A CHANCE 23 65 HAD NOT THE OPPORTUNITY 23 66 HAD NOT THE MONEY 23 67 HAVE NOT A MOMENT 23 68 HAVEN’T A NOTION 22 69 HAS NOT THE CHURCH 22 70 HAD NOT A PENNY 22 71 HAVEN’T THE SPACE 22 72 HAVE NOT THE OPPORTUNITY 22 73 HAVE NOT THE PATIENCE 22 74 HADN’T A HOPE 21 75 HASN’T A CARE 21 76 HAVE NOT THE MONEY 21 77 HAS NOT THE COURAGE 20 78 HATH NOT THE POTTER 20 79 HATH NOT THE FATHER 20 80 HAS NOT A THING 20 81 HAVEN’T THE ENERGY 20 82 HASN’T A HOPE 19 83 HAVE NOT A CARE 19 84 HAVE NOT AN IDEA 19 85 ‘VE NOT THE TIME 18 86 HADN’T THE COURAGE 18 87 HATH NOT THE SPIRIT 18 88 HAS NOT THE SON 18 89 HAVEN’T A LOT 18 90 HAVEN’T A THING 17 91 HAS NOT A CHANCE 17 92 HAD NOT THE PATIENCE 17 93 HAVEN’T THE GUTS 17 94 HAD NOT A RIGHT 16 95 HAD NOT A CHANCE 16 96 HADN’T THE STRENGTH 16 97 HASN’T THE RIGHT 16 98 HAVEN’T THE COURAGE 16 99 HAVEN’T A PROBLEM 16
100 HAVEN’T A PRAYER 16
_VH _XX _A _JJT
1 HAVE NOT THE SLIGHTEST 439 2 HAVEN’T THE SLIGHTEST 346 3 HAD NOT THE SLIGHTEST 261 4 HAVEN’T THE FAINTEST 232 5 HAVEN’T THE FOGGIEST 224 6 HAS NOT THE SLIGHTEST 144 7 HAD NOT THE FAINTEST 65 8 HAVE NOT THE FAINTEST 62 9 HADN’T THE SLIGHTEST 62 10 HASN’T THE SLIGHTEST 54 11 HADN’T THE FAINTEST 54 12 HAVE NOT THE SMALLEST 52 13 HAD NOT THE SMALLEST 35 14 HADN’T THE FOGGIEST 26 15 HAVE NOT THE FOGGIEST 25 16 HAS NOT THE FAINTEST 25 17 HAD NOT THE REMOTEST 24 18 HAVEN’T THE VAGUEST 23 19 HASN’T THE FOGGIEST 22
20 HASN’T THE FAINTEST 19