Halve vs have

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Grammarist

Halve and have are two words that are pronounced in the same fashion but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the definitions of the words halve and have, where they came from and some examples of their use in sentences.

To halve something means to divide it into two equal portions or parts, or to lessen or reduce something by half. Halve may also mean to divide something equally between yourself and someone else. The word halve is a transitive verb, which is a verb that takes an object. Related words are halves, halved, halving. The plural form of the noun half is halves, note the spelling involves changing the f to a v. The verb halve is derived from the Middle English words halven and halfen.

To have something means to own or possess something, whether it is a physical object or something more intangible such as a quality of personality or characteristic. Have may also mean to experience something or to suffer from a particular ailment. Have may be used to mean that something is inevitable or may indicate a strong recommendation to do something. The word have is used as a transitive verb, which is a verb that takes an object, or an auxiliary verb. An auxiliary verb is a part of speech that is used to form tense, voice or mood of the main verb. Related words are has, had, having. The word have is derived from the Old English word habban, meaning to possess or experience.

Examples

Exercising three times a week and following a healthy diet helped people halve their symptoms in just two months. (The Daily Mail)

Since the 1970s invasive Asian carp have steadily migrated north into the U.S. Midwest, infesting the watersheds of the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers. (Scientific American)

Still, more and more lawmakers have decided it isn’t worth the challenge of navigating through a hyperpartisan era of winner-take-all politics that has been exacerbated by the ongoing battles and the escalating price tags of winning seats in the General Assembly. (The Chicago Tribune)