[fast_rizwaan]

1. I have a book. //this is correct.
2. Have I a book? // question form.. is it correct?
3. I have not a book. // this is also correct
4. Have I not a book? // is this correct?

I know that we use "DO" to make questions.. like..

I do have a book. // with emphasis
do I have a book? // question with emphasis
I do not have a book. // negative declaration.
do I not have a book? // question..

I just wonder, can we not have negatives and questions with "do" as..

Have I a book? // we use "Do I have a book."
Have I not a book? // we use "Do I not have a book?"

are the above sentences incorrect? if so, how.. please enlighten. Thanks.

[susan53]

The "regular" use of have is the same as any other main verb - as a main verb it can't form contractions questions and negatives, be used in short form answers or carry contrastive emphasis. As such it is now different from any other verb - live for instance - and uses the "dummy" auxiliary do for all grammatical operations which require the auxiliary form :

I have a question
Do you have any questions? / Do you live in France?
I don't have any questions. / I don't live in France.
I do have a question! / I do live in France!

But it can also act like the verb BE -that is, it has the grammar of an auxiliary even when it's a main verb :

I've a question / I'm British
Have you any questions? / Are you British
I haven't any questions / I'm not British
I have a question! / I am British!

This form is used - especially by the older generation (see the novels of PD James for someone who uses it consistently), but can often sound a bit archaic and over-formal. Its most common occurrence is in negative expressions like "I've no idea". These are very common whereas the interrogative form, for instance is much rarer.

To answer your questions directly :

1-OK, 2-rare but possible, 3 - much more likely in the contracted form unless there was contrastive stress on not - but this would again be rare, 4. terribly dramatic! If used at all, it would be much more likely to be in the contracted form Haven't we a book on butterflies somewhere? - but again, fairly rare.

As far as the regular version is concerned, they would all be the normal version, except that again the contracted versions would normally be used : We don't have any books on butterflies / Don't we have a book on butterflies somewhere?

Personally I always teach have as a regular verb, and introduce expressions like I've no idea as idiomatic "fixed" phrases.

[fast_rizwaan]

Thank you Susan for enlightening me.. I've never heard "have i a book" or "have i not a book" at all ever.. it seems really archiac and old english.. thank you very much.. I really appreciate it..