ENGLISH
REFERENCE

have on

phr. v..
A2 Elementary Oxford General-service

phr. v.. to wear a piece of clothing, jewelry, or a pair of glasses.

phr. v.. to be wearing a garment or accessory; functions as a stative phrasal verb indicating a current state of dress.


SIMPLE

She has a red coat on today.

CONTEXTUAL

I didn't recognize him at first because he had a hat and sunglasses on.

COMPLEX

The suspect was reported to have on a dark navy blazer and tan trousers at the time of the incident.

Particles
on
Separability
optional
Pattern
have + object + on
Usage

usually separable; the object (clothing) often sits between 'have' and 'on'.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'put on' (the action) and 'wear' (the state); 'have on' is more common in spoken English when describing someone's current appearance.

Pitfall

I am having a coat on.I have a coat on.this phrase is stative and is almost never used in the continuous '-ing' form.

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