This letter regards the “I’ve got issues” T-shirt circulated by the Albert Lea Tribune.

“I’ve” is a contraction of “I have.”

got: v. Past tense and past participle of get.

have: v. (various definitions regarding possession, etc.)

To “have got” renders got as a noun. It is not correct grammar to use the two words together as it is on the shirts of persons pictured in the 2013 issue of Albert Lea Magazine.

I recognize that this improper express (I’ve, we’ve, they’ve, etc., etc.) is commonly used by almost all writers in today’s media. That does not make it correct. A newspaper should be an example of correct grammar!

 

H. Peter Baxter
Owatonna