Had.

[ansame]

Can you make a sentence where you have 11 (eleven) consecutive "had's" in it?
I know the answer, but do you?

[Metz]

Fred, where Barney had had "had had", had had "had". "Had had" had had the mans approval. ???

[ansame]

Great! Glad to know there is someone out there who knows this as people I've asked don't understand and can't even work it out when I tell them the answer!! They all know the five consecutive "ands" in a sentence though.

[mkelly]

But you've got a full stop followed by a capital letter after the seventh 'had'. So it is not one sentence. And it should be 'man's' . Don't think your grammar is up to this poser.

[Metz]

I had a go at it ..hence the ??? as i didn't know if it was right or not! What's your version of it then???

I always thought that the ' accounted for something that was missing ...it's, i've etc ??

[FoxLee]

Metz - that's one use of the apostrophe. The other use is to shown possession i.e. the boy's coat, the man's approval.

[ansame]

There is no full stop in my version - just a comma. I think Metz did jolly well if he/she just " had a go " at it. Also in my version it is the "teacher's" approval. Does "mans" approval need an apostrophe, as it is already singular, but "teachers" without an apostrophe would be plural. ??

[FoxLee]

ansame -you're missing the point (or the apostrophe). You're not using an apostrophe with man to show it is singular (it couldn't be anything else as the plural is men) but to express belonging. The approval of man - therefore man's approval.

If it was the approval of several teachers, the apostrophe would come after the s.

[mkelly]

If your version has no full stop but only a comma then your answer is wrong as well. Grammatically it must be two sentences, not one. So you'll either have to change the question or find another answer. I don't think there is an answer to the question you ask.

[ansame]

Phew! This is getting far too deep !!!! If it hadn't been written down, you would not know whether it had a comma, or a full stop!! M.Kelly - if you are going to be gramatically correct - should you really start a sentence with "But" and "And "?? I think not !!
It's only a riddle , but it certainly started something !!!!! I'm sticking to my answer - well done Metz.!!!

[Metz]

found this on google "smith where jones had had had had had had had had had had had the examiners approval" ...is this the right answer ?? LOL!!! Guess i shouldn't have put in any punctuation in mine ......... ;o)
Please note mkelly i just cut and pasted it :o)

[mkelly]

A very good try, Metz, and as near to a correct answer as I think anyone can get. However, we cannot do without punctuation and if you puncuate your answer correctly you will see that you have created two sentences, not one. So you haven't met the demands of the question.

Your answer, punctuated correctly, reads:

Smith, where Jones had had "had had", had had "had". "Had had" had had the examiner's approval.

The lack of puncuation renders the whole phrase meaningless and explains why ansame found none of his friends could undertand what he was talking about.

Incidentally you also got "examiners" wrong. If one examiner it is "examiner's approval". If more than one examiner it is "examiners' approval".

Don't let me see that mistake again. It was already explained to you by Foxlee two days ago.

In conclusion, the question is unanswrable in one sentence and ansame should promise never to pose it again unless he can provide an answer which meets the rules of English grammar.

[ansame]

Aaargh !!!! Its only a riddle M.Kelly.! Thank you for the english grammar lesson - its a long time since I went to school! Its O.K. pointing out our gramatical errors, but surprised you have no comment to make about you starting a sentence with "But" and "And"!!!

The question Metz found on Google was exactly the same as the first time I came across it. Metz and I just added our own quotation marks and comma and certainly would never have made two sentences out of it.

I'm just going off to write out 100 times - "must never post a riddle on answerbank again"!!!!!!.
I am now going to bow out gracefully - byeeeee !!!!

[mkelly]

Thank you for retiring with good grace. It was great fun while it lasted. But it is perfectly acceptable grammatically to begin a sentence with 'But' or 'And'. And I do it all the time. Don't confuse style with grammar.

[FoxLee]

MKelly - you are very lucky that ansame let you get away with puncuate, puncuation, undertand and unanswrable!!

[ansame]

I'm back !
Well spotted FoxLee - the spelling mistakes - I didn't bother to point them out.! Perhaps its as well I didn't, (I didn't really notice them if I'm honest, but don't tell M.Kelly) as if he/she says its alright to start a sentence with But and And he would probably have convinced everyone that it is quite acceptable to spell things wrongly.!!
I really am going this time.! Honest !!! Byeeee!

[mkelly]

They weren't spelling errors - but typing anomalies. My sec is on maternity leave and I'm having to do this manual labour myself. It is very demeaning.

[ansame]

Touche.!! Ouch !!!

[CJ2]

I still think you need to change the question. There are in fact NO 'had's' in any of the answers, not that I can see at a glance anyway.

[styley]

I don't get it. "Had had"? What's that about?

[lady_p_gold]

Two boys were sitting an English exam and were eager to see who had the examiner's approval. In the papers Jones, where Smith had had 'had', had had 'had had' had had the examiner's approval. That is only nine but at least it does not require a new sentence, which if you put another two in does really need one. Either that all we have all been 'had'.