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Stylistically, saying "as I have want to do." is preferable to me than "as I do." Is “as I have want to do." incorrect grammatically? Example, "My friends are quite aware of my vexatious flirting with women, as I have want to do."

John H
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1 Answers1

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First, as Jim has commented, the word is spelled "wont" (though it's pronounced the same way as want in a typical American accent).

Wont can be an adjective, as in I am wont to use antiquated language, or a noun, as in, I spoke in a stilted style, as is my wont.

Because wont can be a noun, it's probably the case that "have wont" is grammatical (although, it may be the case that wont requires an article). But even if it can be argued that "have wont" is grammatical, it is clearly the case that it is an unusual collocation. I found a number of examples of "have wont," but all were at least a hundred years old.

Take a look at this Ngram: have wont, am wont, my wont

So, if you want to use wont, the much more common phrasing would be, "I am wont to do."

That said, your sentence still doesn't quite work with "as I am wont to do," because the phrase "as I do" needs to describe a verb, not a gerund. Let's leave aside wont for a moment: "They saw my flirting, as I always do..." is not correct.

Try, "My friends are quite aware of my vexatious flirting with women, which is my wont" or rephrase, "My friends are quite aware that I vexatiously flirted with the women, as I am wont to do."

Juhasz
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  • My goodness, thank you so very much indeed. And thank you for being generous with you tone. It must be apparent to you that I like writing, yet lack the skills for same.I can now enjoy this new way of expressing myself and do it correctly. Joy! – John H Dec 20 '18 at 21:07