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I wrote a question a few days ago starting like this:

I've got the following macro in the code:

I was meaning the code of a whole program. I also provided the code of the macro (kind of a function in the program) below.

Someone's corrected my sentence like this:

I have the following macro:

I'd like to know why this sentence is better than mine? While I agree that "in the code" maybe somewhat redundant, but what's wrong with "I've got"?

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    Neither version is wrong, but I prefer your version (and would immediately rewrite the latter to the former). It's normal to say, I added it to the code, I put it in the code, or it's in the code. In the code is a kind of set phrase (even though I can't locate a good reference of that to back up the assertion—which is why this is a comment and not an answer). When I hear I have the macro, I immediately get puzzled and want to ask, "Where?"
    – Jason Bassford
    Commented Feb 3, 2019 at 15:34
  • Note: I immediately considered the difference between your two sentences to be the lack of in the code in the second. Looking at the final sentence in your question, it seems you're focused more on the difference between I've got and I have. If that's your real question, I would make sure that everything else about the two sentences is the same.
    – Jason Bassford
    Commented Feb 3, 2019 at 15:36

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"I've got" is an expression which some people dislike. It is usually the same as saying "I have". If you are one of those people who think that "I've got" is an ugly expression, you will tend to "correct" it when possible.

It is just a matter of style. Some people prefer "I have" to "I've got". Other people don't care, and others usually use "got".

Both are grammatically correct, and they mean the same.

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  • Curiously, the British seem to like this expression slightly more than the Americans. Even more bizarrely, in AmE, the past participle "gotten" is a dynamic verb meaning "acquired," while "got" is a stative verb meaning "have." In BrE, the former is much less popular.
    – Kevin
    Commented Apr 27, 2019 at 6:11

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