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Old 04-11-2008, 11:06 PM   #7 (permalink)
BobHurt
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 3
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Why does one seem better than the other to you? be means "equals." Have means "possess" as in possessing a quality. You could also write I show Scottishness, I have a Scot nature, I show a Scot's mannerisms, I have the viewpoints of a Scot. You could identify your nature more explicitly by stating what characteristic makes you seem Scottish: I talk/sound/look/dress/smell/eat/drink/swear/snore/taste/spend like a Scot. Frankly, I would find any such expression more informative and satisfying than I am Scottish or I have Scottishness.

I would find it entirely correct to hear you say "I am a Scot," provided you had Scottish-born parents who bore and birthed you in Scotland.
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