Learn English – the meaning of “as having”

meaning

What is the meaning of "as having" in English language? For example, in this fragment:

Celebrities who have been quoted as having used something

Is this an idiom or something else? I am not getting the clear meaning of this.

Best Answer

The construction you should be looking at is not "as having" but "quoted as V-ing". Remember: "as" and "like" mean "similar to".

It might be easier to explain to put it in a complete sentence:

Celebrities who have been quoted as having used something...

Celebrities who have been quoted as having used Widgets now regret endorsing the products.

"Who have been quoted as having used Widgets" means the celebrities have said something similar to "I have used a Widget" (proper, correct English) but maybe not those exact words. Perhaps they said: "Widgets? Yeah, I used one" or "I love my Widget!" or "Widgets are wonderful!" or "I have a Widget in every room in my house."

In WS2's examples, Mary may have said, "Of course ghosts are real!" But when we state it as an indirect quote, we might say 'Mary is reported as believing in ghosts'--similar words with the same meaning.