At first glance there seems to be very little information about this word couple may confuse anyone, or to which one may raise any objection. It was a simple little word, perhaps modest and without any great aspirations, but a laborer and stoic. But once you start considering the word, a real set of questions arise. To be couple Is it always used in the singular or can it be in the plural? Does it refer to nothing but two, or can it also mean “three,” or even a larger and unspecified number? Should you write “I have some bones I want to pick up with you, Merriam-Webster,” or should you write “a few bones?” belong to bone”?
Aargh! Why should life be so difficult?
When writing about a married couple, it is common to use the plural form (“couple about to get married”). When writing about an established couple, singular verbs are often used (“this couple has six puppies, one is more destructive than the next”).
We don’t have an answer to that last question. However, we have some things to say on the subject of couple. The first thing we want to say is that if you come to this word with the slightest hope that you will find the lack of semantic ambiguity, you have set yourself up for disappointment.
To be couple singular or plural?
Couple is a singular noun. However, it is also a collective noun and these creatures will sometimes find themselves paired with a plural verb and sometimes with a singular verb. The advice that editors and manuals often give in this case is to try to reach consensus in your writing; if you are writing about your in-laws and introduce them by stating “family” To be crazy”, you should not move on to writing “family” later To be.”
Also, where possible, writers should try to use plural or singular verbs depending on how they think about the members of this collective noun (as individuals or groups). Therefore, when writing about a married (or divorced) couple, it seems that people often treat them as two distinct people and use the plural (“married couple…”). is an established entity, usually one will pair them with a singular verb (“a couple with three children, one is more obnoxious than the next”).
It should be noted that, no matter what kind of verb you pair with. couple with, the selective pronoun will always be in the plural (Surname, Surnameor their).
Maybe couple mention three things?
Correct! You may not like it, but whether you like or dislike a particular use of a word has little effect on how tens of millions of other people will use it. This is sad but it’s the truth. Some manuals will advise against using couple refers to the three or seven beers you drank last night, but most modern dictionaries include a definition for couple which is more or less “somewhere in the vicinity of two.” The dictionary does not include this definition to make you unhappy; they included it because it accurately reflects the language usage of a significant number of people.
Is it “double bones” or “double bones”?
The nice thing about this question is that no matter which answer you choose, there will be some old (or late) guide saying you made the wrong choice, thus saving you from worrying too much. In the late 19th century, some commentators argued that couple should not be used simply for any group of two, but only for two things that are linked or merged. This is based on the etymological fallacy that because couple comes from the Latin word for “bond” (copulate) should keep that meaning in English.
But a new complaint arose in the 20th century, when people noticed that couple has been used as a semi-adjective (“can you lend me a few dollars?”). This leads many guides to the view that, because couple has not filled out all the proper paperwork to get a visa its adjective and still strictly a noun it should always be followed by belong to in this use. Our records indicate that couple used frequently without being monitored by belong to in writing in general (especially when used with than; “I’ll have a few more” sounds odd). This prepositional omission is often avoided in formal writing.
We will end here. We still don’t know why life has to be so hard.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
