couple (was Re: assorted comments)

[Mark A. Mandel]

Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET> scripsit:

>>>

My _Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage_ (a great reference IMHO
... and inexpensive!) gives 1.3 pages to "couple [of]". It says "couple"
began to lose its "of" (and behave like "few" or "dozen") in the 1920's.

The book says this 'adjective' "couple" (without "of") is "firmly
established in American speech and in general writing (though not the more
elevated varieties)". This seems about right to me.

<<<

On reading that, I figured that to be consistent, they would have to treat
"dozen" and "hundred" also as adjectives. And they do, and the more ordinary
number words as well. From m-w.com, omitting irrelevant portions of the
entries:


Main Entry: 3couple
Function: adjective
: TWO; also : FEW -- used with a <a couple drinks>
usage The adjective use of a couple, without of, has been called
nonstandard, but it is not. In both British and American English it is
standard before a word (as more or less) indicating degree <a couple more
examples of Middle English writing -- Charles Barber>. Its use before an
ordinary plural noun is an Americanism, common in speech and in writing that
is not meant to be formal or elevated <the first couple chapters are pretty
good -- E. B. White (letter)> <still operated a couple wagons for hire --
Garrison Keillor>. It is most frequently used with periods of time <a couple
weeks> and numbers <a couple hundred> <a couple dozen>.

Main Entry: four [all defs. shown]
Function: noun
1 -- see NUMBER table
2 : the fourth in a set or series <the four of hearts>
3 : something having four units or members: as a : a 4-oared racing shell or
its crew b : a 4-cylinder engine or automobile
- four adjective
- four pronoun, plural in construction

Main Entry: dozen
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural dozens or dozen
1 : a group of 12
- dozen adjective [no link or definition]

Main Entry: hundred
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural hundreds or hundred
1 -- see NUMBER table
        [this link, http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/number+ ,
        takes you to "numb"! You then have to click on the second entry in
        the menu, "number1,noun". The number table is at
        http://www.m-w.com/mw/table/number.htm.]
- hundred adjective [no link or definition]


"Thousand" and "million" get the same treatment as "hundred".

m a m

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