Post AWcJE1fZaH5Fh2fJGS by luckie_reubs@mastodon.social
(DIR) More posts by luckie_reubs@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #AWcA7VocClvfZfiK8m by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-06-12T12:02:18Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
Have you ever met someone who said her car "needs washed" instead of her car "needs TO BE washed"? Here's why. https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/needs-washed/
(DIR) Post #AWcAogQOdSBOvlyHYG by photovotary@mstdn.social
2023-06-12T12:10:08Z
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@grammargirl “Infinitival copula deletion” sounds more like a medical procedure. 😂 Good article as always, Mignon!
(DIR) Post #AWcCHCDK8aHJaN15Jg by aulia@octodon.social
2023-06-12T12:26:30Z
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@grammargirl that is so weird. Never heard of it outside of the US and definitely will give anyone who says that a funny look.
(DIR) Post #AWcDBgeMAEjGCKb7eS by GramrgednAngel@zirk.us
2023-06-12T12:36:42Z
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@grammargirl Decades ago I bumped into this, and searched in vain for an answer. My then housemate used that construction; he was born/raised in southern Ohio.I remember the first time I saw your explanation and the rush of satisfaction I got from it!
(DIR) Post #AWcEFhkE8UPihnp6YK by malakai@the.occultist.space
2023-06-12T12:48:43.250Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@grammargirl@zirk.us professor Barbara Johnstone, who studies Pittsburghese at Carnegie Mellonstudies PittsburghesePITTSBURGHESE
(DIR) Post #AWcERqASe2DwIvsfqa by tw@writing.exchange
2023-06-12T12:50:49Z
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@grammargirl Hey hey! Glad to see you poke at Pittsburghese (my home region). I've been away for 30 years now (y'all is more common now for me than y'inz), but I still find the phrasing and accent rather endearing. Nostalgic, I suppose.But.The dropping "to be" thing (infinitival copula deletion) seems to be pretty widespread though, no? The "needs washed" construction seems to be particularly Western PA , but I swear I commonly see ad copy and other text that drop "to be" everywhere.
(DIR) Post #AWcEvuP7STVO8B4hU0 by pjohanneson@mstdn.ca
2023-06-12T12:56:16Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@grammargirl "needs washing" 'round these parts (or "needs warshing" in my late grandma's voice).
(DIR) Post #AWcJE1fZaH5Fh2fJGS by luckie_reubs@mastodon.social
2023-06-12T13:44:21Z
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@grammargirl No, but i have heard the term “anymore” used in different ways in different parts of the country. I can’t tell if it’s a regional thing or a family thing, though.
(DIR) Post #AWcMRK4ykR7oPva4J6 by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-06-12T14:20:24Z
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@luckie_reubs It's called the "positive anymore"! https://ygdp.yale.edu/phenomena/positive-anymore
(DIR) Post #AWcMsnzDf70MzVzWu8 by statesdj@genomic.social
2023-06-12T14:25:20Z
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@grammargirl Detroiters do this frequently. "I seen this" always causes me to do a double think.
(DIR) Post #AWcNwfXn5nhpv6ZI9Y by tw@writing.exchange
2023-06-12T13:19:48Z
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@grammargirl Oh. And here's an example of the dropped "to be" that I see everywhere: "needs washing" where I would think "needs to be washed" is more correct.In Western PA (really Southwestern PA) "needs washed" is prevalent, but across the country "needs washing" (and similar) seems to be commonplace and now even accepted. Can you talk about this as a contrasting example?Thanks. You do the lords work. :)
(DIR) Post #AWcNwgDyYxRy1wIyuG by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-06-12T14:37:13Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@tw "Needs washing" is standard English. "Washing" is a gerund acting as the object of the verb. You can see more about it here: https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Gerunds-as-Objects-of-Verbs.htm
(DIR) Post #AWcQbigSWVuRRIKCrQ by tw@writing.exchange
2023-06-12T15:07:04Z
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@grammargirl Thanks. It just sounds wrong to my ear. Maybe it's my overtraining to compensate for being immersed in a world where "needs washed" was commonplace. :)
(DIR) Post #AWdKEQtI6eHB1mndWC by keithpartin@universeodon.com
2023-06-13T01:30:22Z
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@grammargirl worked many years in the southeastern US with a brilliant and witty coworker who had a severe case of “Infinitival copula deletion.” We were close enough that I often challenged him on his “poor grammar,” but he didn’t understand my problem with it. Now I know, thanks.
(DIR) Post #AWeeCLsnwlJb9sojBo by jensilber@mastodon.social
2023-06-13T16:48:48Z
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@grammargirl Have you discussed the phrasing I've been hearing recently that says, for example, "I want to see how it looks like"? I believed that either "I want to see _what_ it looks like" or "I want to see _how it looks_" would be the correct options. I wonder if this is a regionalism, or an evolution of informal speech.