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Author Topic: Words and Grammar and Stuff  (Read 126083 times)

pixote

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Words and Grammar and Stuff
« on: January 06, 2008, 08:44:18 PM »
Wait a minute... I thought Gus Van Sant was doing a film on Harvey Milk?
There's two projects in the works. I forget how they're supposed to be different.

I didn't want to derail another thread with this, but I'm curious about this use of "There's" to introduce a plural predicate ("There is two projects" ??).  I've caught myself doing this lately, but I don't know when or how it started.  Anyone have any ideas?  Most of these sneaky grammatical shifts of late get blamed on instant messenging, but that doesn't seem like a likely culprit 4 this one.

pixote
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oneaprilday

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2008, 10:12:28 PM »
So are you curious about whether it happens to all of us or are you curious about the history/acceptance/non-acceptance of its use?

(I catch myself doing it all the time, and then correct myself. )

Junior

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2008, 10:16:20 PM »
There's about a billion things I get wrong in English every day. Whoever invented it is dumb. Their needs to be a law outlawing people from making up new words. That would stop all of the stupid things that there creating.
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choatime

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2008, 10:48:58 PM »
I don't think I would ever say "There is two projects," but I've probably said something like "There's two projects" a time or two.  Is it just that "there's" is a irregular contraction for "there are"?  I mean, "there're" just looks so wrong.

oneaprilday

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2008, 10:57:35 PM »
I don't think there's  :) a contraction for "there is."

oneaprilday

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #5 on: January 06, 2008, 11:00:38 PM »
I don't think there's  :) a contraction for "there is."

Correction - don't think there's a use when the object is plural. Maybe it's accepted in informal speech though.

pixote

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2008, 11:19:29 PM »
So are you curious about whether it happens to all of us or are you curious about the history/acceptance/non-acceptance of its use?

I'm curious about both.  My feeling is that this particular usage of "there's" is a relatively new phenomenon (at least in its sudden ubiquity) ... does that seem correct to you?  Or is that I'm just late in noticing it?

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ses

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2008, 11:36:04 PM »
So are you curious about whether it happens to all of us or are you curious about the history/acceptance/non-acceptance of its use?

I'm curious about both.  My feeling is that this particular usage of "there's" is a relatively new phenomenon (at least in its sudden ubiquity) ... does that seem correct to you?  Or is that I'm just late in noticing it?

pixote

I feel that there's has always been used as a conjunction for there is.  It is just incorrect when someone uses it for there are. 
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oneaprilday

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #8 on: January 07, 2008, 01:19:36 AM »
So are you curious about whether it happens to all of us or are you curious about the history/acceptance/non-acceptance of its use?

I'm curious about both.  My feeling is that this particular usage of "there's" is a relatively new phenomenon (at least in its sudden ubiquity) ... does that seem correct to you?  Or is that I'm just late in noticing it?

pixote

I'm certainly noticing it in myself more lately (at least, noticing it to correct it), but I'm not sure if that's because others are doing it more,  or not. I'll check around with the English dept where I teach and see what others think.

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Re: Words and Grammar and Stuff
« Reply #9 on: January 07, 2008, 07:19:34 AM »
So nobody else but me uses "there're"?


(Although I don't doubt I'm guilty of a misplaced "there's" once in a while.)