Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101

[S209]

noun
two of the same sort considered together; pair.
two persons considered as joined together, as a married or engaged pair, lovers, or dance partners:
They make a handsome couple.
any two persons considered together.
Mechanics. a pair of equal, parallel forces acting in opposite directions and tending to produce rotation.
Also called couple-close. Carpentry. a pair of rafters connected by a tie beam or collar beam.
a leash for holding two hounds together.
Fox Hunting. two hounds:
25 hounds or 12˝ couple.

Lets put this off until next Sunday! 

Yes, I’m aware what the simple noun “couple” means, but methinks you missed the last definition they offer:


INFORMAL
an indefinite small number.
"he hoped she'd be better in a couple of days"

Source: Oxford

[CountValentine]

Yes, I’m aware what the simple noun “couple” means, but methinks you missed the last definition they offer:

Was a copy and paste.

[S209]

Was a copy and paste.

A couple of powerhouse dictionaries like Google, Oxford and Merriam-Webster are more than enough for me to be comfortable that it’s not that I just

don't know the meaning. 

PS: Special treat for natives of this thread: Notice the missing comma.

[S209]

Was a copy and paste.

Scroll down to #14

a couple of, more than two, but not many, of; a small number of; a few:
It will take a couple of days for the package to get there.
A dinner party, whether for a couple of old friends or eight new acquaintances, takes nearly the same amount of effort.
Also Informal, a couple.

[CountValentine]

A couple of powerhouse dictionaries like Google, Oxford and Merriam-Webster are more than enough for me to be comfortable that it’s not that I just

Look at the post in question. It was "couple pieces" not "couple of pieces". That means exactly two if you except it was proper grammar without the "of".

[CountValentine]

Scroll down to #14

Scroll to the next post. 

[S209]

Look at the post in question. It was "couple pieces" not "couple of pieces". That means exactly two if you except it was proper grammar without the "of".

I think “a couple pieces of fruit” is a (poor) contraction of “a couple of pieces”. While the grammar is off regardless, the intent and meaning is still “a small amount”.

[CountValentine]

I think “a couple pieces of fruit” is a (poor) contraction of “a couple of pieces”. While the grammar is off regardless, the intent and meaning is still “a small amount”.

Look at your #14. It is "couple of" not "couple". Couple means two. If we bet a couple bucks on a game you going to come back and say you meant 3 or 4? Lets be honest now. 

[S209]

Look at your #14. It is "couple of" not "couple". Couple means two. If we bet a couple bucks on a game you going to come back and say you meant 3 or 4? Lets be honest now. 

Yes I agree that proper iteration of the idiom is “a couple of”. However, when someone says “a couple pieces/bucks”, I think the intent is actually to say “a couple of”.

If I said I was going to bet “a couple dollars” on something, I would mean a small amount, not precisely two.

[CountValentine]

If I said I was going to bet “a couple dollars” on something, I would mean a small amount, not precisely two.

Don't bet with a bookie.

[S209]

Don't bet with a bookie.

If they take it to mean precisely two then I would learn soon enough how they perceive it. Unless I was saying a couple million.

[srap]

COUPLE officially means a quantity of two.  Period.  The tendency for some illiterate speakers to abuse the word to mean 'a few' is absolutely a pet peeve of mine, as well.

Couple comes from Old French 'cople' meaning 'married couple' [ie, TWO] and from Latin 'copula' meaning 'tie', 'connection' [between TWO items]. Think grammatical: the English 'coplula' is a form of 'be', 'is', 'am', etc; words that tie together TWO parts of a sentence, subject and predicate.

One - a couple - a few - some - several - many.

[S209]

COUPLE officially means a quantity of two.  Period.  The tendency for some illiterate speakers to abuse the word to mean 'a few' is absolutely a pet peeve of mine, as well.

Couple comes from Old French 'cople' meaning 'married couple' [ie, TWO] and from Latin 'copula' meaning 'tie', 'connection' [between TWO items]. Think grammatical: the English 'coplula' is a form of 'be', 'is', 'am', etc; words that tie together TWO parts of a sentence, subject and predicate.

One - a couple - a few - some - several - many.

In the common vernacular, it means two or three or possibly more. From Merriam-Webster dictionary:

So the Merriam-Webster dictionary is illiterate? Usage since 1500 irrelevant? Etymology is often messy but popular usage always wins.

[etech0]

frindle

[CountValentine]

So the Merriam-Webster dictionary is illiterate?

No, I would say it has been corrupted. 

marriage: the state of being united as spouses in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law

[SSLPhD]

Precede vs. proceed

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/precede-or-proceed-usage#:~:text='Precede'%20or%20'Proceed'%3F&text=Precede%20means%20%22to%20come%2C%20be,proceed%20is%20related%20to%20action.

(I'm sure the person that used the wrong one knows the difference, but I figured I'd throw this in here anyway.)

[Kryptonite]

Quick lesson of the day:
The rule is: "I" before "E" except after "C" or when your foreign neighbor Keith receives eight overweight freight containers

[SSLPhD]

Quick lesson of the day:
The rule is: "I" before "E" except after "C" or when your foreign neighbor Keith receives eight overweight freight containers

I.e., when making the long a sound. (Also foreign and some others.)

[Kryptonite]

I.e., when making the long a sound. (Also foreign and some others.)

Also height

[Yehuda57]

Quick lesson of the day:
The rule is: "I" before "E" except after "C" or when your foreign neighbor Keith receives eight overweight freight containers