[Rhodes22-list] grammar

[L. Sailor]

Bob,
   That's another teeth-clencher, and actually a
two-part answer: 

    I would ascribe the use of 'there's' when
'there're' is needed as 
1) careless, and 
2) lazy, as the speaker is not thinking ahead to the
subject and whether it is singular or plural. Also,
they are not really paying attention to the meaning of
the contraction.

Then again, 'there're' sounds as if one is revving a
motorcycle   ....awkward sounding....so the preferred
construction would be 'Three ducks on the pond......'
which now brings up another problem as the speaker
must actually SAY something:."Three ducks on the pond
are three two many." or whatever. 

When in the classroom, I would not allow such a
construction (there's-there're) as it requires little
to no thought. 

elle


--- Bob Fletcher <tfl4625 at blackfoot.net> wrote:

> elle,
> 
> While you are on the subject... what do you think of
> the common practice, 
> even among folks (like NPR commentators) who should
> know better, of 
> "singularizing" contractions involving "are."  I'm
> thinking about phrases 
> like, " There's three ducks on the pond." You
> wouldn't say, "There is three 
> ducks on the pond."  Think also, "There's too many
> people at this party." 
> So why is "there's" so commonly used where the
> contraction "there're" would 
> be appropriate if you want to shorten the phrase?
> 
> (Think of this as a diversion from the recent
> political spats on the site.)
> 
> Bob Fletcher
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "L. Sailor" <watermusic38 at yahoo.com>
> To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006 7:27 PM
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Political:Off to Iraq
> re: Dave
> 
> 
> > An easy way to remember:
> >
> > "I imply, you infer" and  'Bring & come', 'take &
> go.'
> >
> > Do you think they'll ever get 'number' & 'amount'
> > straight again...as in "A large amount of
> accidents on
> > I-95."  AARGH.
> >
> > (Sorry...the schoolmarm just reared her
> pince-nez'd
> > head...)
> >
> > elle
> >
> > --- Herb Parsons <hparsons at parsonsys.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Small point, but you're misusing the word
> "infer".
> >> You would have made the implication, Brad would
> have
> >> (but maybe not) drawn the inference.
> >>
> >>
> >> Herb Parsons
> >>
> >> S/V O'Jure
> >> 1976 O'Day 25
> >> Lake Grapevine, N TX
> >>
> >> S/V Reve de Papa
> >> 1971 Coronado 35
> >> Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana Coast
> >>
> >> >>> DCLewis1 at aol.com 10/26/2006 3:26:05 pm >>>
> >>
> >> In a message dated 10/26/2006 9:16:12 A.M.
> Eastern
> >> Standard Time,
> >> flybrad at gmail.com writes:
> >>
> >> Remember, "Good people sleep peaceably in their
> beds
> >> at night only  because
> >> rough men stand ready to do violence on their
> >> behalf."
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Brad,
> >>
> >> Regarding "read between the lines": In my
> experience
> >> reading between the
> >> lines applies to poetry and fiction - perhaps
> that's
> >> were you're experience
> >> is.  But in the real world, if I wanted to say
> the
> >> men and women in the  service
> >> were to dumb to get jobs in the private sector I
> >> would have said it  plainly.
> >>  I didn't say it, I didn't infer it, and I didn't
> >> think it.   You might well
> >> served if you learned to read the English
> language
> >> as it's  presented and
> >> curb your imaginative paranoid tendencies.
> >>
> >> As to Remember, "Good people sleep peaceably in
> >> their beds at night only
> >> because
> >> rough men stand ready to do violence on their
> >> behalf."
> >>
> >> Who protects the good people from the rough men? 
> Oh
> >> yeah, there is  that
> >> problem, and there is no free lunch.  Good people
> >> have to protect  themselves,
> >> and we're quite capable of doing that.  I don't
> need
> >> any rough  man to do
> >> violence on my behalf, thank you, and I suspect
> that
> >> applies to  everyone else on
> >> this list.
> >>
> >> Dave
> >>
> __________________________________________________
> >> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help?
> >> www.rhodes22.org/list
> >>
> >>
> __________________________________________________
> >> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help?
> >> www.rhodes22.org/list
> >>
> >
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam
> protection around
> > http://mail.yahoo.com
> > __________________________________________________
> > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help?
> www.rhodes22.org/list
> > 
> 
> 
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help?
> www.rhodes22.org/list
> 


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com