Your full explanation is very clear.Thanks a lot. Strictly speaking, it means two, or a pair.However, the idiom a couple of can be used to mean a small number of, or a few.. Collins brings this out rather nicely, for example. There is only one couple, therefore "has" is correct. We do not say "There's a couple of Americans" or "There is a couple of people". The phrase is intentionally vague in number. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. A couple of pens refers to two pens and is plural so use are. Couple is now understood primarily to refer to two when used as a bare noun ("they make a nice couple"), but is often used to refer to a small indeterminate of two or more when used in the phrase a couple of ("I had a couple of cups of coffee and now I can't sleep."). Both who and that are grammatical, but there's often a strong stylistic preference for who with people. For example, in Richardson's New English Dictionary (1827), we read that "a century is a hundred of years, of men, of anything", a usage that now sounds jarringly wrong. You can extend thisI need a couple-twelve days to finish the jobbut this will be received as distinctly jocular. they are a half. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. It doesnt matter whether you mean literally a couple, i.e. It is safe to say that, in American English, one must decide whether said couple is considered as a united entity (already wed) or not. Given the definition of a couple as two people, I'm not particularly bothered by "their apartment"; it sounds more natural than "its apartment" to me. JavaScript is disabled. they are a match. There is also the idiom a couple-three or a couple-fourmeaning two or three, two or fourwhich gives you a larger range with correspondingly increased vagueness. There are a couple of new books I'd like to read. In American English, (a) is incorrect and (b) is correct. A couple of guys were standing by the car. The links and pins were often pilfered due to their value as scrap metal, resulting in substantial replacement costs. Monachina, welcome to the Forum. a couple of (people or things) a couple of (people or things) Two or more people or things. That is a common term in English, and it is singular, but it cannot be followed by "of". they are a certain. There was no standard design, and train crews often spent hours trying to match pins and links while coupling cars. 'couple is singular and so has to be the verb. they are a married. For uncountable nouns, though, eg "noise", "wealth", "intelligence" etc, you use the singular "is". Once this broadening of couple began, there was no holding it back. they are a pair. they are a husband . But, think about it: couple is actually a singular noun, so you should use a singular verb. they are a relationship. You are talking about the notional value of couple. "A couple of" never means "a married couple". they are a marriage. So, if you tell someone youll be there in a few minutes, the two of you might understand that to mean, say, less than five minutes, but one of you might mean something slightly longer. Sentence examples for they are a couple from inspiring English sources. However, consider the following: A pair of aces is the best hand in Texas Hold'em. A couple is one thing, not two things. "Few" is a determiner, i.e. Many translated example sentences containing "there is a couple" Spanish-English dictionary and search engine for Spanish translations. Collective nouns like couple, family, team, audience, jury etc can take either the singular verb or the plural verb, and the choice depends on how we think of it. De trs nombreux exemples de phrases traduites contenant "they are a couple" Dictionnaire franais-anglais et moteur de recherche de traductions franaises. Free of In the ladder case, you can't say There is a couple of books I'd like to read. So you have to use the plural. However, UK English looks at any singular subject that represents multiple "A couple of my coworkers, a couple of them," etc. "A couple of" always means The subject of that sentence is books, not couple! It may not display this or other websites correctly. It may not display this or other websites correctly. There is a couple (two persons with a relationship) standing over there. Frankly, I prefer "there. Grammatically, "a couple" is not a numeral: Conversationally, I would say there is no difference. The usual phrasing in the U.S.A. would be "A couple is". Follow edited Feb 12 '13 at 19:15. answered Feb 12 '13 at 17:09. For example: For example: correct I need a couple more cups of coffee. "Couple", however, is a noun, so you need to specify what it is a couple of. There is one phrase, however, in which a couple is always used without of, namely a couple more. A couple of" always means "two of" and is plural. they believe a couple. 'Couples' is the plural form of 'couple'. Could you please tell me the right verb form as well as its reason? As a general rule if a couple I also agree that a collective acts as a singular when it refers to one unit: The couple is sitting in the park talking. Its smallness seems to be relative: a quick check of You could also replace "a couple of" by "some": There are some new books I'd like to read. they suggest a couple. Either one of those could be used, and you would be understood. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You may be confusing this with "a couple", meaning "two people who are dating, engaged or married". There is nothing illogical in the adjectivalisation of "couple". You are using an out of date browser. To reiterate: the decision is based on whether the subject of Example: The couple are to be married on the fifth. This is not always the case in the UK. Hence the plural "are" is correct. I think the "common" way people speak affects what people see as right and wrong, in an uneducated society like mine, you are much more likely to here incorrect English, in examples, ESPECIALLY like "there is a couple of books I'd like to read" (though that'd be an incredibly rare thing to hear as well). Comments. just two people or things, or you use a couple of synonymously to a few; it represents a plural idea, so the correct form is: correct There were just a couple of people at the party. What a few means to me might be different than what a few means to you. Brittney Ross. Interestingly, in my colloquial dialect, it's become common to say "a couple [noun]", dropping the "of". Hi everyone, thank you very much for helping my poor English with your explanation. If you refer to a married couple then couple is a single entity and you use is. Couple is tricky. De trs nombreux exemples de phrases traduites contenant "here are a couple of" Dictionnaire franais-anglais et moteur de recherche de traductions franaises. However, the word couple has an interesting nuance. It has a plural sense, and it is taken into account in notional concord, another rule that may govern subject-verb agreement. they are a spouse. The choice between the phrases there is and there are at the beginning of a sentence is determined by the noun that follows it. And someone who wants to borrow a few dollars from you may You are using an out of date browser. Even though the "a" is present in both " a couple of" and "a lot of", they both refer to more than one object. You must log in or register to reply here. RELATED ( 20 ) they are a handful. It is proper to say "The couple is fighting" according to American grammar. In the Original Poster's sentence we need the word of. You may be misunderstanding the dictionary slightly (that may be their fault, not yours). In American English, this is correct grammar. I'm assuming that we are referring to a couple of people. Use there is when the noun is singular (There is a cat). Use there are when the noun is plural (There are two cats). You must log in or register to reply here. Improve this answer. However, in standard British English at least, when it is not used to modify another word like less or more, the phrase a couple works like a regular noun phrase like a pair or a number or a group. "A couple are" would be more common as a British usage. JavaScript is disabled. they are a household. It is a fate that has befallen other nouns of quantity such as "dozen" and "hundred" without adverse effect. they are a partnership. Tags: COPY EDITING, GRAMMAR, SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT This entry was posted on Monday, January 4th, 2016 at 10:00 am and is filed under this week's podcast.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You use a plural form of a verb with a couple of. there is a couple of things or there are a couple of things? The answer is that there is no hard-and-fast answer. There is a couple, leaning against the wall, gazing longingly into each other's eyes. Couples of - this isn't grammatically correct and is not used. Crew members had to go between moving cars during coupling, and were frequently injured and sometimes killed. In American English, collective nouns tend to be treated as singular. American English might use a singular or a plural verb, depending on the context but it will usually use a singular verb when the word means husband and wife or two people who are in a sexual relationship. Translations in context of "there are a couple" in English-Spanish from Reverso Context: But there are a couple more things I want to mention. Thanks for the explanations) Especially I liked. it directly modifies nouns- "few people, a few mishaps," etc. Al, here are a couple of (Clears throat) dozen things I need you to get signed and authenticated, you know, if you have time. and that it is plural when they are individual: There are a couple of people in the park. There are a couple of bits of the evidence that show they prepared them all in advance. It's an upright stick with a couple of bits of wood fixed to the top to make a cross. My guard had been increased and it was a small army of a couple of dozen soldiers who rattled around with me. On the table were a couple of mobile phones. It seems strange to use a singular verb for a noun that contains two people - the verb should be plural if the subject has more than one person, right? And I said, "Just in case you're looking for entrepreneurs to feature at your next investment conference, here are a couple of women." 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