Paul,
  I think it parallels "a few."  "A few friends are coming by later." "A
couple of co-workers are joining us." Putting "is" into either sentence
wouldn't feel right to me. But a couple as couple is different. "A
couple is more than just the sum of its parts." "There is a oouple on
the dance floor; another couple moves toward the bar."
   "A couple of" in "a couple of apples" means "two". The "a"
participates, but doesn't make it singular, at least as I read my own
internal grammar.

Craig



If 'couple' in "a couple of apples" is plural, how do you explain the
> singular determiner ('a')? 'A' means "one," I believe, and is therefore
> singular.
>
> Paul
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Alison Cochrane <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 11:34:43 PM
> Subject: Re: FW: Two Questions
>
>
> FYI
>
> A couple of... and a couple are also two different parts of speech.  A
> couple of is a quantifier which is an adjective.  A couple is a noun.
>
> There are a couple of apples.  This is plural because couple of modifies
> apples which is plural.
>
> There is a couple.  As a noun, couple is singular because it is a
> collective noun.
>
> Alison
>
> Knowledge is the seed that exists in all of us.
> It is up to us to cultivate that seed.
> There is no such thing as a stupid seed.
> Just as there is no such thing as a stupid person.
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