This discussion of can versus could is fascinating to me because of the
larger issue that it raises, i.e., is there any sense in which a usage
that is acceptable to a significant number of speakers -- or even to one
speaker -- can be "wrong."  I am certain that a huge majority of my
students would find "can" perfectably acceptable in that sentence about
the lonely kid. Nevertheless, I share the feeling that it is wrong, wrong,
wrong. This seems to me to be an interesting contradiction.  I feel the
same way about "between you and I" despite the fact that that would
probably be approved by a large majority.




On Wed, 20 Sep 2000, Wollin, Edith wrote:

> I don't find it acceptable, and it isn't one of those things that I hear
> many other people say either.  Using I as the object of a preposition when
> there is a compound object is used by everyone but a few of us grammar
> people now, (at least in Washington)but I don't hear can in this context.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Johanna Rubba [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2000 10:02 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Verb form of if-subjunctive
>
>
>  "(1)The little child is lonely; he would be happier if he had someone that
> he can play with."
>
> Do any of the native speakers on this list find this sentence
> grammatical? I can't imagine this being acceptable to anyone, but maybe
> I'm wrong. The 'that' clause requires 'could'.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Johanna Rubba   Assistant Professor, Linguistics
> English Department, California Polytechnic State University
> One Grand Avenue  * San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
> Tel. (805)-756-2184  *  Fax: (805)-756-6374 * Dept. Phone.  756-259
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>                                        **
> "Understanding is a lot like sex; it's got a practical purpose,
> but that's not why people do it normally"  -            Frank  Oppenheimer
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>