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 > * E-mail: [log in to unmask] * Home page: http://www.calpoly.edu/~jrubba > ** > "Understanding is a lot like sex; it's got a practical purpose, > but that's not why people do it normally" - Frank Oppenheimer > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >