Plurality isn't simply a matter of morphology. Partitive expressions like "a couple", "a pair", etc. have plural meaning even though they take the singular determiner that collectives commonly have. Herb ________________________________ From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paul E. Doniger Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 6:13 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: FW: Two Questions 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. To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/