I think, though, that contractions have a special status. We also say, "There's five kids in the hall." We would never say, "There is five kids in the hall." "There's" and "where's" have become formulaic.
Herb
-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar on behalf of Nancy Tuten
Sent: Wed 6/20/2007 7:19 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: pair
True-we certainly do say them. I meant that we wouldn't say them if we were
thinking consciously about what we were saying and were trying to be
"correct" (oh, no-I said the "c" word!).
I would say "Where're my scissors?" If we said "Where's my scissors?"
wouldn't we consider the expression colloquial, casual, informal (OK,
"incorrect"), similar to saying "Where is my dogs?" Heck, I know plenty of
people who say "My dogs is in the yard," so "Where's my scissors" (or
"Where's my dogs?") is a natural progression.
Nancy L. Tuten, PhD
Professor of English
Director of the Writing-across-the-Curriculum Program
Columbia College
Columbia, South Carolina
[log in to unmask]
803-786-3706
_____
--- On Wed 06/20, Paul E. Doniger < [log in to unmask] > wrote:
From: Paul E. Doniger [mailto: [log in to unmask]]
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:55:29 -0700
Subject: Re: pair
It seems odd, perhaps, that we might not say "Where is the scissors," but we
often do say "Where's the scissors." And I know I've said, "Where's my
pants" (but NOT, "Where is my pants?").
Why is that?
Paul D.
P. S. I wouldn't assume that we "never" say these things.
----- Original Message ----
From: Nancy Tuten
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 6:02:31 PM
Subject: Re: pair
But we would never say Where is the scissors? Maybe we would say Where is
my pair of scissors? More likely, I would say Where are my scissors? In
fact, I say those very words quite often in our house.
Nancy L. Tuten, PhD
Professor of English
Director of the Writing-across-the-Curriculum Program
Columbia College
Columbia, South Carolina
[log in to unmask]
803-786-3706
_____
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Martha Kolln
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 4:58 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: pair
Yes, I would--sometimes. Maybe not always. I think I use both "it" and
"they" for scissors. I think I would say that "My scissors needs to be
sharpened." I think "scissors" is on the fence--whereas those other objects
are nearly always plural.
Martha
In a message dated 6/20/07 2:39:10 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:
Hi Peter,
I'd say that a pair of scissors is an "it," whereas a pair of twins is a
"they." Strangely, a pair of pants is also a "they," as are most of those
other bifurcated objects. When I lose my glasses, I never say, "I wonder
where it is,"--always "they."
Martha
Martha,
If you lost your scissors would you wonder where "it" is?
Peter Adams
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