Couple Things That Drive Me Crazy About Couple

A funny thing is happening to the word “couple”– it’s changing species!

Until very recently, “couple” was invariably a noun, but now it is increasingly being used as an adjective. To language purists like me, that’s jarring, but it seems the trend is unstoppable.

First of all, a quick grammar review. A noun is a naming word, while an adjective is a word which qualifies or describes certain qualities of a noun. A phrase is a group of words which collectively can act as an adjective. You can normally identify a phrase because it begins with a preposition such as “of”, “in”, “around”, or “by”.

Traditionally, the word “couple” was interchangeable with “pair”. Thus, you would say “a couple of pencils” meaning “a pair of pencils”. As you can see, the word “couple” is a noun, that is, it is a naming word, and it follows the participle “a”. It is then followed by the phrase “of pencils” which acts to describe what kind of couple you’re describing. Technical, perhaps, but that is grammar, or the mathematics of language.

But that is all being turned on its head– more and more often, we’re seeing “a couple pencils”, where “couple” is used as an adjective. “Of” is now out of work, no longer needed, redundant. “Pencils” becomes the object of the adjective, not of the preposition. Arghhhhh!!!!!!!

Appearing at first amongst semi-literate but self-important talk show “personalities”, the trend is showing up even in serious literature. But in today’s fast-moving linguistic landscape, I’m afraid the war’s over. “Pair” will likely fall next: “a pair elephants sauntered across the field”.

Does it matter? Not really. Language is what language does. The only caveat I would suggest is that being at the leading edge of language change risks sounding uneducated, while being on the trailing edge risks sounding fuddy-duddy.

Using language carefully, while understanding the dynamics of language change, is the safe place to be for good communicators.

And the other thing about “couple”? Nothing– I just needed a catchy title!