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Consider this sentence:

For most patients, he will monitor you once every couple (of) months

Which is correct: "couple" or "couple of"?

J.R.
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Carol Hoffnagle
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  • What makes you think that one of those is wrong? – tchrist Aug 21 '18 at 23:13
  • Not wrong specifically. I just thought one sounded better than the other. – Carol Hoffnagle Aug 21 '18 at 23:19
  • I suspect that this addresses your question: https://english.stackexchange.com/q/2407 – tchrist Aug 21 '18 at 23:22
  • Thanks, but that discussion seemed to be mostly about the use of "couple" rather than "couple of". – Carol Hoffnagle Aug 21 '18 at 23:49
  • Isn't that what you're asking though? I don't understand your question if that isn't it. – tchrist Aug 21 '18 at 23:49
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    It sounds like you are saying that both are correct. In the Corpus of Historical American English chart shown, it indicates that "couple of" is more commonly used. I just need to know if one is incorrect. If they both are correct, that is all I need to know. I am new to this site so perhaps I worded my question poorly. Thank you for your help. – Carol Hoffnagle Aug 22 '18 at 00:02
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    @tchrist♦: Maybe Cori's answer to that question answers this one to some extent, as the subject matter is similar; but it's somewhat hard to find for visitors, also because the title of that question is different. Only in this question do we have a clear question and a clear answer. – Cerberus - Reinstate Monica Aug 22 '18 at 01:42

1 Answers1

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In formal English, I would say that the preposition is required.

Online definitions of couple in Merriam-Webster, Oxford, and Cambridge all give examples of its "pair" sense only with the preposition.

The Associated Press Stylebook says:

The of is necessary. Never use a couple tomatoes or a similar phrase. The phrase takes a plural verb in constructions such as: A couple of tomatoes were stolen.

Here is more detailed analysis from the Government of Canada's TERMIUM Plus:

Writers are often confused about when to include the preposition of after the phrase a couple. The guidelines below explain when the preposition should be included or omitted.

A couple of + noun

When a couple of is used before a noun, writers often drop the preposition of, mistakenly using the noun couple as an adjective. This usage is informal and should be avoided in writing. The noun phrase a couple needs the preposition of to link it to another noun.

      Giovanni is having a couple of [not a couple] friends over for dinner.

A couple of + adjective + noun

When a couple of is used before an adjective modifying a noun, the preposition of is needed to link the noun phrase a couple to the noun following the adjective.

      Brenda bought a couple of [not a couple] green papayas at the supermarket.

A couple of + a number

When a couple of is used before a number such as dozen, hundred or thousand, the preposition of is needed to link the noun phrase a couple to the number.

      Ian gathered a couple of [not a couple] dozen eggs from the henhouse this morning.

A couple + word of comparison or degree

When a couple is used immediately before a word or phrase of comparison or degree (e.g. more, fewer, too few, too many), the preposition of is dropped.

      Matilda ate a couple more [not a couple of more] slices of pizza than Serge did.

However, if the word of comparison or degree appears later in the sentence, a couple is followed by of.

      Matilda ate a couple of slices more than Serge did.

Although people do drop the preposition, it seems to only be something regional or idiomatic.

So, both versions may be acceptable informally, but use the proposition for anything formal.

Community
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Jason Bassford
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  • The OED says sense 7b for couple meaning couple of is “U.S. colloq.” since 1876 through the present. Citation 2000 R. Barger et al. Hell's Angel xiv. 242 They suggested I just go home for a couple days. Cool out and have a good time. – tchrist Aug 22 '18 at 00:58
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    +1 I am very pleased to read this answer. I always use the "of" and for some reason I had always assumed I was in the wrong. – Lumberjack Aug 22 '18 at 01:12
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    @Lumberjack I updated my answer with an even more detailed analysis. ;) – Jason Bassford Aug 22 '18 at 01:13
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    This is a great answer Jason. I wish I could upvote more. – Lumberjack Aug 22 '18 at 01:14
  • @CarolHoffnagle If you feel this is the right answer, please consider marking this answer as correct with the check mark just beneath the question score. – Lumberjack Aug 22 '18 at 01:15
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    @Knotell If I thought it was off topic, I would ignore it or vote to close it. I don't consider this off topic and I believe that the question and any answers are relevant to other people on this site. Not everybody thinks exactly the same way. :) – Jason Bassford Aug 22 '18 at 01:18
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    I am genuinely, politely asking you to answer my meta-question. – Arm the good guys in America Aug 22 '18 at 01:23