You Don’t Say

A phone conversation with my cousin Susan in Tucson presented this challenge: Is it correct to use couple (to mean two or a few) by itself as an adjective or must it be used with of. In other words, which is correct–a couple drinks or a couple of drinks?

Good question, Susan.

Here’s the answer: It’s up to you. Depending on the situation, you can go either way.

I first checked my Merriam-Websters’ Collegiate (11th Edition), which has a separate entry for couple as an adjective, along with a usage note. According to M-W, using couple by itself as an adjective is “common in speech and writing that is not meant to be formal or elevated.” We can take that to mean that in casual, informal circumstances, there’s nothing wrong with saying or writing a couple drinks.

Three other sources I checked offer different advice. Bryan Garner’s A Dictionary of Modern American Usage, The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage, and The Associated Press Stylebook all agree that couple as an adjective without of is poor usage. The Times and AP might be taking that stand because newspaper writing could be considered a more formal type of writing.

The next time I get to Tucson, Susan, let’s grab a couple drinks and talk about it.