Date: Sat, 8 Apr 1995 18:06:34 -0500

From: Natalie Maynor maynor[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]RA.MSSTATE.EDU

Subject: Re: needs + present participle



Now I'm doubting my own recollections. Several have written that "X needs

a washing" is grammatical in their dialects. Is "X needs washing" grammatical

in the dialects of anybody? I'm not alone out here, am I?



You're not alone. "X needs washing" is perfectly normal in my Mississippi

dialect.

--Natalie (maynor[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ra.msstate.edu)

home from an excellent SECOL -- thank you, Bill Kretzschmar, Ellen

Johnson, and others!