Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 14:14:43 -0500 From: Denis Anson Subject: Re: query re _want + (participle) use On Saturday, January 24, 1998 9:27 AM, Pat Courts [SMTP:courts[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AIT.FREDONIA.EDU] wrote: > Simon, with regard to "want" + participle. I heard it often in > Steubenville, OH. I'm pretty sure I've heard it here in Western NY, but > I'll check that out to be sure. I also associate it with the usage of > "needs" + participle (e.g. the shirt needs ironed). > >> > >For an article on constructions with elliptical _want + participle_ > >(e.g. the car wants washed, the car wants washing, the car doesn't want > >washed; the infant wants diapered, the infant doesn't want diapered), my > >colleague Tom and Murray and I would like to hear from anyone who uses > >such a construction or is in an area where such a construction is in > >use. I think that the formation "the car wants washing" probably stems from another meaning of want from the active verb. There is also the meaning of "lacks" as in "For want of a nail, a horse was lost..." In this interpretation, which I think would be an archaic but grammatically correct version, "the car wants washing" would translate into "the car needs washing" or "the car lacks washing." Denis Anson, MS, OTR/L Assistant Professor Occupational Therapy Department College Misericordia 301 Lake Street Dallas, PA 18636 phone: 717-674-6413 fax: 717-674-8902 Author of: Alternative Computer Access: Making Appropriate Selections from FA Davis