3 ms·
Expecting precise use of imprecise measurement words seems nuts. If people were of the mind to be precise, they wouldn't be using "couple" "few" and "several"
by rendaw 3y ago
Expecting precise use of imprecise measurement words seems nuts. If people were of the mind to be precise, they wouldn't be using "couple" "few" and "several" in the first place.
- MattGaiser 3y agoThe problem is that they have a number in mind, but refuse to state that number. My parents regularly get into arguments about how many of an item were purchased as my mother will never use a number. It is always some descriptor word like "few", or "several" or "plenty." Only after things are purchased will it be revealed that plenty means 16.
- vel0city 3y agoThis is my thought exactly. If I meant only ever exactly 2.00000000000 I'd say "two". If I'm saying "some small value of approximately two" I'll say "a couple".
- memefrog 3y ago[dead]
- stvltvs 3y agoThis begs the question because for me "a couple of X" is equivalent to "two of X". It's not an imprecise term for me. (The one exception that comes to mind is "a couple of things" which I understand to be just loosely defined all around.)